Presidential Campaigns To Start Accepting Contributions Via Text Message

No matter how you feel about President Obama, he has been one of the more technology focused presidents we've had. The reelection campaign for Obama is set to give donors looking to offer small amounts of money to the reelection campaign a new way to donate. For the first time ever campaign donations will be accepted via text message.

Reuters reports that the Obama campaign announced this week that it was wrapping up agreements with Verizon Wireless, Sprint, US cellular, and T-Mobile USA to accept campaign contributions via text messages. The agreements are expected to be in place this week allowing donations to start. Once the agreements are in place we can expect to start seeing ads for the Obama campaign to donate money using texts.

Reuters reports that the ads will read "to contribute $10 to Obama for America, text GIVE to 62262." The numbers 62262 spell Obama. The Obama campaign isn't the only presidential campaign that will be embracing text messages for campaign contributions. Republican Mitt Romney will also soon start accepting text message donations. The Romney campaign is expected to use the number 466488, spelling GOMITT.

That number has already been used by the campaign to contact supporters via text messages. According to the Obama campaign, agreements with other cellular carriers, including AT&T, are expected to be completed "in the near future." Donations via text messages can be made anonymously and are capped at $10 per text, $50 per month, and $200 in total for one candidate or campaign.

Donations via text message have been prohibited from people under 18, corporations, and foreigners. Presumably, this means that donations from corporate phone accounts will be barred. It's worth noting that the carriers and companies processing these texts payments are expected to take a cut of donations ranging from 30 to 50%.

[via Reuters]