*** Democracies Online Newswire - http://www.e-democracy.org/do *** Check out today: http://www.pioneerplanet.com/seven-days/3/news/docs/008385.htm Or "News" under Sunday, September 10 for the next few days: http://www.pioneerplanet.com/seven-days State an e-politics pioneer Use of Internet to bolster campaigns steadily increasing Leslie Brooks Suzukamo Staff Writer There's a slogan that Minnesota political candidates could borrow to reflect the new way many are running their campaigns this year: ``Got Web?'' Candidate Web pages pockmark the Internet like virtual lawn signs. Armed with mouse, modem and keyboard, campaign operatives blast e- mail to thousands of supporters at once, debate in online forums or comb fastidiously collected e-mail addresses for potential volunteers and donations. The proliferation of political Web sites is expected to lure more voters than ever online in search of the answer to the question, ``Who do I vote for in Tuesday's primary and in November?'' It's a trend that political watchers see across the country, and Minnesota could become a bellwether state, some political activists say. Tony Sutton, executive director of the Minnesota Republican Party, said the Internet is new prime turf for local campaigning this year. Back in 1996, campaigning on the Web was considered an expensive novelty reserved for the likes of Bill Clinton and George Bush. In 1998, it was merely intriguing. ``Now,'' he said, ``it's a necessity. ``In a campaign, you need three things: You need a sign; you need a piece of campaign lit (literature); and you need a Web page,'' he said. ``Otherwise, you're not in business.'' - clip - It's not just candidates who are putting up Web sites. Groups who want to boost participation in the political process use the Internet, too. Minnesota E-Democracy 2000 (www.e-democracy/2000), for instance, recently touted a new addition to its Web site -- a long directory of all the Minnesota candidates with Web sites and e-mail addresses. ``In 1998, we had no reason to have a directory because only three or four candidates had sites,'' said founder Steven Clift. The 6-year- old site is the world's first election-oriented Web site, he said. Minnesota's relatively high voter turnouts and Internet access make it the country's best laboratory to develop online democracy, Clift argues. ``Where is the test bed for technology? Silicon Valley. Where is the test bed for e-commerce? Silicon Alley (in) New York City. Entertainment? Los Angeles. What do we do in Minnesota? We do democracy.'' - end clip - Also, use of the net for potentially illegal campaign activity may greatly impact our U.S. Senate race: See: http://www.startribune.com/viewers/qview/cgi/qview.cgi?template=metro_ a_cache&slug=gram08 [put on one line] Officials tracking anti-Ciresi e-mail Dane Smith and Greg Gordon An e-mail account that was used to send anonymous and allegedly illegal attacks on DFL U.S. Senate candidate Mike Ciresi has been linked to a telephone number and an Internet account of Christine Gunhus, a top campaign aide of U.S. Sen. Rod Grams, according to a search warrant affidavit released Thursday by the Anoka County attorney's office. The e-mails under investigation were sent from a Kinko's store, apparently one in Coon Rapids, according to the affidavit. But the account that was used also was accessed four times through a phone number traced to Gunhus' home in Ham Lake, the affidavit said. The affidavit was attached to a search warrant used in the seizure of computer equipment from Gunhus' home last week. Assistant County Attorney Bryan Lindberg said Thursday that the connection between "the e-mail account and the [Gunhus] telephone number" was "the key link in establishing probable cause to search the residence." Both Grams and Gunhus, the political director of his campaign and a longtime aide and adviser, refused to comment about the latest development in the case. Gunhus' attorney, Doug Kelley, said he hadn't "had the opportunity to carefully study what's in the warrant, and I will make no comment about the facts. But it does not change my thoughts about this case: When the dust settles, my client will be found not to have violated any laws." Grams, a Republican, has previously maintained that his campaign was not responsible for the e-mails and was not guilty of any wrongdoing in the case. The affidavit doesn't constitute a charge, but rather reflects what investigators have learned and why they believed they had probable cause to seize computers and equipment from Gunhus' home. Under a 1988 Minnesota law designed to prevent anonymous political attacks, it is a misdemeanor for a campaign to distribute literature without including the name and address of the candidate or the candidate's campaign committee. Those who act individually and spend less than $300 are exempted. The affidavit doesn't link the e-mails directly to Gunhus. But a top campaign aide for Ciresi said Thursday that the evidence is mounting against Gunhus and Grams. "This brings these e- mails into Chris Gunhus' home," said Bob Decheine, Ciresi's campaign manager. "Maybe Senator Grams has been telling the truth that it was not done out of his campaign office, but it appears it was done out of Chris Gunhus' house." Decheine added that "if additional evidence is generated now [that] they have the computers, we would expect that criminal charges would be forthcoming." ^ ^ ^ ^ Steven L. Clift - W: http://www.publicus.net Minneapolis - - - E: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Minnesota - - - - - T: +1.612.822.8667 USA - - - - - - - ICQ: 13789183 *** Please send submissions to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** *** To subscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** *** Message body: SUB DO-WIRE *** *** To unsubscribe instead, write: UNSUB DO-WIRE *** *** Please forward this post to others and encourage *** *** them to subscribe to the free DO-WIRE service. ***
