During the past few months I've been researching the role of mobile phones as an emerging tool for participation in civil society.  The result is a series of Strategy Guides published by MobileActive that are designed to equip organizations around the world with the know-how to deploy effective mobile campaigns for a variety of types of activism and advocacy. The first Guide in this series (published today) focuses on using mobile phones in electoral and voter registration campaigns. Other Guides will focus on advocacy, fundraising, and mobile organizing.  This first Guide looks at uses of mobile phones in electoral monitoring (case studies in Thailand, the Philippines, and Montenegro), voter registration (U.S.-based Rock the Vote, MobileVoter, and Voto Latino), and candidate and political party support (case studies in Spain and U.S.).  The Guides are a joint project of MobileActive, Green Media Toolshed, and NTEN, and are made possible with support from the Surdna Foundation, a leader in supporting civic engagement and the use of technology in nonprofit organizations.  My personal thanks to everyone who spent time helping me with research and fact finding. You can grab MobileActive Strategy Guide #1 at http://www.mobileactive.org/guides/.

Katrin Verclas coordinates the secretariat of MobileActive, a global network of activists and campaigners using mobile phones for civic action and engagement. MobileActive is a project of the Green Media Toolshed.

Mobiles have been used around the world to ensure impartial elections through monitoring, mobilize massive collective action to free political prisoners, and advance public health strategies.