Add Mobilelect to the mobile political scene of Politxt and Mobile Accord. Mobilelect is currently handling the text messaging for Democrat Harold Fords U.S Senate campaign in Tennessee.

Mobilelect considerers themselves a bipartisan technology provider and to that extent view themselves as providing a media outlet--like a radio station, or TV station--that any candidate can use. "We provide the medium; the candidate provides the message," says mobilelect founder Bruce Dobie.

Users simply text message the keyword "Ford" to their short-code (28444) to subscribe to a campaign. It is also possible to subscribe to a campaign via their website. Mobilelect also has a code in which a campaign can easily upload to its

campaign website, which installs the user sign up on the candidate website.

An admin section allows enables a campaign to write the message it wants to send out and program in the time and date they want it to go out. There#039s plenty of other functionality.

"As you know, the cell phone allows political organizers to connect with the hard-core footsoldiers of a campaign and get the message of the day in place first thing in the morning," says Dobie.

Mobilelect also seams to have the right idea about what the mobile medium is good for in these circumstances. "The service encourages subscribers to action (place a call here to voice your support/opposition to this issue; sign up now to receive a bumper sticker/yard sign; review the candidate#039s new health care plan, etc.)."

I have said time and time again that this type of "call to action" implementation is the key to making SMS work in electoral politics.

Technorati Tags: bruce dobie, mobilelect, sms

Campaigns & Elections | Mobile
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