These days, no matter where you are in the world, you can't turn on a news broadcast without being bombarded with information or talk about the upcoming United States election, which has now been narrowed down to the race between John McCain and Barack Obama to see who will end up in the White House, running the biggest superpower in the modern world. It's understandable why you can't escape these going's on, as like it or not, this election will effect everyone worldwide. Whether it's because your country has a "special relationship" with the states, or that they view your nation less favourably, or even down to the fact that as the biggest corperate power, their decisions have worldwide reprecussions on everything from climate change and investment into renewable energy, to global economics and third world debt. Perhaps one international location more affected than most would be our little virtual world. Despite the fact that SL is very much a community populated by people from every corner of the globe, the fact that Linden Labs is an American company, means that laws passed in the states, can and do have a huge impact on the rest of us, whether we are American citizens or not. Some of the biggest issues of the last year, from the gambling ban to age verification, have been driven by US law, and applied to every resident whether US law applies to us or not.

With this in mind, I set out to have a little chat with those who proudly identify themselves as Democrat or Republican in SL, to try and see if SL was on the agenda in this election, and what the outcomes could mean for all of us.

I started off by heading over to the base of the Republican Party of SL (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Cosentino/203/29/23), where I met with three high rankings members of the organisation: Tomasi Benelli, Robb Rail and Villie Messerchmitt and sat down with them for a chat:

Voodoo: US law has a high impact on SL, as Linden Labs is an American company. What is the Republican attitude to SL?
Tomasi Benelli: I'm not sure how to answer, as we can't possibly speak for every one of our members. Individuality is one of our strongest foundations
Robb Rail: I don't think there is an official view of SL from the Republican Party in RL
Villie Messerchmitt: Former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich comes to SL and gives speeches. So at least some top republicans are starting to see SL as a tool to get our message out.
Tomasi Benelli: It definitely appears that way. We are starting to see more activity from real life politicians in SL. Whatever adds to making contact with people is always a positive thing.
Robb Rail: But on the other hand some Republicans misunderstand SL, like the Representative that recently came out against SL as being potentially damaging and wants to ban it from libraries and schools, so it is mixed.
Voodoo: So, from a Party perspective, it can to be a useful tool?
Villie Messerchmitt: I believe it will be a useful tool. I have discussed with party leaders in RL about holding WV meetings in SL. Those that are tech savy like the idea, but the older ones are not sure. With high fuel prices in a rural state, that will be away to hold more meetings
Robb Rail: And with voice added, SL has the potential to be great for political meetings that otherwise would be inconvenient because of distance
Tomasi Benelli: It makes it possible to be thousands of miles from each other yet in the same room.
Voodoo: On that line, this election we've seen the candidates trying everything they can to get the word out, even appearing on wrestling shows... Any chance Mr McCain will come to address SL?
Robb Rail: There is always a chance, but I think it is more likely that a surrogate for McCain will show up in SL, if anyone.
Voodoo: I suppose the ultimate question is, why should a US SL resident vote Republican?
Tomasi Benelli: Because they are US citizen first, then SL citizens
Robb Rail: Same reason a non SL US resident would or should vote Republican, lower taxes - which the idea of taxing SL keeps coming up so that may be even more important to SL people. Belief in personal freedoms over government interference.
Voodoo: So, does that mean the Republican party as a whole was against things such as the gambling ban, which had such a big effect here?
Robb Rail: No idea, but in general Republicans are against regulation, so it isn't too far of a reach to think that the gambling ban was against Republican ideals
Tomasi Benelli: I think that any time government says you can't do something that has no particular moral issue attached, it's a violation of the constitution.
Voodoo: Finally, what does being a Republican in SL mean to you?
Tomasi Benelli: It means to me that I am being myself. I feel that Secondlife should accurately portray your own real life self.
Robb Rail: To me being a republican in SL is much the same as being one in rl, except that SL brings me into contact with more liberals than in my rl. Which is good because it gives me a chance to test my conservative theories by debating them, which only enhances my Republicanism in RL, plus SL allows me to meet with Republicans from across the country and to see how different and yet alike we are.

