Media Influence on Election Day

The role of the media in the political process is key: the media gives interested parties an unparalleled chance to talk directly with huge numbers of people. In election campaigns, the media is particularly important. However, there is this rather outdated notion that once election day comes, the role of the media fades; the idea being that election day is when ‘the people’ speak, and the media simply reports.

As we can see from the election on Tuesday, this is no longer the case. The importance of the mass media continues to grow in politics, and this is very evident when we look at what happened in close races on Nov. 7.

Firstly, the media started showing results of what was happening in the eastern parts of the country when the polls were still open in the west. Voters in these locations could see how different races were being called, and could decide if they would bother voting.

Secondly, the media is documenting what is going on in the campaign headquarters, and broadcasting what candidates are saying. In the extremely close Senate race in Virginia, all the announcers picked up on Incumbent George Allen’s comment that this had been a long election, and continued to be so. They then went over to his Democratic challenger’s headquarters, where he, Jim Webb marched in to bagpipes and proper naval protocol, and promptly declared victory. He raised his hand in the air and claimed that he had won a race that was still very much far from over. However, once Americans saw this image of Webb claiming victory, it became that much more difficult for Allen. We know now that Webb did win, but perhaps Allen’s concession came that much sooner because of Webb’s much-broadcasted winning speech. A similarly close election in Montana also had a Democratic challenger claiming a victory before the votes were counted, and a Republican incumbent shunning the media to go home to his family, even when it was not clear that he had lost.

The mass media is clearly an important part of the political system, and media-friendly candidates do naturally tend to thrive. On election day, there is still an advantage for politicians to have sustained media coverage of their campaigns, as the races do not end when the people start to vote.

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