Online Democracy Award Home Page

Site eligibility

Criteria judges will consider

Selection committee

Nomination form (Word document)

Previous Winners

Legislative Information and Communications Staff Section (LINCS)

National Association of Legislative Information Technology (NALIT)

NCSL Legislative Summit

LINCS/NALIT Online Democracy Award

Criteria Judges Will Consider

Sites under consideration for the award will be judged based on their design, content, and technology.  Using an established ranking system based on the judging criteria listed below, the committee shall select one legislative web site from among the nominees to be that year’s award winner.

Design

• Is the site easy to navigate?
• Are all links complete and images linked properly?
• Does the site load quickly and efficiently?
• Does the site and its component parts follow a unifying identity and cohesive design theme?
• Is the design of the site simple enough to be user friendly?

Content

• Does the site provide easy access to legislative bills, amendments, and related documents?
• Does the site provide easy access to state statutes and the state constitution?
• Does the site provide citizens with user-friendly methods of interacting and communicating with their legislators?
• Does the site provide citizens with access to official proceedings (e.g., audio/video stream, transcripts, official records, etc.)?
• Does the site provide information about legislators and their districts? Does the site provide the user with easy access to identifying his or her legislative representative?
• Does the site inform citizens on the activities of their state legislature?
• Does the site educate citizens of all ages about representative democracy and the role of their state legislature?
• Does the site have links to other useful sites and information (e.g., other government agencies, reports, NCSL, etc.)?
• Does the site provide legislators the opportunity to share their message with citizens and/or the media?
• Does the site permit feedback from users and provide for responses to user feedback?

Technology

• Is the site highly searchable?
• Does the site load quickly and efficiently?
• Is the site browser neutral? Are the site’s features (e.g., copies of documents, multimedia, etc.) cross platform?
• Is the overall technology implemented in an appropriate manner?
• Is the technology current?
• Does the site meet accessibility standards (e.g., ADA, Section 508)?

The judging criteria may be amended at the recommendation of the selection committee with the approval of NALIT and LINCS.

The Legislative Information and  Communication Staff Section

The National Association of  Legislative Information Technology