Communications and Information Technology for Political Parties
The spread of new communications and information technologies, associated with computers and the Internet, has opened new possibilities for the modernization of political parties. These possibilities apply both internally, in the operations and electoral planning of a political party, and externally, in its communication with its broad membership (as distinct from party officials and "regulars," and with the larger public among whom it competes for votes.
Because the United States is the most extensively "wired" of major countries, the use of new communications and information technologies has been most fully developed there. Thus the following discussion will draw on American experience. The application of these technologies to other democracies, such as South Africa, will differ in many details, due to differing electoral mechanics, political cultures, and degrees of online connectivity. Nevertheless, the principles outlined should be of broad applicability.
Internal. The application of new communications and informational technologies to the internal operations of a political party are broad-ranging. Many of these applications are similar to those found in any organization; for example, the use of email as a medium combining the permanancy of a memorandum with the immediacy of a telephone call. However, one development of particular interest to political parties is the ability to analyse voting patterns with great precision, and thus to efficiently target both its own core supporters and "swing" voters who might be open to its message. The message itself can be tailored in emphasis for each group to be targeted.
In the United States, it is now possible to analyse voting patterns neighborhood by neighborhood, even city block by city block. This information can in turn be analysed along with demographic patterns to provide
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