Nearly two-thirds of registered voters (64%) received recorded telephone messages in the final stages of the 2006 mid-term election. These so-called "robo-calls" were the second most popular way for campaigns and political activists to reach voters, trailing only direct mail.
If the mid-term election of 2006 marked a transition in American political life -- the loss by the Republicans of both the House and the Senate -- the campaign also marked a transition in the rapidly changing landscape of the news media covering it.
Political fund-raising, campaigning, blogging and YouTubing are all on the rise, but they're still a small part of the election scene.
With mid-term elections approaching, record numbers of Americans are turning to the internet for information on politics and campaigns.
