The electronic side-step: candidates' communication strategies in a local election

Major changes are unfolding in the conduct of public communication in political campaigns in modern democratic societies, yet we know little about how this flows through to the grassroots level of local government. The 2007 Australian Federal election was one of the first in the world where candidates and voters used new media applications. This study adds to our understanding of the media and democracy by presenting an analysis of candidates’ communication strategies during local council elections. It shows that two-thirds of candidates used email, but less than half had a website. Candidates gave the top five spots to traditional strategies, led by personal contact with voters, when asked about their most valuable communication methods. Web 2.0 tools were well down the list. Despite this conservative approach to e-electioneering, the results suggest the mainstream media are losing ground as the central arena for local election campaigning