Or, at least, they are out to get your vote. 

From politicos to webtech nerds, the blogosphere has caught midterm election fever. 

On Twitter, live feeds have become a blurry mess of hashtags, mentions, candidate name dropping and overflowing polls. On Facebook, parties and politically-inclined organizations are sending out messages and event invites on a daily basis. And on YouTube, Michelle Obama tells us to vote, and vote early (a revolutionary idea for procrastinating college students).

Following in the path of the successful online activism that President Barack Obama demonstrated in the 2008 election cycle,  the Democratic National Committee is using Facebook and Twitter to lead early voter and voter pledges. 

The Democratic Party is using Facebook and Twitter to encourage young voters to join the Commit to Vote Challenge. Part of a national effort to encourage voters to actually show up to the polls on November 2, campaigns are tracking Twitter followers and Facebook “Likes” to gain political support and concrete votes.  The California Democratic Party recently launched a brand new “Friend Out The Vote” Facebook application. The app, developed by former Facebook executive Chris Kelly, matches your friends’ party registrations and identifies those that typically vote Democratic, but may need a little extra nudge come election day. 

Whether it’s providing information to those who vote-by-mail, or helping match people with their local polling place, the Raise Your Vote campaign launched this summer to increase voter registration.  As a part of the DNC’s $50 million Organizing For America “Vote 2010” campaign, the Raise Your Vote website allows visitors to immediately receive information that is specific to their home state or residence. Combined with the increased use of GOTV and Raise Your Vote twitter hashtags and links, social media makes voter information accessible to young students who start their day by logging on to Facebook right before class. 

With approximately 15.4 voting-age Facebook users in California, Democrats hope the Facebook app will engage younger constituents and solve some of the debate about the early voter enthusiasm gap. 

It’s not just the Dems that are getting their Tweet on. Carly Fiorina has more than 300,000 followers, an impressive number compared with Senator Barbara Boxer’s 23,706 followers. To perhaps soften her image, the Meg Whitman campaign has carefully crafted a Flickr photostream documenting her travels and appearances.

According to Mashable’s Mark Silverman, the world of social networking is “ripe with opportunities” that can be cheaply and easily utilized by candidates and their campaigns. Although these opportunities may or may not be used effectively by all politicians, social media does, at the very minimum, allow campaigns to diversify their communications efforts.  

At the recent Politico-Facebook event Going Viral: How Campaigns Are Using Social Media, panelists highlighted the potential for mobile social media apps to increase engagement in future elections. Although the debate over whether social media has had an encouraging or a more polarizing effect on young voters is becoming increasingly relevant, most agree that social media allows voters access to the people behind the political platforms. 

But will social media made a difference this November? For the college freshmen retweeting the blurbs of a few choice candidates  and sharing Facebook links with friends– it just might. 

Contact Emilia Ana Cosma here.