What was the first election that the internet had a role in?

[darklordoftech]

By the internet having a role, I don’t mean the candidates having websites. I mean the internet making people aware of or more supportive of a candidate or issue or a candidate fundraising over the internet.

[Del Tachi]

The Dean scream was the first-ever online political meme; it got trafficked around a lot on early social media and video sharing websites but also had a life on outlets like Jay Leno.

[Vice President Christian Man]

I'm going to guess it was the 2000 one.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Primaries: 2004

General Election: 2008

[Interlocutor is just not there yet]

I'm going to guess it was the 2000 one.

Yeah, that was the first time I remember being able to pull up candidate positions & campaign stories.

It's also how I found out about Lynne Cheney & Tipper Gore's history with media censorship.

[Alben Barkley]

2000 because the whole “Al Gore invented the internet” thing was a story in itself. (Even though it was an exceptionally dumb story.)

Although we can’t forget the primitive websites the candidates had in 1996!

http://www.dolekemp96.org/

[Obama-Biden Democrat]

2004 had the start of blogs like Daily Kos and Swing State Project, which was great for left wing netroots organizing online.