Tech of the Week: Election Edition
Election season is more than upon us. In less than three weeks, we’ll all (if you’re over 18 and in the U.S.) be heading to the polls and casting our vote for the next president, and tensions are most definitely high. Whether you’re a political junkie or just want to get informed, here are 12 apps, websites, and tools for beefing up your political and presidential knowledge.
1. Can I Vote?: First thing to do is find out if you can vote! Maintained by the National Association of Secretaries of State, this site breaks things down by state and takes you to the appropriate links for finding your polling place, etc.
USA Election 2012
In terms of information, we’ll kick things off with straightforward and informative app that gives you all the information you’ll need to make an informed decision about who to got for. View up to date polling results, info on the economy and jobs, and keep informed via a customizable RSS feed. ($0.99 for iPhone and Android)
2012 Map: The Presidential Election App
This app is all about the map! It includes live maps that are updated daily with the newest polling data, historical maps that detail every election from 1789 through 2008, and a blank map you can customize and play with. Predict how states will go by changing the colors on the map, and compete with your friends and family on election night. ($1.99 for iPhone)
4. Election: For a whimsical way to keep the political vibe going, plan a late October movie night with Election. This comedic classic is sure to put things in perspective. Pick Flick!
Politifact
This site aims to bring facts to the presidential election. When a candidate states something, Politifact is a great place to turn to see if what they’re saying is true, and how it might affect you. Their smartphone app ($1.99 for iPhone and Android) includes a Truth-O-Meter and Flip-O-Meter Tally. The Settle It! quiz also lets you end arguments with three easy options: True, False, or Pants on Fire.
6. No Politics Please: Or maybe you need a break from politics, at least on Facebook. Shortened to noppl, this is a free browser extension that hides unwanted political posts from your Facebook feed by typing them into the noppl filter. Perhaps you could also use this to filter out daily photos of all your middle school friends’ lunches?
7. Facebook + CNN “I’m Voting”: On the complete opposite end of the politics and social media spectrum, Facebook and CNN just launched an in-Facebook app that tells your friends if you’re voting in an effort to pump up voter registration.
Race For The White House 2012
Consider yourself a Romney or Obama pundit? Game it up and show your presidential prowess. You can fundraise and advertise, make television appearances to charm the public, and run secret covert operations against your opponent. (Free for iPhone and Android)
WP Politics
Perfect for political junkies, this app from the Washington Post keeps users informed, separates truth from spin, and is highly visual and easy to follow even for novice politicos. We love the Fact Checker! (Free for iPad)
10. Huffington Post Pollster: Data nut? Check out HuffPo’s Pollster, which collected and analyzed 15,081 opinion polls about the 2012 elections. New polls are being added every day, and are sure to heat up as the election gets closer.
11. Take Back Tuesday: And while we’re on the topic of voting, what about how inconvenient it is that elections are held in the middle of the week? If people have work to do and are on the political fence, they’ll likely skip voting entirely. GOOD is on a campaign to take back election day and turn it into a National Holiday.
Super PAC App
Do some of those facts in political commercials come off as a little questionable? Definitely. Super PAC app is like Shazam for political ads. It listens to the ad, matches the ad’s audio waves against their database. It tells you who paid for the ad and how much they’re spending on the campaign, and then points you to Politifact or FactCheck to verify facts. (Free on iPhone)
