Politics 2012: Of iPads, e-calendars and the Twitterverse

A test vote in Oregon, some friendly advice from a former first lady, a calendar for the political season and a long-awaited tweet ...

I vote, therefore iPad

Oregon election officials turned to the popular iPad to try to make voting easier and more accessible for the disabled, The (Portland) Oregonian reported recently.

In a small pilot program during Tuesday's primary election for candidates to replace former U.S. Rep. David Wu, about 12 voters filled out their ballots on Apple's popular touch screen tablet.

And they're blazing a trail, as far as election officials can tell.

"We're really at the edge," Secretary of State Kate Brown said. "We want to make voting as convenient as possible."

It's been about five years since the office invested in a new system for voters with disabilities, the secretary of state's office said. Since the system was nearing the end of its life, the office experimented with new approaches, including laptops and tablet computers.

"It became very clear, very quickly, the iPad was the best solution," said Steve Trout, the state's elections director.

The iPad offered a lot of flexibility for disabled voters, Trout said. For people with vision problems, the iPad can read the ballot aloud or users can adjust text size and colors. Voters also can sign their ballots with their fingers or pens, whichever suits their needs. And the tablets can be controlled by sip-and-puff wands for users who lack full use of their hands.

Once voters mark their choices, they can print the ballot, which they put in an envelope and sign as usual.

Julie Anderson, an attorney with Disability Rights Oregon, said she wasn't sure the iPad would make the portable systems much more convenient.

"I'm a little leery that this is going to increase access," Anderson told The Oregonian. "The issue is not the weight or the bulk" as it is having the resources to get people into the communities.

Still, she added, "I applaud any county's efforts to get out there."

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Advice from someone who knows

Former first lady Laura Bush offered the 2012 presidential candidates some logical advice -- enjoy the ride.

Bush said she and her husband, former President George W. Bush, and their two daughters molded life on the stump into a "wonderful life experience" and urged the Republican hopefuls to do the same, Fox News reported.

"Very few people ever in the world have the opportunity to run for president of the United States, or to be involved in the presidential campaign, so I would say to all of them, you know, remember these moments and take advantage of the experience, the life experience, that they are offering," she said.

Bush -- who along with daughters Jenna and Barbara were named recipients of Glamour magazine's 2011 Women of the Year award -- also warned spouses life at the White House isn't all glamour all the time.

"After we moved home … I realized how stressed I'd been when I lived there, just because I wasn't stressed anymore," Bush said. "We lived in the White House at a very, very consequential time for our country -- I was always aware of our vulnerability."

Keeping folks in the loop

President Barack Obama's re-election campaign is asking supporters to download calendars that include key voter registration deadlines and other major dates in a get-out-the-vote effort, Roll Call reported.

Jeremy Bird, the campaign's national field director, said the calendars -- drilled down by state -- will "play a crucial role in keeping us all looped in on the organizing we're doing."

The digital calendar has it all, Bird said, from primaries and debates "to neighborhood canvasses and trainings happening in your community."

But there's more to calendars, downloadable from barackobama.com. People who allow the campaign access to Google or Outlook calendars will see automatic updates all year, Roll Call said.

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What? No bangers and mash?

Quick -- what do pizza, Britain's Prince Harry and the U.S. debt have in common?

They're all part of a learning opportunity for Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who's running to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl.

In a release posted on his Web site, Flake pointed to a news account that Prince Harry, in Arizona for military training, visited the "Little Italia" pizzeria, where he chowed on a pepperoni-sausage-bacon pizza that cost $14.99.

Based on the $14.99 price of the medium pie at Little Italia, the nation's "gargantuan debt" of $14.8 trillion could buy about 987 billion pizzas, Flake said.

"Even by upper-crust standards, like Prince Harry's, that's a lot of dough," he said.

First Tweet … sweet!

Freshman Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., finally posted his first comments on his Twitter account nearly a week after the GOP leadership welcomed him as the newest House Republican to join the Twitterverse.

House Speaker John Boehner and Republican New Media Caucus Co-chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., both tweeted their "welcome to Twitter" messages to Amodei, The Hill reported.

Brian Baluta, Amodei's communications director, said the congressman took a while because he was waiting until he visited his home district before launching his social media presence on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Amodei's inaugural tweet followed a meet-and-greet event in his district: "Great time at the Reno meet & greet with DC and Reno team. Now off to Elko for another meet & greet 5 pm City Hall."