Beyond citizen self assessments, scholars have shown the internet, variously conceived and measured, to be an effective political mobilization medium. In an important early study, Tolbert and McNeal (2003) demonstrate that accessing the internet and consuming online news increases the odds of voting. Several studies show that the use of candidate or political interest group websites increases political interest (Lupia & Philpot, 2005), increases perceptions that the web induces political engagement (Lusoli & Ward, 2006), and increases actual levels of political participation (Vissers et al., 2008; Maheo et al., 2008). A recent meta-analysis confirms these findings; an analysis of 38 studies finds a positive relationship between internet use and offline political engagement (Boulianne, 2009).