County campaigns enter 21st century

GENESEO — With three weeks remaining in the countdown to the most important Republican Party Caucus and primary in a century, all of the campaigns are picking up momentum.  And given that this is election year 2012, some are moving to use the latest internet communications technology as a campaign organizing tool.  

Steve Sessler, who is running for Livingston County District Attorney on the Conservative line and is challenging for the Republican nomination, recently went live with a new website.  More than just a web presence, the Sesseler campaign is embracing social media as way to engage and encourage younger voter participation. Sessler’s Facebook presence is strongly promoted on the home page of the new website.  According to a campaign press release, this development takes online campaigning to a level unheard of in Livingston County.

“At every event our team attends, people are coming up to us saying they see us all over the place. It’s been remarkable. We haven’t even rolled out our traditional get-out-the-vote efforts and people already seem to identify strongly with my candidacy,” said Sessler.

The social media campaign for Sessler is the brainchild of a former Livonia resident, Sean Conboy, CEO of NuSvara, an internet services company based in New York.

“Sessler has an amazing group of volunteers that are extremely enthusiastic about his election,” said Conboy.  “I reached out to the Sessler campaign after several of my Livonia friends suggested I connect with him.”

Sessler’s online presence was optimized by NuSvara, and campaign volunteers underwent social media training provided by the company that the campaign claims has already been extremely successful in raising Sessler’s name recognition across Livingston County.

Sessler’s opponents, Eric Schiener and Livingston County District Attorney Greg McCaffrey, are also using social media as well.

CORRECTION: NuSVara is based in NEw York and not Iowa like originally reported