Flunk Arnold

In 2006, the California Faculty Association wanted to run a "new media" campaign to engage California State University (CSU) students in the 2006 gubernatorial elections. CivicActions created a user-generated content and social networking site that was at the center of a well-publicized state-wide contest. CSU students were asked to create 30-second anti-Arnold Schwarzenegger commercials or anti-Arnold websites. The winners received one year of free tuition and their video ran as an ad during Jon Stewart's Daily Show. Winners were determined through rounds of public voting on the website. Contestants were encouraged to campaign for their entries. Flunk Arnold became an overnight internet success story, garnering over one million hits in less than six weeks and receiving more web traffic than the Schwarzenegger website on several occasions at the end of the campaign.