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With Square, Twitter and politics to go hand in hand

Shweta Sengar | Updated on: 13 February 2017, 4:39 IST

After helping politicians connect with their voters, Twitter now wants to help them raise funds for their campaigns.

Partnering with mobile payment company Square, Twitter has unveiled a feature that will enable users to tweet donations to their favourite politician. In a blogpost, Twitter says, "When people have conversations about politics, they have them on Twitter. It's what voters learn and share in these conversations that routinely motivates political action. That's why we're making it easier for Twitter users to actively support candidates and causes."

A breather for candidates running for elections?

All candidates evidently face one serious issue everytime they think of running for elections - funds. If raising money for political campaigns has such an easy and accessible method, then it is certainly good news for politicial-aspirants across US.

Twitter Square 1

The service is currently available in the US and may soon come to various other countries, including India.

How it works for campaigns

  • Candidates can sign up for an account through Square Cash by visiting cash.me, selecting "Business" account, and then emailing [email protected] to notify Square of their registration
  • Once a campaign has been verified by Square, it can Tweet a unique URL, or $Cashtag, to request donations from supporters
  • The Tweet will automatically include an image with a "contribute" button, making it easy for anyone to click to donate directly through the Tweet

How it works for donors

  • When you see a tweet containing a candidate's $Cashtag and hit the 'contribute' button, the tweet will enable you to select a donation amount and add your debit card and FEC required information
  • You'll then have the option to Tweet the candidate's $Cashtag to your followers or return to where you were in Twitter

Social media has become one of the most powerful mediums for boosting political campaigns. With US Presidential elections drawing close, this service will prove to be extremely helpful for candidates in the race for becoming the next President of the United States. Twitter is already heavily utilised as a platform for candidates to spread their messages, particularly during special events, like the recently held Republican presidential debate.

Twitter says that the tweets about the debate on Fox News were viewed over 1 billion times on Twitter and across the web.

The 2016 US Presidential race is expected to cost more than the 2012 elections which cost $2 billion. Jenna Golden, Twitter's director of political ad sales, says that "at least a dozen presidential candidates will begin using the new fundraising technique right away", reported AP.

"We think about donating to a campaign as an old-fashioned, traditional process, a cumbersome process," she said."This was an incredible opportunity for us to simplify and streamline."

First published: 17 September 2015, 5:05 IST
 
Shweta Sengar @ShwetaSengar

Shweta covers Science & Technology for Catch Live at Catch News, scouring the Internet to bring readers items of interest, both serious and amusing. A foodie, photography enthusiast and globetrotter, she has also worked at The Economic Times before joining the Catch team. She studied Commerce at Kanpur University and has a PGD in Advanced Journalism from YMCA, New Delhi.