Washington –Senator Evan Bayh was honored with the Gold Mouse award by the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) this week for having one of the best websites in Congress.

Bayh’s website was one of only seven in the Senate to receive the award and an A+ grade by the organization. His website was singled out for the timeliness of its content and for a “helpful, clear and detailed casework section that includes numerous links to state-specific information and resources,” evaluators wrote.

CMF analyzed all 620 congressional websites, including those of all Senate and House members, committees, and official leadership sites.  Websites were graded on how well they incorporate five core principles: know your audience, provide timely and targeted content that meets their needs, make the site easy to use, foster interaction both on and offline, and add value through innovation.

“In the information age, it is critical that elected officials make information as accessible as possible to our constituents,” Bayh said. “I take pride in having a website that is easy for Hoosiers to navigate, that conveys my priorities clearly, and that offers a broad range of information for constituents trying to get the assistance and support they deserve from their government.”

 “Websites like Senator Bayh’s serve as a prime example that we hope other congressional offices will follow. His website shows that he understands how to meet the needs of his state online,” said Beverly Bell, CMF’s Executive Director.

The 111th Congress Gold Mouse Awards are part of CMF’s Partnership For A More Perfect Union, which seeks to improve the quality of communication between members and their constituents.  CMF partnered with researchers from the Harvard Kennedy School, Northeastern University, University of California–Riverside, and the Ohio State University to study how members of Congress can use the Internet to improve communications with their constituents and to promote greater participation in the legislative process.

The 111th Congress Gold Mouse Project report, a full listing of winners, and other data is available at www.pmpu.org.

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