Internet plays a key role in shaping voters' decisions

Robust content from federal campaigns to state races and ballot initiatives

WASHINGTON, DC (January 29, 2004) - With the 2004 election underway, the Internet is already playing a key role in shaping voters' decisions in national and state campaigns. A large part of the information voters are using is coming from one source - Capwiz™ Election - a tool created by Capitol Advantage with key content from the League of Women Voters and Meetup.com.

With this tool, voters have access to a one-stop-shop on the Internet for nonpartisan information not only for national campaigns but state races and ballot initiatives as well. The tool educates voters and provides election information on some of the nation's largest media portals and corporate Web sites, including MSN, America Online, Yahoo!, USA Today, The New York Times, Fox News, C-SPAN and more than 1,000 other organizations.

"Through Capwiz™ Election, campaign information is easily available and user friendly and therefore, has the potential to encourage more people to participate in the electoral process. The key to the success of this tool is our partners, who provide more content than ever before and unparalleled access to the voting public," said Bob Hansan, president and founder of Capitol Advantage.

DemocracyNet (DNet), a project of the League of Women Voters, is an integral part of the Capwiz™ Election tool. Launched nationally in 2000, DNet has several distinctive features. First, it contains the policy positions of candidates running for federal or state office, in their own words. Secondly, it displays that information in a grid format, which allows viewers to easily see and compare the positions of candidates for any given race. This feature is interactive, and allows candidates, from the presidential race to the state legislature, to respond to comments made by other candidates and to have a "virtual debate."

"Voters have more candidate information at their fingertips than in any election in the past," said Nancy Tate, executive director of the League of Women Voters. "The partnership with Capitol Advantage and Meetup.com helps to expand our mission and remove the barriers voters have historically faced when searching for nonpartisan, comparative election information. Through DNet, candidates are able to "speak" directly to voters and voters are able to get candidate positions straight from the candidates themselves."

Through links to Meetup.com, voters will have access to the time, date and location of monthly "Meetups" scheduled in support of any/all senatorial, congressional and gubernatorial candidates running for office in 2004. "Meetup.com helps energize the grassroots and provides an easy, low barrier-to-entry path for citizens to get involved in the political process. With over 1 million people joining monthly Meetups, we are excited to partner with Capwiz™ Election and connect even more voters face-to-face," said the outreach manager for Meetup.com, William Finkel.

Capwiz™ Election provides a wide-range of information, from candidate-created detailed bios and statements on key issues, to information on state ballot initiatives, voter registration forms, polling locations and dates, fundraising and volunteer opportunities, and Meetup.com links. It is the only electronic tool that lets users view candidates' information (from the Presidential to state-level races) in a comparative format, through the DNet issue grid. This allows voters to come to their own conclusions on how to cast their ballots.

"When planning our Election 2004 coverage and Web site, we needed a tool to not only encourage, but make it easy for, our readers to participate in the political process and make educated candidate choices in 2004. Capwiz™ Election was an easy choice," stated Cyrus Krohn, Publisher, Slate Magazine on MSN. "This one-stop-shop tool, coupled with our editorial coverage and content, will provide our viewers with all the campaign and election information necessary for 2004."

As a strategist and frequent public speaker on the use of the Internet in American democracy, Steven Clift has worked to fundamentally improve democracy and citizen participation. "The Internet has come of age in the 2004 election. As the campaign mainstreams, more citizens will be looking for nonpartisan sources of information. We need places that bring Americans of all political views together online. We need places that make it easy to compare candidate positions," said Clift, Board Chair of Minnesota E-Democracy. "Today, through the partnership of the League of Women Voters, Meetup.com and Capitol Advantage, this essential democratic information will be easy to use and find. More people, including independent voters, are using the Internet to participate as informed voters every election."

The Internet continues to serve as the place to go for voter education and registration and connecting citizens for volunteer and fundraising opportunities, Capitol Advantage, together with the League of Women Voters, Meetup.com, and media partners are educating voters and increasing participation in the 2004 election and beyond.

For more information, please contact:

Cristina Paquette, 202-326-1781
Craig Brownstein, 202-326-1799

About Capitol Advantage
Capitol Advantage is the nation's premier provider of grassroots solutions for corporations, nonprofit groups, associations, educational institutions, and other organizations. Founded in 1986, Capitol Advantage provides grassroots advocacy products and services to more than 2,000 organizations, including some of the nation's largest and most respected portals and media companies as well as trade associations, nonprofit organizations and corporations.

About the League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

About Meetup.com
Meetup Inc. (www.meetup.com) helps stimulate local community by creating global "Meetup Days" for most any topic of interest. Meetups are real world, face-to-face group gatherings that can take place in thousands of towns in 45 countries at local cafes, restaurants, bookstores, bars, and other local establishments. Since launching in June 2002, Meetup has become a grassroots phenomenon, with over 1 million people registered for monthly Meetups on more than 3,700 topics and interests. Meetup is nonpartisan, based in New York City, and is privately held.