Political leaders look for followers... on Facebook that is

CLEVELAND - G-O-T-V -- four simple letters that prove big each election day. They stand for Get Out The Vote. In the past, candidates looked to motivate their troops with rallies and phone banks, but in today's growing social media age they're looking to reach you in ways more, well, social.

It's not enough for candidates to have only websites anymore, that puts the onus on the voter to go online and find them. Social media is providing candidates with the opportunity to turn the table and reach out at-will to the people they most would like to keep motivated and interested.

While polls provide a snapshot of any given race, one might be able to look at a candidate's Facebook and Twitter accounts to gauge the level of interest in their campaigns and them.

With less than six weeks to go, the race for Governor of Ohio shows a tight social media battle between Republican John Kasich with 12,564 followers on Twitter and 26,886 people liking his Facebook page. That compares closely on the Facebook side with incumbent Democrat Ted Strickland who boasts 20,832 "likes," but on Twitter he has only 4,261 followers.

In the U.S. Senate race, Republican Rob Portman leads Democrat Lee Fisher in the polls and in followers holding onto a 2,679 to 1,723 twitter edge. Facebook likes also favor Portman 20,821 to 7,002.

Political analysts could have a field day ripping apart whether these numbers bare any reflection on the mood or tone in a race where statewide more than 4 million people will vote, but there's no doubt the correlation between followers, likes and actual votes will be one studied closely after the polls are closed.