Barack Obama is pulling out all the stops ahead of the 2020 election.
On Wednesday, the former president asked Twitter users to text him so he could get a better understanding of what they are thinking before heading to the polls. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who was Obama’s vice president for eight years, is running against President Trump.
“All right, let’s try something new. If you’re in the United States, send me a text at 773-365-9687 — I want to hear how you’re doing, what’s on your mind, and how you’re planning on voting this year,” Obama tweeted. “I’ll be in touch from time to time to share what’s on my mind, too.”
All right, let’s try something new. If you’re in the United States, send me a text at 773-365-9687 — I want to hear how you’re doing, what’s on your mind, and how you’re planning on voting this year.
I’ll be in touch from time to time to share what’s on my mind, too. pic.twitter.com/NX91bSqbtG
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 23, 2020
When users text the number, a link is provided to the text-based platform Community, where users are prompted to fill in their name, gender, home city, and birthday.
“Hey! It’s Barack,” reads the automated response. “Click the link to sign up so I can respond directly to you. I won’t be able to get to everything, but I’ll be in touch to share what’s on my mind and I want to hear from you, too. Let’s do this.”
The Community platform boasts 20 million members, and Obama joins a throng of celebrities, including Ashton Kutcher and the Jonas Brothers, who have used to the network to reach out to fans.
Eric Schultz, a senior adviser to Obama, told business magazine Fast Company that Obama is using Community to reach out to digital audiences.
“President Obama has said this is an all-hands-on-deck moment, so we are going to use every tactic we can find to mobilize voters,” Schultz said. “We’ve always been driven by a strategy of finding audiences where they are at, so of course, in this particular moment, we are going to now reach people in the palms of their hands.”
