Former Campus Progress editor Ben Adler is already doing big things in his new gig as a staff writer for The Politico. Here's what he has to say about a newish voter mobilization technique:

For candidates looking to mobilize the youth vote, the answer may be in your pocket.

It turns out that text messaging the cell phone generation is equally as effective or more effective than such traditional get-out-the-vote methods as direct mail and phone banks, according to a new study by researchers at Princeton University and the University of Michigan. It’s also a lot cheaper.

Another finding: the simpler the text message, the better — no surprise, since most young people are accustomed to electronically chatting in abbreviations.

I feel like a mama bird that pushed one of its chicks out of the nest, only to have the chick come back a short time later, all grown up and writing for a national publication. Though maybe that simile's a stretch. Either way, big ups to Badler.