Independence day release: Why you must participate in FirstVote

By Durga Raghunath The Lok Sabha Elections next year will be a landmark national election for many reasons. For us it is particularly BIG for the following reasons: One, it is our first national election. For a product based on democratic participation it doesn’t get bigger than this. Two, digital media is already playing a substantial role in the lead up to the election [caption id=“attachment_1035337” align=“alignright” width=“380”] FirstVote[/caption] Three, undoubtedly there is personality in these elections, which is something any media product yearns for. and Four, going by early indications it will be one of the closest national fights we’ve had in a while. Therefore we present FirstVote - your chance to participate in a live online poll, every day, every week and to register for your voter card for 2014. The opinion poll will show you the mood of this online nation every single day. You have to login through Facebook or Twitter. We will display your location, sex and age, but not your name. You can change your state the first time you vote, for some of us work in other states from our home state. You then pick the party you want to vote for at this moment. You can also choose an issue that influenced your vote. You will then get a vote card that you can share if you wish. The methodology is simple - we total your votes, but adjust for state weightage based on seat distribution. For instance, one Uttar Pradesh vote will not be the same  as a vote from Tamil Nadu. In the weeks to come, campaigning will heat up, alliances will form and debates will rage. We will cover all of this incessantly and present them to you, so that you can change your mind and your vote or just stay informed. Our FirstVote twitter handle @firstvoteindia and our FirstVote blog will post the analytics of this poll everyday. Also, don’t forget to register to vote for 2014. We will work with the election commission to make registration accessible to you. This is your election, India. Participate. PS: we will be on all mobile devices in a week.