From there, I decided I needed to get a counterpoint argument, as with most things in politics, when you only speak to one side, you only get one part of the argument, and everything seems to make perfect sense. So, I got in touch with the Democratic Party of SL (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Black%20Art/236/114/38) and spoke to two of the organisers for that group, Blue Revolution and CJ Escher, to put the same kinda questions to them:

Voodoo: US law has quite a big impact on SL, since Linden Labs is a US company. What is the general Democrat attitude to things like SL?
CJ Escher: To be honest, I don't think it's on the political radar.
Blue Revolution: I would concur.
CJ Escher: There are blips with the gambling issue and taxation, but I don't think if asked any of the candidates they wouldn't know what a virtual word is. Unless they read Snow Crash.
Blue Revolution: There is a lot of potential for uses in SL but for the most part people concentrate on RL when it comes to political campaigns. There was an episode on one of the TV series last week a friend was telling me about where one of the victims was a 28 year old who played a 14 year old avatar who ran a sex club. That seems to be how the media is portraying things.
Voodoo: Do you feel that they are generally embracing new online technology, or is there more concern about these things?
CJ Escher: I would not think there would be any real experience, however, Obama effectively used Twitter and Clinton had a Twitter account but didn't use it to any real difference.
Blue Revolution: It was during the 2004 presidential primary that we saw a transformation in the Democratic Party on the power of the internet. When Howard Dean raised something like $50 million all the candidates started to flock to it.
CJ Escher: Yes, Ron Paul and Howard Dean have used it to raise money, but they haven't really figured out to galvanize that power and turn it into real votes.
Blue Revolution: Dean, and also Obama, are able to show that having millions of small donors can effectively compete with the people who bundle together the max contribution in the thousands.
Voodoo: So, not a huge chance of Mr Obama coming to SL to try to canvass votes?
Blue Revolution: I wouldn't think so. But there is an opportunity for the Democratic Party to do things in here like having the Dems Abroad meet in here. That would be a way for them to canvass votes and get organized.
CJ Escher: I think there is a real opportunity. It's a great place to start discussions and do some online fundraisers. I think the combination of online efforts like Act Blue and SL can work well.
Blue Revolution: CJ and I actually hosted a fundraiser for a Congressional candidate. (http://www.actblue.com/page/sldemocrats4markpera). The nice thing about some of these online fundraising tools is that it allows people to create their own fundraising pages and invite friends, family, colleagues, neighbours to contribute.
CJ Escher: I think a lot of people are uncomfortable talking to their neighbour in RL about their political views, but SL offers more freedom. You can express yourself with the fear of any type of repercussions in RL. As with everything, the Internet is empowering action at the individual level. And that's true. In RL I always see stories about people who say they thought they were the only Democrat in a neighbourhood until they see a sign pop up in someone's yard. SL is an opportunity for people to feel less isolated.
Voodoo: Would you say that spreading the word is what being an SL Democrat means to you, or is it something deeper?
CJ Escher: I think of it as a way to support the Democratic Party in my Second Life the way I support it in Real Life.
Blue Revolution: Personally, I identify myself as a Democrat more along the lines of an FDR Democrat.
Voodoo: Finally, I suppose my ultimate question is, why should a US SL resident vote Democrat?
CJ Escher: Have you read the news for the past 8 years :-)
Blue Revolution laughs.
CJ Escher: I think the state of the US economy and the world situation speak very elloquently to that point.
Blue Revolution: It's really a difference in philosophy. Is government there to provide protections and opportunity for businesses, or is it there to protect and provide opportunities for people like you and me? The Democratic Party is the party of the people.
CJ Escher: I don't think most people say they were better off than they were when Bush came to office. Change can be a good thing. I think also the Demcratic party offered 2 different perspectives than have ever been seen an election. Modale/Ferraro (sp) was the closest. But this has been a very different year.
Blue Revolution: We're seeing a real race for a change.
CJ Escher: The fact that some disenfranchised groups in the US really see an opportunity for someone like them to be President says a lot too.
Blue Revolution: And now we'll see how Senator Obama works to unify the Democratic Party. Voodoo: And you do you think Democrat in Office would be good news for all of us in this American based virtual world?
CJ Escher: I don't know that it will make any tangible difference in SL. There may be more tech RD, but it will be interesting to see. SL has never seen a Democrat in office. It was born in 2003. I'm old. I was around then.
Blue Revolution: Yes, a Democrat in Office would be good news for virtual worlds. Republicans view taxes as a disease and want to cut them, selling off American infrastructure to private and foreign corporations. Democrats view taxes as investments. With investments in our country’s technology, research and development, as well as the information architecture, everyone in the world will benefit. After all, didn't Bush trade nuclear technology for mangos?

There is certainly a lot to take into account, when watching how this election unfolds, but of course if you are less interested in who's coming in, and are either mourning or celebrating the end of George Dubya Bush's time in office, you might want to pop HERE to pick up your free clock, which will count down to the change of power in the oval office, and a new chapter for us all.