Web Sites an Underused Political Tool

Most Congressional sites need work, but a few recognize the communications opportunity, research shows.

Saumya Roy, Medill News Service

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Congress is learning how the Web can be a communications tool, but its efforts still get mostly average grades from a group keeping score.

Ninety percent of Congressional Web sites earned a "grade" of C or below for failing to use their technology effectively, according to a study released this week. A few sites have done their homework well enough to earn A's.

Overall, the site designs reflect "an increasing awareness of the benefits of the Web," says Kathy Goldschmidt, author of the report and director of technology services at the Congressional Management Foundation, a nonprofit group that helps Congress improve its management practices. The foundation and George Washington University, with a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts, are studying Congressional use of the Web over a two-year period.

Timely Bulletins

Some Congressional offices have put their sites to good use, the study finds. For example, when anthrax was found in the office of Rep. Mike Pence, R-Indiana, after office hours on a Friday, his staff moved to temporary offices and continued to post information and updates on Pence's Web site. It was also a way to provide health alerts for visitors to the office that day.

"But the Web proved to be a lifesaver, as I could post updates and news," says Stephen Piepgrass, Pence's communications director. "We did not know who had visited our offices that day, but we put up information on what medication they should take in case they were there."

Pence's site was among 15 that received the Gold Mouse award, the top honor of the Congressional Management Foundation's assessment. Another 20 were awarded a Silver Mouse.

Senators' sites are better maintained than those of House members, the Foundation reports. Party affiliation also seems to make a difference, as 20 percent of Senate Democratic sites got an A or B grade compared with 16 percent of Senate Republican sites that scored as well.

On the House side, however, the situation was reversed. Eight percent of Republican House members' sites got an A or B grade, compared with nearly 5 percent high grades for House Democrats.

What's more, House committees use their sites more effectively than Senate committees, the study concludes. But almost all the Congressional sites could use some improvement in that department.

Not a One-Way Tool

"Many see the Web as a broadcast medium," Goldschmidt says. "They tend to talk about themselves and their accomplishments rather than provide information such as pending legislation and their stand on it or encouraging communication with constituents."

Focus groups conducted as part of the study reveal that people come to Congressional Web sites to conduct research on the accountability of their representatives. They want to check their representatives' voting records and reasons for their decisions, their stances on issues, and sponsored bills. Users like sites that are neutral, rather than sites that are essentially promotional tools, the study says. They also like to communicate with their representatives through the site.

Rep. Pence's site uses several such tools. "We maintain an e-news letter that alerts constituents of the representative's schedule," Piepgrass says. "Constituents can sign up for town meetings in their area and we send them updates on it. The Web allows me to record and upload the speech minutes after it is over."

Goldschmidt says such applications come from an eclectic group of representatives who have learned from experience.

"The members and staff who have had an 'aha' moment with the Web are the ones who have pushed their sites forward and have encouraged others to improve their sites," she says.

As more Americans gain Internet access, Congress will be under increased pressure to use the Web for effective constituent interactions.

"This is a case of e-democracy. It is in its taking-off phase," she says. "As more of the country gets wired, there will be more pressure on members to adapt."