ELECTION INFO ON THE WEB

[Tony Barry]

>From Edupage, 1 November 1998

ELECTION INFO ON THE WEB
This year voters are flocking to the Net to find out candidates' views in
preparation for Tuesday's elections.  A number of sites, such as Web White &
Blue < http://www.webwhiteblue.org > and Policy.com < http://www.policy.com
>, deliver unbiased information on candidates across the country.  "We
wanted to create a single place for extensive nonpartisan political
participation with direct access to first-rate political information," says
Zoe Baird, president of the Markle Foundation, which sponsors the Web White
& Blue site.  And while most of the partisan sites consist mainly of
"brochureware," candidates are beginning to realize the power of the Web as
well:  U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) is using the Internet to
perform virtual handshakes with constituents.  "This is the first real
serious trial of a new election medium since the early days of TV and
radio," says Jonah Seiger, co-founder of Mindshare Internet Campaigns, a
political consulting firm.  "The Internet is a powerful medium for political
organizers.  The cost of access is lower than traditional media."
(Investor's Business Daily 30 October 98)

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