From the words of US President Barack Obama "Call your members of Congress. Write them an email. Tweet it using the hashtag #My2K." (Coffee). Social media has played an increasingly important role in today's government. Social media has the power to influence elections and connect people to policymakers in new ways. Social media including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Flicker, websites and blogs are becoming mainstream attracting a younger and more tech-savvy voter. Many candidates in recent elections have learned to use these means not to neglect tech-savvy voters and have learned how to use them to their advantage. Candidates have turned to the Internet to raise awareness, opinions of the state, and even to successfully raise donations. Social media can provide immediate feedback on a candidate's standing, often days or weeks earlier than a more traditional survey. Polls play a role in political campaigns and government policymaking, but recently the reliability of polls has been called into question. Republican polls gave presidential candidate Mitt Romney information that he had a strong chance of winning key battleground states. Polls showed he “had at least 267 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election” (Hoffman). Looking at the results on election night, the reality was that Romney had received only 206 Electoral College votes, far from the magic number needed to win or tie the national election. The candidate's team used these polls and focused on states that showed a strong chance of winning votes. Romney focused his energies on Ohio and Pennsylvania, both states he ultimately lost. At the same time, social media polls showed a very different and more accurate p...... middle of paper ...... in the political process. it could be a reality. Once a person's vote is stolen, their voice is lost and the votes could be sold for profit. Challenging the validity of our future elections could destroy trust in our electoral process. With the advent of the new digital age, a new way of voting has also grown; online voting. While online voting is more convenient, less expensive and faster, it could also lead to hackers stealing an entire election or excluding an entire portion of the voting public. The vote and voice of those without access to computers, people living in poverty or those without technological knowledge will be missing. The future of US government, political structure, and elections will evolve around emerging social media. How politicians and government officials use technology could influence our country's policies.