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"Barack Obama and Democratic campaigns announced on Monday it will be using a mobile app for poll watchers and Get Out the Vote across the country. The news comes just days after details of a similar Romney campaign app were made known.\nCalled Mobile Pollwatcher, the app will let Democratic poll watchers check in voters at polling places on Election Day. That data will be transmitted to campaign headquarters, which then knows not to call that particular voter later in the day as part of Get Out the Vote efforts.\nThe major difference between the Obama app and the Romney version is the president's app is tied to NGP/VAN, a suite of digital organizing tools used by left-leaning campaigns up and down the ballot. Data collected by poll watchers using the app will be accessible by all campaigns that have access to NGP/VAN, from the Obama campaign down to local-level candidates.\n\"It helps candidates in not just the presidential campaign but also Senate campaigns, House campaigns, state legislative campaigns up and down the ticket,\" Stu Trevelyan, CEO and President of NGP/VAN, told Mashable. \"Nevada is an example. President Obama is putting a lot of resources into Nevada, there's poll watching going on there. The Senate candidate Shelley Berkley will benefit from that... as will lots of other candidates.\n\"That collaborative piece is not something the Republicans are doing,\" he added. \"Romney has his own voter files and system, the other Republicans have their own voter file and system, and so the fact that this is collaborative is helpful.\"\nTrevelyan noted that access is democratized in both directions.\n\"It helps the other way, too,\" he said. \"Say, for example, the Republicans are trying to put Pennsylvania into play. Preisdent Obama might not have as many resources in poll-watching in Pennsylvania, but the Senate campaign, Bob Casey's campaign is doing poll watching, then the Obama campaign can use the information that's coming in from the Casey campaign to make sure they're targeting their [Get Out the Vote] resources effectively.\"\nThe NGP/VAN app also lets poll watchers check-in voters by a 5-digit identification code instead of by name, simplifying the process.\n\nSEE ALSO: Romney Using Mobile App to Monitor Voter Turnout\nHistorically, poll watchers would have to deliver results manually, by phone or by fax to campaign headquarters. These mobile apps greatly speed up the process, helping the campaigns to better target their Get Out the Vote efforts through Election Day.\nUsing mobile technology for Get Out the Vote isn't a brand new concept this election cycle. However, given how mainstream smartphones and mobile apps have become, they will likely be used this year in the greatest numbers seen yet.\nWhat other new technologies have you spotted in action this election season? Share in the comments.\n\n\n\nMashable explores the trends changing politics in 2012 and beyond in Politics Transformed: The High Tech Battle for Your Vote, an in-depth look at how digital media is reshaping democracy. Read a few of the top posts from the series:\n\nElection 2040: The First President for Digital Natives\nVoter Data: What the Candidates Know About You\nHow to Market the Next President\nGaffesplosion: The Unrelenting Hype of Modern Politics\nHow Social Media Can Safeguard Your Vote\n\nTake it with you, buy  Politics Transformed: The High Tech Battle for Your Vote on e-book and get access to four exclusive interviews!\nImage Credit: Flickr, Barack Obama"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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