High-tech tools for campaigners.

• Author: Graff, Steve
• Position: Computerized campaign systems

As computers grow cheaper and more powerful, candidates, campaign managers and staff can use them to make better use of time and effort.

The returns were in, but the election wasn't over. The race was hard fought, and the votes were close--the Republican candidate had triumphed by a slim margin. But the absentee ballots hadn't been tallied, and they turned the tide. The Democrat was the victor.

Political fiction? It happened in a recent state Senate race in southern California. Victory hinged on identifying the absentee voters who were likely to vote for the Democratic candidate. The success reflected good old-fashioned campaigning at its best, but with a sophisticated twist: A computerized campaign system was used to target this specific voter group.

According to legislators, legislative staff and vendors, computerized campaign systems are "hot." These very sophisticated and relatively inexpensive systems are being used to help target voters and get the most out of campaign resources.

Not long ago, only national and large state party organizations could afford computer technology. The costs associated with collecting and entering data, developing or buying programs and purchasing the large mainframe computer needed to run them--or buying time on one--were so high only large organizations could manage them. Today, however, a system as powerful as the mainframes of a decade ago can be purchased for less than $30,000. The continuing revolution in computer hardware and software technology has provided amazing capabilities at prices unimaginable when the first IBM PC was introduced just 10 years ago. In addition, data such as voter history that would have been prohibitively expensive to collect 10 years ago can now be purchased inexpensively in computerized form from governmental bodies or private firms. These developments have made it possible for almost anyone to take advantage of sophisticated campaign targeting and direct marketing techniques.

How is this new technology being used in campaigns? Envision this scenario: Individually addressed letters appear the week before election day, one for each registered voter in a household--Granddad, Mom, Dad and their 19-year-old daughter. The letters are from the same candidate in the Senate race, but they are all different. The candidate seems to know each of them personally, yet none of them has ever met her.

Granddad's letter speaks of the candidate's support for special tax breaks and services for retired people. Dad's letter addresses tax credits for families providing caregiving services for the elderly, higher education tuition tax credits and the need to reduce burdensome regulations on small businesses. Mom's mentions the fact that she and the candidate share common experiences as working women who have children in the public schools, detailing the candidate's plans to improve the school system, provide government-sponsored before-and after-school activities, and strengthen enforcement of...