E-Mail, Political Uses

Political use of e-mail is one of the most revolutionary communication tools for politicians and civic-minded citizens alike. In 1994, fewer than 50 members of Congress even had e-mail addresses, but by 2000 e-mail had become the primary mode of communication between elected officials and constituents. E-mail has been found to have both positive and negative attributes for presidential candidates, congressional members, and political activists alike.

For presidential candidates, the 2000 election year was the first one in which e-mail was utilized on a large scale in multiple capacities. E-mail lists were valuable tools for the Bush and Gore campaigns; by the general election, both candidates had e-mail lists with over 400,000 addresses. These lists aided candidates in getting messages about the campaign to supporters quickly. ...