Georgia Secretary of State Website Named Best In the Nation

National Assn. of Secretaries of State ^ | Aug 27,2001 | NASS

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August 27, 2001 FFI Contact: Chris Riggall
404.656.5792

Georgia SOS Selected Best Executive Branch Site in Eagle E-Government Awards

ATLANTA, Ga. August 27, 2001 … The Council of State Governments (CSG) has named the Georgia Secretary of State website (www.georgiasecretaryofstate.org) the best in the nation in the executive branch category. The Council will make the formal presentation of the Eagle E-Government Award at its annual meeting in Anchorage, Alaska next month.

The Georgia Secretary of State website, which is designed and maintained entirely by the agency’s small in-house information technology department, was chosen best in the nation among submissions from state executive branch agencies. It was the only Georgia site to be honored in the competition. Winning honorable mention designations in the same category were the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Network (www.icjia.state.il.us) eMaryland Marketplace (www.emarylandmarketplace.com) and Virginia’s VATAXOnline (www.tax.state.va.us).

“We are thrilled to receive this honor, which places the Georgia Secretary of State site first in the nation among state executive branch websites,” said Secretary of State Cathy Cox. “Offering a site that is useful, well organized and easy on the eye is really at the center of our daily effort to provide Georgians the highest possible quality of customer service and information. This prestigious award is a wonderful tribute to the hard work of our agency’s information technology department. I am so proud of these folks, who have shown time and time again that a small team of creative and highly motivated staff can do great things,” Secretary Cox added.

The Secretary of State site was redesigned earlier this year with a fresh, clean look to provide easier navigation and more intuitive features while accommodating the needs of users with slower connection speeds. The site is also compliant with standards for the visually impaired. Agency web administrator Mary Ann Sullivan, IT director Brett Brammer and deputy director Kale Hodges designed the site with assistance and support from other Secretary of State IT staff members.

In addition to extensive information about the operations and services of the agency’s five operating divisions, the Secretary of State site offers visitors an array of online transactions, including corporate name registrations and renewals, professional license renewals and campaign contribution disclosure filings. In 2000 e-commerce revenue from corporations transactions exceeded $1.8 million. Users can also identify their neighborhood polling place and local elected officials, complete a fillable voter registration form, research registered charities, view campaign contribution reports, retrieve archival historical information and make a reservation to tour the Capitol building, among scores of other features.

The Eagle E-Government Awards panel of judges, comprised of elected government officials, state government staff and CSG private sector associates, selected winners using a broad range of criteria including ease of use and intuitive design, use of innovative technology, provision of online services, ability to meet the needs of citizens and the ability to make government more accessible and friendlier to constituents.

Eagle winners were also chosen in three other categories. The Best Legislative Branch Site went to the Minnesota Legislative site, Best Judicial Branch Site was awarded to the North Dakota Supreme Court and Best State Portal went to North Carolina’s NC@Your Service.

The Council of State Governments is the nation's only organization serving every elected and appointed official in all three branches of every state and territorial government in the United States. Founded in 1933, the non-partisan CSG is the premier organization representing state officials in the Executive, Judicial and Legislative branches.