In recent years, a wide range of groups—from state and local governments to voting advocacy organizations to campaigns and parties themselves—have placed an emphasis on making it easier for people to register and vote. Prospective voters in 2008 were offered an array of channels for determining whether or not they were registered, finding out when and how to register for elections in their state, and for locating the proper polling place to cast their ballot on Election Day. Whether a voter spent most of her time on MySpace, Google Maps or barackobama.com (to name just a few of the many sites offering these services), she was likely able to access voting and registration information online.

At least in part due to the success of these efforts this year’s voting period was marked by high turnout and long lines at many polling locations, and both the media (much of the early coverage on November 2 featured overhead shots of voters queuing down the block at various voting stations) and individual voters were eager to share their experiences on voting day. This communication took place in numerous ways—via in-person conversations, telephone calls or text messaging, and through online discussions over email, social networking sites, blogs or status update services.