NASHVILLE, Tenn.—The North Carolina General Assembly’s website took home the 2019 Online Democracy Award for having a superior legislative website this week during the National Conference of State Legislatures’ (NCSL) 2019 Legislative Summit in Nashville, Tenn.
NCSL's Online Democracy Award is presented annually to a legislature, legislative chamber or caucus whose website makes democracy user-friendly in an outstanding way. The winning website is chosen by a committee of legislative staffers who evaluate each site’s design, content and technological integration.
The North Carolina legislature's website was recognized for making excellent use of the space on its homepage, with a “high value of content per square inch,” according to the selection committee. The website features handy icons leading to a wealth of information, with everything “just a click away.” The committee was especially impressed by the House and Senate dashboards for their easy and intuitive access to everything users would want to know about each chamber’s activities, including live audio from the floor.
The Online Democracy Award is sponsored by two of NCSL's legislative staff associations: the National Association of Legislative Information Technology (NALIT) and the Legislative Information and Communications Staff (LINCS).
Previous winners of the NCSL Online Democracy Award include the Massachusetts General Court (2018), Alaska Legislature (2017), New York Senate (2016), Tennessee Legislature (2015), Utah Legislature (2014), Massachusetts General Court (2013), Hawaii Legislature (2012), Florida Senate (2011), Washington Legislature (2010), Tennessee General Assembly (2009), Texas Legislature (2008), New Jersey Legislature (2007), Minnesota Legislature (2006) and the Utah Legislature (2005).
NCSL is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the states, commonwealths and territories. It provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues and is an effective and respected advocate for the interests of the states in the American federal system.