• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, April 10, 2007

Mounting evidence points to the Web as a critical communications and educational tool for the 2008 Presidential election. Indeed, voters are relying on the Web more than any medium to research candidates and their positions, according to a new study from online ad network Burst Media.

One-quarter of likely voters cited the Internet as the best place to research candidates' positions and general election issues, according to Burst. By contrast, about a fifth--21.3%--cited TV as the ideal source of election information, while 17.3% said newspapers were their key source of information. Trailing, just 6.9% cited radio, 4.4% said magazines were best, and 3.3% cited direct mail.

In Burst's recent survey of 2,100 online users who are likely to vote in the 2008 Presidential election, it found that more than 20% of likely voters had already visited a presidential candidate's Web site; one-quarter had clicked on a candidate's or advocacy group's ad.

"The Internet provides candidates, advocacy groups and marketers with a high touch medium to reach new audiences and enhance existing constituent relationships," said Chuck Moran, manager of market research for Burst. "Our study confirms that the Internet is a valuable source of political and advocacy information."

Nearly half--50.7%--of likely voters would watch a video clip on a candidate's Web site featuring the candidate discussing his or her positions, the study finds.

Notably, men are significantly more likely than women to cite the Internet as the best source for election information--28.7% versus 21.1%, respectively. Men are also more likely than women to say they would watch a video clip online--50.1% versus 43.9%, respectively.

Additionally, one-quarter of likely voters said they would download and listen to a podcast featuring a candidate presenting their election platform. As might be expected, respondents ages 18-34 were more likely than all other age segments to say they would listen to a podcast.

Sensing the sea change in national politics, candidates have been campaigning online since January. Sen. John Edwards' blog ads, for example, began appearing that month on political sites like Daily Kos, AmericaBlog, and Crooks and Liars.

At the same time, Gov. Mitt Romney's campaign also began running ads on blogs more in line with his conservative views like OutsideTheBeltway.com, RightWingNews.com, and the Townhall.com blog network.

The Web also continues to be a powerful tool for fund-raising. In the tradition of 2004 presidential candidate Howard Dean, the Web is helping Sen. Barack Obama compete with better-connected rivals. Obama raised $25 million from more than 100,000 donors in the first three months of the year, while Sen. Hillary Clinton reported taking in $26 million. The Obama campaign reported raising $6.9 million using the Internet, compared with $4.2 million by the Clinton campaign.