Montana Online Service Wins National Innovation Award
Helena, Montana - January 19, 2006 - An innovative and unique Montana online service recently received national recognition from the Council of State Governments. The Secretary of State's Voter Verification Service was selected for the Council's Innovations Awards Program and was featured in the November/December edition of State News magazine.
The Montana Voter Verification service is the first of its kind in the nation. As part of the national Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and state law, citizens are now required to present legal identification at polling stations. The new laws led to a concern that citizens unaware of the new requirements might not be able to vote if they failed to bring a driver's license with them to the polling station. The Voter Verification service allows voting officials to verify the identity of voters by searching the state's driver record database over the Internet. If matched in the database, voters can then cast a regular ballot instead of voting a provisional ballot.
"It's great for Montana to be recognized for leading the way in technology." said Secretary of State, Brad Johnson, "This technology allows us to deliver better service to Montana voters, and to make sure everyone gets a chance to vote on election day."
The Council of State Governments Innovations Awards program was established 30 years ago to recognize exemplary programs in state government. This national awards program receives hundreds of applications each year that are judged on newness, creativity, effectiveness, transferability, and significance. State government leaders review the applications and the winners are chosen by how well the service addresses issues in state government.
The award winning service is a result of an alliance between state government and the private sector. The Voter Verification service was cooperatively developed and is supported by the Montana Secretary of State's office, the Department of Justice, the Department of Administration's Information Technology Services Division, and Montana Interactive, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of eGovernment provider NIC
(Nasdaq: EGOV).
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