Stitcher (www.Stitcher.com) -- which specializes in on‐demand news, entertainment, sports and talk radio -- has conducted a nationwide survey and found that 60% of smartphone and tablet owners would cast their presidential vote via mobile app or text message if they could do so without concern for fraud.

The poll also found that nearly half (49%) of smartphone and tablet owners ages 18-34 say they are using apps on their mobile devices more -- relative to 2008 -- to stay informed during the election cycle. The study surveyed 2,129 U.S. adults, among which 1,024 are smartphone/tablet owners and was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Stitcher in August.

With national studies showing smartphone and tablets are now mainstream devices; the app fascination extends beyond dreams of a digital poll booth. Significant blocks of middle class, voting-age device owners and families consider their smartphones and tablets as a fundamental resource in making an informed choice this fall.

"While we expected people would be using mobile devices more this election cycle, the fact that mobile is already eclipsing more traditional outlets as a primary way to follow the candidates and election news is surprising," says Noah Shanok, CEO of Stitcher. "People clearly want their information on the go and apps like Stitcher are making it easy to stay current with the most important election news. While 2008 may have been the year of social media, this is certainly the year of the app."

Further key findings include:
° 41% of smartphone and tablet owners are receiving more information about the 2012 election via mobile apps, browsing, blogs and social media than they did during the 2008 election;

° 35% of Americans age 55+ are receiving more information this way;

° 42% of adults who have attended some college and 40% of college graduates are receiving more information this way;

° 38% of smartphone/tablet-owning Democrats receive the majority of their political news via these mobile devices rather than at home in front of the TV or on their computer vs. 25% of smartphone/tablet-owning Republicans;

° 37% of smartphone and tablet owners regularly use their mobile device to stay current with election and political news.

Stitcher’s Election Center, which launched in May of this year, allows listeners to easily follow political candidates, commentators and trending topics that interest them most. With podcasts, live streams and exclusive curated content, listeners can now stay up to date on all things election related from one central audio hub.
An infographic illustrating the data from the survey is available at http://blog.stitcher.com/?p=1083 .