Clientelism, internet and vote: the online campaign of candidates for city councils in Southern Brazil in the 2008 elections

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of our research on Internet use by candidates for councilor in Curitiba, Florianópolis and Porto Alegre. Through the examination of the online campaign of candidates who used websites, among about 1.400 applicants for the representative positions in these capitals, we evaluate the use these politicians have made of the Internet in municipal elections of October 2008. Our basic hypothesis is that the web pages of candidates for elected offices, especially the council, served mainly to disseminate traditional political practices, strengthening personalistic and clientelistic ties with the electorate