Technology integrated into campaigns

Gone are the days where shaking hands and kissing babies were enough to win an election.

Those stalwarts still are present in modern campaigns, but technology is proving to be a driving force in political bids.

Candidates -- mostly financial underdogs -- still say there is no replacement for hard work on the campaign trail. There are some things in a race you can't put a price on, like the number of doors knocked on and the amount of pancakes shared with voters over coffee, they say.

But candidates are relying more on thousand-dollar television spots, hiring companies to maintain flashy Internet Web sites and e-mail lists and other forms of campaigning to get their message to voters.

"Technology, especially as access grows in the rural areas, is one of those things you can't ignore," said Democratic Rep. Joe Dorman, who does not face a challenger in November but operates a Web site to stay in constant touch with constituents.

Jim Davis, political science professor at Oklahoma State University, said most races couldn't be won without money to buy the latest in technological advances.

"People think if you meet a lot of people, you can win on energy," he said. "But candidates need a full media campaign to win a seat today. There is no choice in the matter."

Phrases like 'perception analyzers' were unknown to Oklahoma politicians of the past, but they are a political reality now, Davis said.

Like the name implies, candidates now spend money to analyze messages the voters want to hear through perception analyzers, polls and focus groups, all of which cost money.

Candidates, especially those in larger races, now are required to have Web sites to be considered legitimate contenders, and many have formed personal pages on online social directories like MySpace.com and Facebook.com to give the public more insight into their candidacy.

Candidates who refuse to embrace technology risk losing tech-savvy voters, Davis said.

"The public chooses between messages as much as they do candidates now," he said.

A former Republican consultant who was in the business for almost 30 years said the style of a campaign still revolves around candidates' budgets.

The consultant, who did not want to give her name now that she is out of the business, said if the demographics of an area are largely retired voters, newspaper advertising and direct mail are the most effective tactics.

But if the candidate is young, technologically inclined and has a message that resonates more with young professionals, investing more money in a Web site and e-mail list consultant might be the right path instead.

Regardless, all campaign tactics cost money, she said, whether it is spending an average of 50 cents per mail piece or hiring a company to maintain the campaign's online tools.

"The more local the race, the more personal contact the voters expect," she said.

The Internet also has made more information, both positive and negative, available to voters and other candidates.

With the click of a mouse, a person's criminal and financial records are available, along with every word they have ever said that was published or every "no" vote recorded on a bill.

Former political consultant Mike Osborn said technology has made campaigns more negative because the information is readily available to anyone with a computer. But technological advances have also decreased the amount of time it takes a candidate to respond to an attack.

"You can find out anything about anybody. Google has changed the world," he said about the popular online search engine.

But campaigns have yet to figure out a way to use e-mail effectively without becoming annoying, said Osborn, who ran campaigns for former Gov. Frank Keating and is the state director for Americans for Prosperity.

With radio and television ads, voters are forced to listen if they are on that channel, but e-mails are easily deleted, he said.

Prices for television ads vary widely depending on the area, time, channel and show, said Rick Buchanan, a former political consultant who has served as a media buyer for multiple races since 1994.

For just the airtime in Oklahoma City, a candidate would pay between $2,000 and $5,000 for a 30-second ad during prime time network television. For a spot in the news, it would cost between $500 and $1,000, and for a slot on cable, $50 to $80, Buchanan said.

Statewide candidates may spend anywhere from $800 to $2,000 to hire an outside company to create and maintain a candidate's Web site and e-mail list, Buchanan said.

When determining the amount to spend on campaign expenses, Buchanan said consultants often use what is called a 'burn rate.' The burn rate is the amount of money the day-to-day needs of the campaign will cost, like staff salaries and office supplies.

Most candidates keep their burn rate at 40 percent or less, spending the remaining 60 percent of money raised on media and marketing, Buchanan said.

Rep. Dorman, D-Rush Springs, said candidates can no longer ignore words like 'blogosphere' and 'MySpace.' Dorman, who said he hopes to take some classes soon to teach him more about Web page design, has a MySpace page and a Web site that he updates regularly.

Dorman said technology has not replaced knocking on doors and calling voters, but it adds another layer to the campaign.

He said he has gathered about 1,700 e-mail addresses, which he can use instead of more expensive mailers to update constituents and send out vote reminders on election day.

"If you know how to do it (yourself), then it is free," he said.

But with technological advances also comes the fear of misuse. Web sites can be hacked, and it is hard to control a message on sites like MySpace.com where users can post comments for all the public to see.

Dorman said technology helps him reach more voters, but it also requires more monitoring to ensure the right message is being put out.

"People want to get to know the candidate as much as possible, so the message you put out there and image you convey, you have to be careful about what it represents."