Can You Reach Your Congressmember Online?

More lawmakers are wired, but a few sites lag, study shows.

Kyle Stock, Medill News Service

WASHINGTON-- Only about half of Congress is well-wired, providing useful Web sites to their constituents and using communications technology effectively, according to an annual report card.

Roughly half of the 610 congressional Web sites are rated good or excellent in the George Washington University study, but 25 percent of elected officials' Internet portals are labeled subpar.

Lawmakers have made great leaps in the past year to establish "virtual offices," the study finds. It notes that many Web sites are more informative, interactive, easy to use, and up-to-date than was evident in last year's evaluation.

"Access to legislative information is no longer the exclusive domain of the lobbyists and activists who are physically present on Capitol Hill," the report says. "With just a few clicks of a mouse, citizens can become actively engaged in the work of Congress."

Metal Mice Awards

The Congress Online Project gave out more than twice as many gold, silver, and bronze "mouse awards" as last year, when only 10 percent of Capitol Hill Web sites received an "A" or "B" grade.

"Our original campaign was to change their mindset and view of online communication," says Nicole Folk, primary author of the report. "We thought it would be a lot more difficult than it has been, but in the last year it's been quite a shift."

The Web site of Delaware Democratic Senator Tom Carper received a golden mouse for its exceptional focus on constituents. Among other features, Carper's site has an interactive map of Delaware that details news and government allocations by county.

The Web site of Senator Harry Reid (D-Nevada) received the highest accolade for cultivating dialogue. Reid's site features an online poll, where Internet surfers can weigh in on current legislative topics and sign up for 20 e-mail newsletters designed to inform subscribers on different political issues.

Other sites won praise for such features as detailing the lawmakers' voting records, linking to twin sites written in Spanish, and providing information on how Congress and the federal government work.

Slow to Go Tech

Although the Congress Online Project doesn't say which sites received low grades, many lawmakers are a long way from securing a mouse award.

Web sites that aggrandize officials and function as glorified campaign advertisements or PR platforms, rather than as sources of information and forums for interaction, received low marks, say the researchers.

"If you go to a static Web site, you just don't return to it," Folk says. But she suspects some officials aren't investing in online services because they don't understand the benefits.

"Not only do good Web sites help constituents, but they help the offices do their job more effectively and efficiently," Folk adds.

Eight weeks into the Congressional session, several members still post only office phone numbers and simple biographies on their sites. Among the bare-bones sites are those provided for Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Elizabeth Dole (R-North Carolina), and Norm Coleman (R-Minnesota). Missouri Republican James Talent, a newly elected senator, has no Web site.

In the House, where member budgets are smaller than in the Senate, Web site quality declines as age and tenure increase. The report says younger, freshmen representatives are more tech-savvy and make their Web sites a priority.

Linked to Constituents

Still, Congress has shown progress in the past decade, since the first Congressional Web site launched.

Web interaction is quickly becoming the primary form of communication between Capitol Hill and the rest of the country, according to Brad Fitch, spokesperson for the Congress Online Project. Congressional Web sites average 1500 to 8000 visits monthly, compared with 1000 to 2000 phone calls, faxes, postal letters, and e-mail messages.

The Congress Online Project also criticizes lawmakers for not taking electronic feedback. Only 37 percent of Senate and 33 percent of House offices accept public e-mail, according to the report. But accepting e-mail leaves legislators open to spam campaigns; many instead provide a Web-based form for constituents to fill out.

The report was made public Monday by the Congress Online Project, a partnership between the university and the Congressional Management Foundation, a nongovernment group created to improve Congress's management practices. The study was funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts.