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SMS in Politics
MP Message Flood - Dec 5 2004
Australian voters already reeling from
mail-outs and recorded messages from politicians
are about to be bombarded by text-happy MPs,
reports the
The Herald Sun.
"A ministerial decision has given the green
light for MPs to text constituents with
everything from electorate news to the latest
government programs and Christmas greetings.
Federal politicians are still barred from
spamming an electorate in one hit. But they can
now text up to 7000 constituents, or almost 10
per cent of their electorate, over three years.
The cost would amount to about $1800 an MP
over three years.
Questions remain as to how the MPs would get
phone numbers, but parties spend considerable
resources building databases of information on
their constituents.
MPs will be able to ask constituents for
their mobile numbers, but increasing numbers are
listing their mobile numbers in the directory. "
Italy 'Text Tax' Sparks Outrage - Nov
16 2004
Italians have reacted angrily to government
proposals to bring in a tax on mobile phone text
messages, reports the
BBC.
"With 27 billion text messages sent by
Italy's residents last year, even a small surtax
could raise a fortune.
But Italians - who own more mobile phones and
send more text messages per head of population
than any other nation - are unlikely to support
it.
The plan was set out in parliament last week
as part of the prime minister's attempt to cut
taxes and slash government spending.
Opponents of the proposed surtax argue it
could be illegal in any case. Italians already
pay VAT on each text they send, so adding a
surtax on top of that may be against the law.
But there could be one advantage to Italians
if the measure was passed and resulted in fewer
texts being sent.
Italy's largest private investigation company
said last year that in nearly 90% of cases, it
is people's mobile phone which reveals or
betrays extra-marital activities."
London Reveals E-Voting Plans - Oct 15
2004
London mayor Ken Livingstone is looking to
introduce electronic voting across the capital
in time for the next Greater London Authority
mayoral elections in 2008, according to
Silicon.com.
"An information notice by the GLA reveals
plans for e-voting using the internet,
telephone, mobile phone, text messaging,
e-voting booths and digital TV. The plans also
include electronic counting systems for manual
paper votes."
Canadian Politicians Look to Engage Young
Voters with Text Messaging - April 19 2004
There doesn't seem to be much written about
Canadians sending text messages, so this article
on politicial parties reaching out to young
voters by SMS is welcome news.
Canadian mobile phone users can now interact
with the country's political parties by sending
and receiving text messages. The unique
initiative is designed to engage young voters in
the issues of the upcoming federal election,
reports
The Edmonton Journal.
"Anyone with a mobile phone can use a
six-digit short codeto send a question to
political party headquarters. These codes will
be included in advertising and campaign
materials for the Liberal, Conservative, NDP and
Green parties. Representatives at the parties
will then respond to the question via text
message".
Voters Take To Registration by SMS -
Feb 1 2004
Nearly 200,000 voters have registered to vote
using SMS during the last registration weekend
in South Africa, reports Mike Grenville from
160characters.org.
"The Independent Electoral Commission
received about 121,000 calls to its toll free
number and 183,398 enquiries via SMS reports The
Sunday Times of South Africa
More than 3,149,880 people visited
approximately 17,000 voting stations countrywide
over the two-day period".
Military Coup Rumours Spread by SMS in
Texting Capital of the World - Aug 3 2003
Manilla Police Chief, Deputy Director General
Reynaldo Velasco, issued a statement to the
people Saturday, following last week's Armed
Forces mutiny, cautioning them not to believe in
text messages reporting another coup.
"Text messages from a so-called Magdalo 727,
that try to scare residents with reports of
another uprising are spreading across the
metropolis, is only trying to sow
destabilization", he said, according
abs-cbnnews.com.
General Velasco has every right to be
concerned, text messaging, in a case history,
toppled a previous government in the
Philippines.
SMS Voting in UK Elections - May 1
2003
In the biggest experiment in electronic and
postal voting to date, 59 local authorities are
offering 6.5 million electors new voting
opportunities in an effort to increase voter
turnout which has progressively worsened over
recent years, according to an article in the
BBC.
Voters will be able to cast votes by SMS,
touch-tone telephone, the internet, interactive
digital television and touch screen equipment at
polling stations, in elections to the Scottish
Parliament, the Welsh Assembly and thousands of
council seats across England and Scotland.
In a previous experiment conducted on a trial
basis run by BT last May 2nd, Liverpool voters
were able to vote by texting in local elections,
an attempt by the councils to encourage young
voters to have their say in government affairs.
(Mercury
News).
Norwegians Complete Tax Forms by SMS -
April 4 2003
In a world first, The Norwegian Inland
Revenue is giving Norwegians the chance to
complete their tax returns by text message. It
applies to taxpayers who have no changes to make
to the form they receive in the post. Last year,
1.5 million Norwegian taxpayers returned the
form unchanged. This year, they can simply send
a text message with a code word, their identity
number and a pin code instead, according to an
article in
Ananova.
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