Segways on the Campaign Trail

smooth wombat writes "The Segway is being used in a way probably not considered during its design: on the campaign trail. CNN's story talks about how a few candidates in different states are using the device to meet more people. According to one campaign consultant, who cited a Yale University study, knocking on voters' doors can account for a 7 percent to 12 percent increase in overall voter turnout. Using the Segway a candidate can reach three times the people compared to simply walking."

Speaking as a candidate...

[Thunderstruck]

I've done a lot of door-to-door campaigning, and there are times when this would have been handy. It all comes down to neighborhood density. Low density areas tend to be affluent or agrarian. Rich people and farmers vote. The less dense your population, the more likely the people you speak to will be voting. By contrast, in high-density areas as around colleges, the chances that whoever answers the door will vote are lower - but you can reach more of them because the travel time is reduced. The speech is usually 1 minute.

The net result is, you can visit more probable voters' homes in less time - and get more votes on election day. Kudo's for "IT."