New Jersey posts campaign information to Web
The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission is now using the Web to provide faster service, sometimes self-service, to people interested in tapping the department’s publicly held information. The result--an increased exposure for the commission, a more informed public and just maybe a better democracy.
The commission’s mission is “to make sure the government is serving the public interest,” said Frederick Herrmann, the executive director of ELEC. Specifically, ELEC is charged with collecting and making public election-based records for all political offices within the state.
About a year ago, ELEC sought help for developing its automation plan. After a competitive bid process, they began working with Automated Concepts Inc. The goal, according to Herrmann, was to do a better job of getting the information out to the public.
About a month ago, the embodiment of that goal found itself up on ELEC’s web site. ACI implemented a FileNet Panagon based system. With it, three primary objectives are gained. Users can view the reports online--the result of extensive scanning and imaging work on the back-end. Users can search for the specific documents they need. Finally, candidates can file their reports electronically, which makes the process more efficient and eases the burden on them.
While the enhanced Web site is relatively new, the imaging and workflow gain has been realized for some time, said Frank Roberts, senior managing consultant with ACI. The project first involved making the records electronic and automating the system for faster, more complete access, he said.
While ELEC has saved time by finding the information electronically instead of by paper, the time savings is not expected to last. Herrmann said the time savings was always secondary to getting the information out, and the new technology has made the information much more accessible. That in turn is expected to lead to increased requests.
“In the old way, if you wanted a copy of your mayor’s campaign report, you’d have to come to Trenton,” he said. That was a significant hassle, and calling and having the ELEC staff dig up the information came at a cost--printing and postage.
Now, users seeking filings can access them through the site following free downloads of the Panagon IDM Web Desktop, an Adobe Acrobat viewer and Microsoft’s HTML Layout Control and Forms 2.0 Controls. Users can search for specific documents or can search by candidate or organization names for all documents filed