Local Campaign, World Wide Web: Politics, the Internet, and the Future of Public Life
More and more candidates for public office at the local level are taking their campaigns online, and web tools are changing the ways that lawmakers and voters interact. Blogs, email, and social networking offer public officials the opportunity to communicate directly with voters and their constituents in a way that promotes a type of participatory democracy that is new and exciting. Join a conversation on the state of online campaigns, get examples of how some technologies are helping candidates breach the divide that exists between voters and politicians, and learn about the implications these developments hold for the future of government and public life.
Matt Compton is the communications director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. There, he is responsible for planning a national message strategy for supporting thousands of legislative candidates across the country. He is also a contributor for The Democratic Strategist. Before joining the DLCC, Matt worked as a writer and editor for a policy organization in Washington, DC. He previously worked on legislative races in North Carolina -- his home state. Matt is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Kim is the director of the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association and a political veteran with more than a decade of experience in campaigns and organizing. Prior to her time at the DLGA, Kim served as Political Director for Rock the Vote, leading the largest online voter registration drive in history with more than 2.6 million forms downloaded. Previously, Kim has worked for a number of organizations including the National Association of Counties and Gov. Tom Vilsack's Heartland PAC. A native Iowan, Kim started her career working to elect the first Democratic governor in 30 years before working on the 2000 presidential caucus for Bill Bradley.
Jim Walsh has been the senior vice president at Wired for Change since 2007, a technology firm that provides online campaign tools and development services to hundreds of Democratic campaigns and progressive organizations. Previously, with the South Carolina Democratic Party, Jim coordinated research, earned media, and direct mail efforts for successful state legislative, gubernatorial, and US Senate campaigns. At America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth, he worked with the organization's Chair, Sen. Harris Wofford, managed a national media campaign and organized highly events with elected officials like Former President Clinton. Jim joined the Wired team fresh from US Senator Ben Cardin's victory in Maryland.
Adam Conner is the Washington DC Associate for Privacy and Global Public Policy at Facebook, where he focuses on privacy and regulatory issues, political outreach and directed the company's 2008 election efforts. Prior to opening Facebook's Washington DC office, Adam was the Director of Online Communications for Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, Chairwoman of the Rules Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. He previously served as the Deputy Director of Online Communications for Forward Together, the presidential exploratory committee for former Virginia Governor Mark Warner. Adam holds a bachelor’s degree in political communication from the George Washington University.
Erin Hill is the Executive Director of ActBlue. Hill joined ActBlue in 2005 and served as Political Director during the 2007-2008 cycle where she helped expand ActBlue to all 50 states resulting in almost $100 M raised for 4,500 different Democratic campaigns and committees. Prior to joining ActBlue, Erin worked in the Massachusetts State House and on Capitol Hill in operations and political fundraising. In the 2004 cycle, Hill served on the finance staffs of the Kerry-Edwards campaign and the Democratic National Committee. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Wellesley College with a degree in English literature and a concentration in Public Policy Studies.
