Washington, DC, USA. Not long ago state governments were ambivalent about using social media to connect with citizens. Those days are over, if the use of the most popular sites by the nation's governors is any guide.

Some 47 of the 50 governors are using Facebook and Twitter, according to a recent Stateline examination of these services; 27 are using the photo-sharing service Flickr and 37 use YouTube.

Washington, DC, USA. After winning a special election to the Louisiana House of Representatives, Alan Seabaugh showed up for legislative duty in March just as his new colleagues were plotting the end of his political career.

In a preliminary plan for redrawing the state’s legislative districts, Seabaugh was paired with a fellow white Republican in a move to create a new black-majority seat. “Two hours before I cast my first vote,” Seabaugh says, “they drew me out of my district.”