A nice little ad here from Barack Obama’s campaign that seems to perfectly illustrate the impact that digital has had on politics during this Presidential Election campaign. It features Walter, a 91-year-old World War II veteran, at home with his phone and his laptop making telephone canvassing calls for the Obama campaign.

The software isn’t new, but it is only when you see it at work like this that you’re reminded how much as changed.

The Blue State Digital tools used by the Obama campaign are used in the UK and elsewhere and are proving highly effective. They allowing campaign managers to write the scripts for campaign workers, select the targets they should contact, and distribute this information through a user-friendly interface hosted on the campaign website.

Not just for telephone canvassing, but for the all important of raising campaign funding from individual donors.

Walter is campaigning in Virginia where the race is very tight. In years before the arrival of digital technology like this 91- or even 81-year olds might not have had a role to play in campaigning, but with this technology they get to play a part and help get the all important vote out come election day.

“One of the most effective ways of doing that is by making calls to Virginians so that they know what’s at stake in this election and come out and vote for Barack Obama in November.

Our online call tool makes it easy to make a difference from home or anywhere else with an internet connection. Join the Keep Virginia Blue Call Team today to get the latest updates and be the first to know about upcoming trainings and events. There’s even a leaderboard to see who’s made the most calls on the team,” from the Virginia Blue Call team website.