Voters can now use an "electronic highway" to talk to Rep. Karen Shepherd, D-Utah, via personal computers and modems over phone lines.
She said Saturday she is joining eight other congressional offices in an experimental project to allow constituents to send comments to her office computers by electronic mail."I'm always looking for new and better ways to communicate with my constituents," Shepherd said. "Computer e-mail just seemed like a natural addition to the phone, fax and mail."
She added it will be both fast and environmentally sound. "The best way to recycle is to never use paper in the first place."
Shepherd's staff said e-mail users should send to her electronic address of "shepherd@hr.house.gov." She asks that full names and addresses should be included.
One of her earlier efforts to improve communication went somewhat awry. She installed a toll-free "800" number to allow voters to call her Washington office.
"We found out that was actually against House rules," said Paul Svendsen, spokesman for Shepherd. "The House didn't have capability to handle 435 different `800' numbers for its members, so we had to take it out."
However, Shepherd still has a toll-free number to her office in Salt Lake City. It is 1-800-700-UTAH.