Why Obama Wants 2 Txt U His VP Choice Campaign builds huge database for Election Day, writes webmaster By Jason Farago Posted Aug 13, 2008 11:14 AM CDT Copied Then Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, shakes the hands of supporters while answering his cell phone after leaving the Senate chambers at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Ill. in 2004. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File) Barack Obama's decision to announce his running mate by text-messaging supporters makes him seem "just like the cool kid in study hall," writes Garrett M. Graff in the New York Times. But there's more to the text blast than just embracing new technology. The move will give Obama hundreds of thousands of cellphone numbers, an invaluable resource come November. Graff, who worked as Howard Dean's webmaster, notes that while the Web has proved a major fundraising tool, it hasn't contributed to greater voter turnout among users. But text reminders boost turnout among young voters by 4% and cost much less than traditional get-out-the-vote operations. "The new technology that’s best at moving people," he writes, "reaches beyond the desktop." Read These Next Gavin Newsom has filed a massive lawsuit against Fox News. New York Times ranks the best movies of the 21st century. A man has been deported for kicking an airport customs beagle. White House rolls with Trump's 'daddy' nickname. Report an error