California Voter Foundation's Web Site Included in
Smithsonian's Permanent Collection

Sacramento -- On Monday, April 12th, the California Voter Foundation's (CVF) web site, www.calvoter.org, will become part of the Smithsonian Institution's Permanent Research Collection on Information Technology at the National Museum of American History, when the 1999 Information Technology Innovation Collection is formally presented to the Institution.

Nominated by Mr. Steve Case, Chairman and CEO of America Online, Inc., in the Government and Non-Profit Organizations category, CVF's work is part of a collection that includes over 470 of the year's most innovative applications of technology from 42 states and 22 countries. CVF's web site provides nonpartisan voter and civic information to the public.

Projects included in this year's Collection are also eligible for the Computerworld Smithsonian Award, which honors the achievement of those whose innovative work in information technology has produced positive social, economic and educational change. Award finalists will be announced following the presentation of the Collection; winners will be announced at an annual gala dinner in June.

The awards program, founded in 1989, is a joint project of Computerworld Newspaper and the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The program searches for and recognizes individuals, organizations and businesses which use information technology to the benefit of society.

"We're proud to become a part of the Smithsonian Institution's Permanent Research Collection, and to have our work showcased alongside so many other excellent technology projects," said Kim Alexander, CVF's founder, president and the web site's editor.

Last month, the California Voter Foundation was honored by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences with a prestigious Webby Award in the Politics and Law category. "Our success on the web shows that even a small non-profit with a staff of just three people can have a tremendous impact through the Internet. Information is power, and by putting information into peoples' hands, we are shaping a political and civic culture that is more responsive, accountable and accessible to everyone. This is the dream of the California Voter Foundation and the mission of our web site, and it means the world to us that this vision for the future of politics and the Internet is applauded and supported by so many."

Case studies from the 1999 Collection, including a description of CVF's work, will be available in June at http://innovate.si.edu, the official Internet Site of the Computerworld Smithsonian Program, where the entire collection is available to scholars, researchers and the general public worldwide.

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