The Tech That Changed Elections Forever

One of the most consequential leaps in science and technology etched itself in the annals of military history before changing politics and elections forever. The ‘Walkie-Talkie-Lookie’ combined the power of radio waves with film. The result? Real-time audio-visuals beamed to home televisions, and doing it all with portability – in a way that helped people choose or avoid potential leaders. Before the infamous close-ups of the first televised Nixon-Kennedy presidential debate, wireless transmitters made their mark at the 1952 Republican and Democratic political conventions. It was a technological marvel: 50-pound Walkie-Lookie backpacks running around a giant convention hall broadcasting through cables and radio waves on a network of 104 stations nationwide. We’re in the era of every great soundbite and embarrassing gaffe making its way to the internet within seconds. Now we take that for granted. But generations ago, the Walkie-Talkie-Lookie revolutionized our access to politics – for the firs