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USA TODAY Launches USA TODAY/Twitter Election Meter

New Feature Starts Today Online

MCLEAN, Va., Aug. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- USA TODAY has launched the USA TODAY/Twitter Election Meter at twitterelectionmeter.usatoday.com. The Meter tracks the Twitter Political Index, a daily measure of sentiment expressed by Twitter users about President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney .

The USA TODAY/Twitter Election Meter is a graphic representation of the Twitter Political Index, a daily number produced by Twitter in partnership with Topsy labs and polling firms the Mellman Group and North Star Opinion Research. The Index provides a daily snapshot of the sentiment of political conversation on Twitter.

"USA TODAY has always had its finger on the pulse of the nation and with the USA TODAY/Twitter Election Meter we combine the conversations on Twitter with our strength in visual story-telling to deliver a real read on how people feel about the candidates in this year's Presidential Election. It's also a great way to encourage people to join the conversation," said Larry Kramer , president and publisher of USA TODAY.

Because the discussion of topics on Twitter fluctuates, the daily index number is a weighted calculation based on three days worth of Tweets, with most weight given to the most recent day's tweets. The index is based on analysis of nearly 2 million tweets each week that mention Romney or Obama.

USA TODAY has a rich history of political polling through its partnership with Gallup. In 2012, USA TODAY's Swing States polls have shaped much of the national discussion of the presidential race. The USA TODAY/Twitter Election Meter offers an additional tool to evaluate the political climate. For all of USA TODAY's Election 2012 coverage, go to politics.usatoday.com.

USA TODAY is a multi-platform news and information media company. Founded in 1982, USA TODAY's mission is to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation. Today, through its newspaper, website and mobile platforms, USA TODAY connects readers and engages the national conversation. USA TODAY, the nation's number one newspaper in print circulation with an average of nearly 1.8 million daily, and USATODAY.com, an award-winning newspaper website launched in 1995, reach a combined 6.6 million readers daily. USA TODAY is a leader in mobile applications with more than 14 million downloads on mobile devices. The USA TODAY brand also includes USA TODAY Education and USA TODAY Sports Weekly. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI).