WASHINGTON -- Apparently there's an app for getting money into politics, as well.
Senate Democrats have turned to a new Intuit program called GoPayment to boost fundraising. It's a program that lets campaign operatives collect cash with a swipe of a credit card on a smartphone or tablet.
That limits the risk of people changing their minds after the fervor of a campaign wears off. And it saves on time spent by campaign operatives in collecting data required by federal election law and chasing down donors to follow up with checks.
"We saw a need to help fundraisers significantly increase their political donations, especially at events or when going door-to-door when not everyone has cash or checks," said Chris Hylen, Intuit's vice president, in a statement. "We've enhanced GoPayment specifically for campaign donations. With just one swipe, fundraisers can easily increase their donations while collecting all information needed to help them meet their reporting requirements."
Staff members at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee already felt like they were doing pretty well, having raised what they described as a record $5.3 million in February. But committee spokesman Shripal Shah said the new app could further the cause.
"We know it's important to be ahead of the curve when it comes to running campaigns, which is why we'll continue to be leaders in integrating new technologies with our races," Shripal said. "This program can improve how campaigns connect with grassroots donors and we're excited about its potential for the future."
The technology, which is among the first to obtain Federal Election Commission approval, is being rolled out this week for the campaigns of Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) in their Senate races. It's slated to be offered to other Democrats' campaigns soon.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has tried be tech forward before, pioneering with sponsoring tweets and purchasing ads on Twitter.