Geolocation’s Role in Politics

In the 2012 U.S. elections, geolocation played a pivotal role in helping politicians reach groups of voters through geotargeted online ads in swing states. Fast forwarding to today and traveling “across the pond,” we’re seeing The Liberal Democrats, a British political party, forging its own political history through geolocation.

The Liberal Democrats have deployed NetAcuity Edge™ hyperlocal IP geolocation technology to create locally relevant website content for voters. It will be the first political party in the world to harness the power of location, automatically determining visitors’ locations at a sub-regional level, to accurately serve website content relating to their local candidate.

Additionally, voters are served details of local campaign messages and policies alongside the party’s national communications. This approach increases local engagement and raises awareness of key regional issues and policies, creating a relevant experience that instantly engages voters.

“Viewing web content that is more personal and less generic can really impact the way people vote, and small margins can make a huge difference to the final result. In this election in particular, we’re going to see a lot more marginal seats, so those few extra votes can really make the difference,” explained Bess Mayhew, Head of Digital Communications for the Liberal Democrat party.

The party expects between four and five million visits to its website in the run-up to the general election – and given the main purpose of the site is to influence voters – the relevance of homepage content will make a significant difference in gaining marginal seats.

Candidates across the full spectrum of politics, from international to U.S. state and gubernatorial seats all the way to the Presidential race all recognize the importance of connecting with voters in ways that are meaningful. Read the full press release to find out more about the role geolocation can play in politics.