It's Politics Unusual at Alternative Vote 2000.

Newcity.com hit the campaign trail on October 11 with Alternative Vote 2000 (AV2000), a political website featuring the latest on next year’s presidential elections. Combining campaign coverage from the local beats that characterize its affiliate base, together with message boards and scads of irreverent election-related links, Newcity.com President Brian Hieggelke hopes to make the website “a central clearinghouse for people interested in alternative political coverage.”

By joining forces, alternative press outlets can compete with the corporate media, says Newcity.com Editor Frank Sennett. “We hope AV2000 helps the alternative press make a real impact on the national political debate in a way that one weekly or content site could never do alone.”

Sennett says AV2000 will get “as close to the ground as possible” and “paint an accurate picture of life on the campaign trail. When a reporter from Syracuse New Times covers a local stop by Bill Bradley, and FW Weekly takes a look at a George W. Bush fundraiser, pretty soon you’ve got a series of valuable snapshots that effectively capture the tenor of the campaign.”

Although AV2000 focuses primarily on mainstream candidates like “Dubya,” its coverage extends to third parties like the Greens and obscure candidates like 17-year old Christian Shelton, who plans to run for President in 2024.

As the campaigns heat up, Sennett promises to add exclusive content, and Hieggelke wants to attract election-related advertising and aggressively develop the discussion forums. “Encouraging a political dialogue will become a very big part of the site,” Hieggelke says.

AV 2000 can be accessed here and via Newcity.com.