CA Voter Poll [cr-95/11/22]

1995-11-22

Sender:          Kim Alexander <•••@••.•••>

To:            "ELECnet" <•••@••.•••>
Date:          Tue, 21 Nov 1995 14:38:44 -0800 (PST)
Reply-to:      •••@••.•••

Dear Friends,

Below is a press release on a state poll we recently conducted - please
feel free to repost and redistribute.

Enjoy!

Kim Alexander

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, November 10, 1995

CONTACT:        Kim Alexander or Liv Williams
                (916) 325-2120


STATE VOTER POLL SHOWS MANY GOING ONLINE FOR CAMPAIGN INFORMATION

SACRAMENTO -- A just-completed poll of California voters shows a
significant number are turning to the Internet for information on
political events, candidates and ballot measures.

According to the survey, commissioned by the California Voter Foundation
(CVF) and conducted by David Binder Research, nine percent of the state's
registered voters said they receive election information from online
computer services.  More than one in four of those surveyed said they
would like to go online for election information in the future.

CVF executive director Kim Alexander said the survey findings demonstrate
that voters are looking beyond traditional sources of campaign
advertising and news coverage to find information of their choosing.
"Many voters want to make more informed choices.  They need and deserve
better information than slick mailers and sound bites," Alexander said.

CVF, a non-profit organization based in Sacramento, specializes in
non-partisan online voter education.  Last month, CVF unveiled the San
Francisco Online Voter Guide (http://www.election.digital.com/) -- a
World Wide Web site on the Internet that provides comprehensive
information on this year's municipal election and includes, for the first
time ever, an online database of campaign contributions and expenditures
that voters can search prior to casting their ballots.  (A runoff
election for San Francisco Mayor and District Attorney will be held
December 12, 1995).

The San Francisco guide was the second developed by CVF.  Last year, CVF
produced the 1994 California Online Voter Guide as a resource for
information on statewide candidates and ballot measures.  The 1994 guide
was accessed more than 14,000 times, with over 36,000 file retrievals; in
the first two weeks the San Francisco guide was up, documents from the
site were accessed over 9,000 times.

"Online voter information gives voters control over their own education
process," Alexander said.  "The Internet allows voters to be proactive
consumers of information.  Our voter guides contain hundreds of pages
worth of information, and are available online 24 hours a day.  Voters
can go online when it's convenient for them, and select and read the
documents they feel are most useful."  Alexander said the poll results
underscore the need for CVF's cutting-edge approach to voter education.
"Our poll shows that the number of voters who turn to the Internet for
election information will continue to rise.  CVF will be there to provide
voters with non-partisan, meaningful information."  Alexander noted that
CVF is now developing its voter guide for the March 1996 California
Primary, which will feature information on Presidential candidates,
legislative races and statewide ballot measures.

According to survey director David Binder, campaigning via the Internet,
though in its infancy, is likely to take on a much greater role very
quickly.  "These survey results are striking.  They clearly demonstrate
that campaigns cannot afford to ignore the Internet as a method of
communicating with voters," Binder said.

Binder noted that most voters surveyed still continue to use traditional
sources of information in much larger numbers.  The poll revealed that 70
percent receive campaign information from daily newspapers, 60 percent
from television, 25 percent from weekly newspapers and 39 percent from
radio.  The nine percent of likely voters using online election
information is particularly significant, Binder observed, because it is a
brand new communciation medium.  A total of 800 registered voters were
interviewed for the survey, conducted October 29 - November 2, 1995.

                        ########


Edward Packard                      \      Elections Division
Center for Governmental Services     ))     Secretary of State
Auburn University Alabama           //      State of Alabama
•••@••.•••            ((       Montgomery Alabama

***** The opinions expressed in this message do not necessarily
***** reflect the views of Auburn University or the Secretary
***** of State of Alabama.


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