Election season is heating up, and between the historic Obama administration and the Tea Party movement, you don’t want to miss a minute of it. So whether you are a political insider or a novice playing catch up, download these top iPhone political apps and get ready to head to the polls.
If you want to brush up on your political history, a good place to start is Politics – The Essential Collection app (99 cents). It includes a complete list of all the most critical books and documents ever written about governance and politics. Think Plato’s “The Republic,” and also “The Federalist Papers.”
Another good reference source is the Political Science Glossary (99 cents), which provides a brief definition of hundreds of political terms and theories.
In order to test yourself on your presidential knowledge, check out the Presidents Afficianado app (99 cents). It is stocked full of interesting trivia, such as which President survived four plane crashes during World War II. This one is fun during a long car ride, or even over the dinner table.
In order to stay on top of all of the political coverage, download asap – Politics (99 cents). It is a news reader app dedicated specifically to politics, and includes a great list of international sources, including Financial Times Deutschland and the Wall Street Journal. And for those iPhone users who can’t get enough of President Barack Obama, invest in the asap – Obama app ($1.99).
To be a conscious voter, it is important to get to know your representatives. The Congress (99 cents) and Congress+ ($4.99) apps offer detailed descriptions on all the members of Congress, including length of service, voting record, contact information — and in some cases, their Twitter feeds and other outreach efforts. Another great political app is Elections (99 cents). It provides locations, dates and candidates for many major gubernatorial and state legislature elections. This app also provides data straight from Gallup and Pollster.com for those who are anxious to know the probable outcome.
If there is an issue that has stirred your blood, check out the free Call Congress app. Using GPS, it determines who your representatives are within a matter of seconds, and then provides a telephone number. You can be on the line with your representative (or an underpaid intern) with one quick tap of the finger.
And of course, no political iPhone app list would be complete without Politico, the hippest of the new media political sources. Washington insiders depend on the website for the latest breaking news, and now you can use the free Politico app to keep up.
