Information Polity

This article reviews the existing literature on the study of on-line aspects of elections along three well-rehearsed theoretical frameworks: equalisation vs. normalisation, information vs. engagement, and mobilisation vs. reinforcement. It then examines the contribution of this volume to the field, first by direct reference to existing literature, then more generally, touching upon the notion of the 'comparative' – theoretical, geographical and empirical. I examine the contribution of the articles, considered as a collective effort, in relation to the increasing specialisation in the study of on-line aspects of elections. Then the framing of issues and the evidence presented within and across individual articles are used to assess the import of the internet for election campaigns with respect to increasing pluralism, professionalisation, and audience activity (or the lack thereof). It will be argued that this theme issue represents a first, necessary contribution towards gaining a cross-national understanding of the growing role of the internet for electoral practice. The last section further elaborates on possible future directions of online campaign studies, drawing on the study of the 2004 EP online election.

This study reports on incorporation of the Web during the 2004 European Parliament election as played out in 11 EU Member States. Based on an analysis of Web site features related to a conceptualization of political engagement, the study examines utilization of features reflecting information provision and opportunities for discussion and political action. The findings reflect the low level of importance historically ascribed to European Parliament elections. The study also illustrates the diversity in how the Web was incorporated into this election campaign across the 11 EU Member States, which may be a consequence of the broad range of political cultural and contextual aspects shaping this pan-European event.

We outline the competitive television news market in the enlarged European Union (EU) and demonstrate the continued importance of traditional media, in particular television, in the context of proliferation in choice of news sources, including on-line news services. Drawing upon a content analysis of the most widely watched evening television news programs in each of the EU countries, we find that on average, EU news in 2004 was more visible in the new member states than in the old member states. The level of coverage in the old member states was slightly higher in 2004 compared to 1999. Looking at individual countries there was considerable variation with some countries(e.g., Greece, Denmark, Slovakia, and Austria) devoting about 20% of the news to the elections and others (e.g., Germany, Belgium, and the Czech Republic) devoting about 5% or less to the elections.

This article explores the internet's role in the Finnish 2004 European election. The first aim is to explore how different actors employed the web during the campaign. The second aim is to analyze the impact of the actors' web strategies on voters. Two circumstances make Finland interesting. First, the basic prerequisite for web campaigning is fulfilled since the northern countries, including Finland, are the most 'wired' area in Europe. Second, the electoral system is based on voters' direct choice of candidates, which encourages candidate-driven campaigning. The findings show that the main actors of Finnish campaigns, candidates and parties, dominated the on-line environment. Major party candidates, especially, campaigned on-line. Overall, the websites of all actors provided few information and engagement features. However, major party candidates made better use of the web than other candidates. Additionally, the news media's 'candidate selectors' made good use of web-specific features, and attracted relatively large voter interest. Concerning voter impact, few voters visited election-related websites. Moreover, few indicated that they obtained very/quite much information to support their voting decision from the web. Interestingly, young voters were an important exception.

In this article, the notion of Europeanization of political communication and the possible development of a European public sphere is explored. The article offers a concrete approach to investigating this notion with direct reference to the Internet. Specifically, I examine the unfolding of communicative interaction on the Web sites of French political parties in the context of the 2004 European Parliament election. Through their Web sites, parties offer a particular perspective on European news, issues and events, suggesting whether and why discrete issues broadly concerning Europe are (or should be) socially and politically relevant. Three interpretative frames, derived from theory, are examined in the paper: interests, identity and values. It was found that the three frames coexist in various sections of the Web sites within the French sample. Specifically, European interests and identity are usually expressed in combination with national interests and values. Universal values are frequently expressed, both in relation to France and the EU. Overall, the findings point to a general 'feeling of belonging to Europe' among a number of the French political parties included in the sample. These parties did, to a degree, communicate from a 'Europeanized' perspective.

The socio-political transformation induced in Central and Eastern Europe by the political turmoil of 1989–1990 happened in concordance with a communications revolution, characterized by the ubiquity of new media in many realms of life. Consequently, the use of information and communication technologies in political campaigns forced both institutions and citizens to rethink their roles and strategies within the political system. Our analysis of the electoral web sphere of the 2004 European Parliament election in Hungary, based on Internet & Elections data and semi-structured interviews, indicates that while strategic uses of the internet appear to reinforce existing power-relations on the web, tactical uses of new media undermine the'politics as usual' thesis.

The Internet is playing an increasing role in the political arena. Online election campaigns work to generate voter interest by providing more varied information and encouraging citizen participation in the electoral process. However, research has infrequently focused on how political websites particularly address young people. While youth are much more active online in many realms, including politics, than the average citizen, they are also becoming progressively more disconnected from traditional governmental and party politics. Some argue that such disengagement leads to increased apathy and even alienation. Political detachment, coupled with the younger generations' noteworthy online use and presence, points to a considerable Internet potential for reversing such indifference. Based on quantitative content analysis, this article examines the possibilities for online participation available to youth in the context of the 2004 European Parliament election campaign. Specifically, it evaluates the websites of youth branches of political parties and youth organisations in Britain and Ireland (n=46), to determine the amount and nature of information provided and engagement opportunities offered. This article provides an exploratory examination as to how the EP election was presented to youth and how youth are addressed online.

There is growing interest worldwide concerning new communication technologies and the electoral process. Studies of online elections have yielded a sizeable body of knowledge on the strategies of electoral actors in an increasing range of countries. Although in the US data are routinely gathered regarding citizens' use of the Internet as a source of electoral information, limited cross-sectional evidence originates from the EU. None of this is comparative. Using data from Flash EuroBarometer 161, this article examines European citizens' use of the Internet for electoral information regarding the 2004 European Parliament election. Specifically, it discusses use of the Internet for political information in relation to location, technological development, traditional media, individual social position, political attitudes and voting turnout in 25 countries. At micro, individual level, a model is built that controls for traditional predictors of electoral media consumption, such as age, gender, education, political interest, and electoral connectedness and activity. At the macro, country level, the article explores the import of the electoral system and rules, compulsory voting, GDP per capita, levels of electoral engagement of traditional mediators(governments, parties, press) and voting turnout on the use of the Internet for electoral information. Overall, the article introduces original evidence and analysis of the role of the Internet in European elections, and contributes to the debate on the media and elections in a comparative perspective.