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More stories by this authorCongressional incumbents are not employing online communications, resources and fundraising tools according to a study released today by The Bivings Group, a non- partisan, Washington, DC-based Internet communications agency. The report is the first in a series of studies examining the online presence of political campaigns and exploring the use of the Internet in the political sphere.
The study focuses on current incumbent Senators and Representatives at the federal level. The report examined existing web sites, their degree of visibility on the Internet and sought to rate their efficacy according to whether visitors could make donations, find contact information and volunteer for campaign activities. This information was also analyzed according to party affiliation and legislative chamber to determine the leaders in each category. The full report can be viewed and downloaded in PDF format at http://www.bivings.com/campaignstudy/.
The report found that Republicans outpace Democrats in a number of major areas including 29 percent more likely to have functioning Web sites; 25 percent easier to find; more likely to allow online donations; more likely to offer easy-to-find contact info; and More likely to provide info on how to volunteer.
"John McCain raised $1 million in 48 hours through his web site and he won the New Hampshire primary in 2000. It seems unusual that more campaigns haven't created deeper, more robust Web sites to reach their constituents," said Gary Bivings, president of The Bivings Group. "The 'what it means' here is, some smart politicians will have an edge over their competition."
Other findings, by the numbers, include:
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"Campaigns, run by both incumbents and challengers, that use the Internet have typically hovered around 55-60 percent," said Bivings. "Despite strong evidence that the Internet is a money-maker, that already low number appears to be dipping. As campaign finance reform moves forward and eliminates the soft-money option to fund campaigns, the Internet will prove to be an invaluable tool for reaching constituents and enabling them to participate in the campaign, financially or otherwise."
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