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Reaching the Youth Vote Through Facebook

By Michele McNeil — November 27, 2007 1 min read
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Getting young people interested in politics—and to the polls—is still a tough chore. But in this presidential race, and even in next year’s governors’ elections, the stakes couldn’t be higher for the nation’s youth, who will be affected by decisions made about education, the economy, and war.

Enter Facebook.

This hugely popular social networking site that draws millions of young people, who share thoughts, photos, and even trivia knowledge, is partnering with ABC News to bring its users political coverage. By adding the “U.S. Politics” application, Facebook users can track the political coverage and candidates through ABC News reporters, find out which presidential candidates have the most Facebook “friends” (Barack Obama is way ahead), and see what other users say their most important election-year issue is (education is ranked fourth.)

This is a brilliant idea—ABC News gets to be the official source of politics coverage for the millions of users of Facebook. And Facebook is able to offer a more engaging type of political news to an audience that’s difficult to engage, through a partnership with a highly reputable news source.

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