The State of Egovernment

The G2C portfolio of websites is intended to provide a common one-stop area where citizens can find the information and services they need with a minimum of clicks and in only a few minutes. A selection of these G2C offerings are discussed here.

Discussion:

The G2C portfolio offers hundreds of pages of information to the citizen. For example, users can find comprehensive information and eligibility requirements for all 417 Federal level benefit programs at GovBenefits. From the local to the federal level, 31 million benefits related web pages exist. The task of GovBenefits is to work towards consolidating state and local information with the federal database.

The Recreation site offers information on access to government recreational sites. Two thousand eight hundred federal sites are described, with information from four states also present. A recent Pew Foundation study found that 52 million users search government web sites annually, making recreation information the top search criteria within E-Government. See also the White House recreation site here.

IRS Free File offers users the ability to file their taxes on-line for no cost. Free File is a consortium of 17 companies in a private-public partnership agreement with the government. Free File provides real-time tax refund status for customers and, as of June 2003, had processed 2.77 million returns for the 2003 tax year.

Analysis:

G2C services have added value for the customer by reducing time requirements to access and communicate with the government. G2C has been well received by the public.

Recommendation:

GovBenefits has further work to do to reach 100% coverage at the Federal level and when integrated with State and Local benefits it will prove invaluable to the citizenry.

Links:

Benefits reference: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov/gtoc/govbenefits.htm

Benefits site: http://www.govbenefits.gov/jsp/GovBenefits.jsp

White House web site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov/gtoc/recreation.htm

Recreation site: http://www.recreation.gov/

Freefile reference: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov/gtoc/irs_free.htm

IRS Free File: http://www.irs.gov/app/freeFile/welcome.jsp

G2C: Firstgov.gov Website:

Overview:

The Firstgov site serves as a comprehensive launch point or portal for nearly any type of interaction with the Government. The site�s name, Firstgov is descriptive in that this page really can be the first stop in any search for government links.

Discussion:

Information can be found by general topic through menu bars and topic groupings. Featured sections include dedicated sections for children, parents, seniors, and Americans abroad. The entire site can be viewed in Spanish, with selected documents available in twenty-five different languages. The National Threat Advisory is prominently shown. Also a News section displays up to date news on topics such as the recent Northeast power outages, the West Nile virus, and the National Do Not Call Registry.

Analysis:

This is a well-designed webpage with numerous useful links.

Recommendation:

This is a well designed and effective site.

Links:

FirstGov.gov http://www.firstgov.gov

G2C: The Whitehouse Home Page

Overview:

The White House Home page is a good place to begin exploring E-government in the US.

Discussion:

The left side menu of the web page allows the user to pick from a number of topics of interest; these include In Focus, News, Major Speeches, and News by Date. This region of the webpage allows individuals to surf through a variety of current event items and recent high level government activities. The top of the page directs the user to biographical pages for the president and vice president, the history of the White House, and a special page for Kids. The link for Kids provides a set of web pages with images, stories, information and additional links specifically for children. The right side of the Home page presents a number of topics including a Forest Initiative and Ask the White House. This last link allows one to ask the Whitehouse Staff questions on the issues of the day and also about daily life within the White House. One of the interesting services is the email subscription. Topics of this service include those listed above plus Education and the War on Terrorism. Additionally, The Weekly Review delivers the major events and speeches of the week.

Analysis:

The White House home page is well organized and presents the formal feel of the Office of the President well. The images load quickly over a dial-up line so access time is not a detractor. All links tested worked, and the content is clearly written. The menu on the left side of the Home page lists topics that are currently major concerns of many citizens such as Medicare, the Iraq war, the Economy, and Homeland Security. A button to change the language to Spanish is prominently placed, reflecting the rising proportion of the population desiring this communication option. The More Issues button takes the reader to discussions and links to Jobs and Economic Security, Strengthening and Improving Health Care, Energy Interdependence, and HIV/Aids initiatives; once again, these are issues of current relevance. The Photo Essay section allows the user to get to know the faces and pageantry of government. These images promote a personal connection that is not offered by regular and on-line news agencies. The Kids page and Ask the White House provide a friendly atmosphere in which both kids and parents can learn about government, the people involved, the buildings, and history, etc. This technique encourages a personal interest in the whole White House community and the Bush family. It also makes government seem closer and more personable.

Recommendation:

An interesting critical content addition would be a weekly article forum of pro and con discussions of White House policy and each of the President�s speeches. If written by experts in the field from both parties, political dialog could be increased.

Links:

The Whitehouse home page: http://www.whitehouse.gov/

The Whitehouse e-mail page: http://www.whitehouse.gov/email/

The E-Gov web page: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov/gtoc.htm

The privacy policy: http://www.whitehouse.gov/privacy.html

President�s biography: http://www.whitehouse.gov/president/gwbbio.html

For kids: http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids

Ask the White House: http://whitehouse.gov/ask

G2C: Recreation / National Parks

Overview:

The National Parks Service has a direct link from a prominent portion of the White House home page to a page called Park of the Week which highlights the features of a selected park.

Discussion:

The National Parks are a prominent focus of the President. This link provides value to readers in that awareness of the uniqueness and natural beauty of the National Parks is increased.

Analysis:

The Park of the Week link that announces Rocky Mountain National Park actually links to the Cape Cod National Seashore, so a higher degree of care in testing of links is warranted. Further, the Park service itself does not have a direct link from the White House page. You can get there by typing the URL, or in four clicks if you get the sequence just right.

Recommendation:

Provide accurate links, a greater number of links, and carefully test links.

Links:

National Park Service: http://www.nps.gov

Park of the week: www.nps.gov/park

G2C: E-voting

Overview:

A test project for the 2004 voting period has begun to allow overseas military personnel to vote over the Internet. The project is called SERVE which stands for Secure Electronic Registration and Voting Experiment.

Discussion:

County level government is using a test project funded by the Federal Government. The test will allow approximately 100,000 overseas US military personnel from more than 7 states to participate. Pre-established digital signatures and encrypted data transmission will be used.

Analysis:

This project is a good test of methods to increase votes received from overseas military and US citizens prior to elections being certified. Overseas citizens amount to 6 million potential users of which 67% voted absentee in the 2000 elections. Additionally, electronic votes don�t have hanging chads, which were a detractor in the last Presidential election.

Recommendation:

This is a good opportunity to increase voter participation, which has been on a downward trend for the past several election cycles. A survey of 18 to 27 year olds found that 71 percent of those responding would vote on the Internet. This is a potentially dramatic and politically powerful change which will help re-engage non-voters in the democratic process. Concerns that must be addressed are security and hacking, virtual identities, greater local legislative approval and participation, and the substantial funding to provide broad access to a larger population once the test is complete.

Links:

SERVE: http://www.serveusa.gov/public/aca.aspx

FCW article: http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2003/0602/web-vote-06-03-03.asp

Voting trends survey: http://www.brook.edu/comm/transcripts/20000120.htm pg 2.

E-vote counter: http://www.fcw.com/geb/articles/2003/0721/web-dre-07-25-03.asp

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