Arizona ranked No. 5 for e-government services

(PHOENIX – January 8, 2002) Arizona is among the top five states in the nation in using information technology to deliver public services, according to a national survey.

Arizona now ranks No. 5 in the Digital State Survey, conducted by the Progress and Freedom Foundation, a national organization of policy and technology experts. Last year, Arizona ranked No. 17.

The new ranking represents strong progress for e-government in Arizona and e-government means better service for the public, said Governor Jane Dee Hull.

“Arizona is clearly a national leader in using technology to provide government services faster and more conveniently. Instead of standing in line, our residents can now get services on-line. Our pioneering use of technology has made Arizona government responsive and efficient,” Hull said.

Arizona’s innovative use of technology in education was a key factor in the state’s strong showing on the Digital State Survey. For example, all public schools in Arizona will be connected to the Internet by the end of 2002. As of a result of its commitment to improving education through technology, Arizona has ranked in the top 10 in the education category for the last two years. 

Coinciding with Arizona’s No. 5 ranking nationally in the Digital State Survey, Arizona has launched Arizona @ Your Service, the state’s new web portal. The site, www.az.gov, was developed in partnership with IBM and allows citizens to go on-line for government services electronically. 

“While I am very proud of the number five ranking, we don’t plan to relax. The launch of Arizona @ Your Service will keep Arizona at the forefront in meeting the expanded needs of our residents while cutting costs. People now can find information easily with a few ‘mouse-clicks’ through a centralized, e-government web portal,” Hull said. 

Under the leadership of Governor Hull, Arizona has become a leader in digital government, said Rick Zelznak, State of Arizona Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Director of the Government Information Technology Agency (GITA).

“Our goal of using e-government to transform the way we do business is a success. We’re giving government back to the citizens through advances in technology. We've made e-government a priority through a partnership with IBM and the commitment to expand web-based service,” Zelznak said.

Building on the success of services such as the on-line vehicle re-registration at www.servicearizona.com,  the new web portal moves citizen services onto the Internet. To ensure the effective use of resources, Arizona has taken an innovative approach by developing a web-based system using a shared infrastructure platform. 

The Digital State Survey is administered by the Progress and Freedom Foundation (PFF) in Washington, DC in partnership with the Center for Digital Government and is available at www.pff.org. The yearlong survey is the nation’s most comprehensive and respected study of e-government and explores technology in eight areas of government ranging from health care to law and education. Last year, the State ranked #17 nationally.


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For more information, please contact Rick Zelznak at (602) 340-9698, ext. 215 or Susan Patrick, (602) 340-9698, ext. 200.

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