The Couch Potato Vote

Those of us who didn't make it to the conventions are following the action online and on TV--and, on our XBoxes?

On the first day of the Democratic Convention, Rock the Vote and XBox started a partnership that allows people to register to vote from their XBox Live (an online gaming system), as well as participate in political discussions and polls.

According to Microsoft, XBox Live has some 12 million users--if it were a state, they point out, would make it the nation's seventh largest, with about twenty electoral votes. Obviously, a large proportion of these users are young people and potential first-time voters.

While there are many easy and convenient ways to register online (Rock The Vote's own website being one), this is unique in that it gets to people in their own (virtual) community--the online version of a voter-registration drive you might see on a college campus. I've written before about the challenges of reaching non-college young voters, and this could be one way to get at a number of them.

Of course, any discussion of the youth vote brings with it a large dose of skepticism--for all the enthusiasm in the polls, will they actually vote? While the notion of the flaky, apathetic young voter has been fairly thoroughly debunked by the numbers this year, an XBox--a symbol of the generation's plugged-in, tuned-out stereotype--as a political tool does seem to beg the question.

After all, you still can't vote from your couch.

Comments (6)

1. I understand the Repubs will allow you to register to vote via your Atari (with proper cartridge)....

   while McCain proposed a plan to let you register via your Pong!

   heheh

   Posted by Maskdelta at 09/04/2008 @ 3:22pm

2. Actually, I think McCain was trying to see if he could devise a plan for people to be able to register to vote on a ...bagatelle!

   LOL

   Posted by Maskdelta at 09/04/2008 @ 3:34pm

3. while McCain proposed a plan to let you register via your Pong!

   Posted by Maskdelta at 09/04/2008 @ 3:22pm

   and palin will let them register via her bong.

   Posted by frosty zoom at 09/04/2008 @ 9:07pm

4. Posted by frosty zoom at 09/04/2008 @ 9:07pm

   Remember how the Right used to be outraged that we had a "pot smoking adulterer in the Oval Office"?

   Now we've got a pot smoker (Palin) and an adulterer (McCain).

   Maybe if they're just not "combined" (as with Clinton) it's "okay"????

   Posted by Maskdelta at 09/04/2008 @ 9:10pm

5. Maybe if they're just not "combined" (as with Clinton) it's "okay"????

   Posted by Maskdelta at 09/04/2008 @ 9:10pm

   this is all so cheesy and stupid.

   we've got an election coming real soon.

   a 6 week campaign!

   and as much as viceroy harper tries to turn it into a republican't style dirt fight,

   the media just keeps talking about the oddest of things.

   something called "issues".

   go figure.

   Posted by frosty zoom at 09/04/2008 @ 9:15pm

6. For younger voters and middle class (even older I suppose now who have to work and can't retire after eight years of bush) with 6.1% unemployment most since 91 recession, looming hurricanes to remind voters about GOP incompetence, GOP is trying hard to make this "about character, NOT issues"....

   However, if there is ever to be any "straight talk" then let's tell it now:

   Sen Obama, despite GOP lies, has proposed a permanent $500 per worker/$1000 per two worker family tax credit to offset payroll taxes; bottom line being more $$$ in our pockets.

   Under sen mccain, despite GOP lies, there is a new tax on employer-provided health insurance plans together with a new tax credit that does not rise with the cost of health insurance.

   Health insurance expenditures have been rising much more rapidly than overall inflation; therefore the tax increase to consumers under mccain, as health costs gets passed on to consumers, will rise much faster than proposed tax credits---resulting in a net loss for tens of millions of middle class workers in this country...

   bottom line: GOP and mccain "do not get it"...it is all smoke and mirrors.....

   any questions????

   btw: there are 20,000 anti-war peace activists marching on GOP convention, despite the commie news network only talking about a hundred or so "violent" protesters arrested...NEUTRAL media please.....

   Posted by jrs112 at 09/05/2008 @ 11:31am