Kentucky Ranked 2nd in Nation in Digital Democracy

The Legislative Research Commission (LRC) and the Secretary of State's office are helping to boost Kentucky's ranking and image when it comes to technology. Their efforts to move services online- from bill tracking and video streaming of committee hearings to accessing election results and candidate information- has moved us to the top of a respected survey for state governments nationwide.

The Digital State Survey - the nation's most recognized study conducted by the Center for Digital Government, in conjunction with Government Technology magazine and The Progress & Freedom Foundation- recently released their national ranking for Digital Democracy and Kentucky ranked 2nd. This year's rankings showed a large jump for Kentucky, up from 15th in 2001.

The survey on digital democracy focused on the application of digital technologies to permit Internet access to laws, candidate information and electronic voting technologies. Kent Lassman, director of the Digital Policy Network and Progress and Freedom Foundation research fellow, noted, "The Digital Democracy category shows a maturity that reflects combined effects of a steep learning curve on how to utilize technology, as well as the forceful wake-up call from the 2000 election cycle about the importance of accurate, timely and readily available information for citizens and policymakers alike."

The Center for Digital Government’s Executive Director, Cathilea Robinett added, "Legislatures have made huge strides in making state democracy accessible to citizens,” she said. "The advancements on legislative Websites have increased exponentially."

"We've been able to use the Internet to completely
transform the way we deliver services," said Kentucky's Secretary of State John Y. Brown III. "Now people can conduct business with our office 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The public response has been tremendous."

Digital Democracy Rankings for 2002

1. Arizona
2. Kentucky
* Colorado
* Louisiana
* Michigan
* South Carolina
* Washington
3. Connecticut
* Georgia
* Indiana
* Maryland
* Minnesota
* South Dakota

* Represents ties


Some information gathered from: http://www.centerdigitalgov.com/
The Digital States Survey is a comprehensive study by the Center for Digital Government,
Government Technology magazine and The Progress & Freedom Foundation.



-- end --
October,
2002

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