Sign and resend, it urges. It might, but not necessarily to the intended targets. It seems the grassroots groups that launch such electronic efforts often gain by growing their mailing list and public awareness of their cause. But many of the intended recipients say such mass petitions fall to the bottom of the priority scale. More than 70 million e-mail petitions and other high volume electronic messages poured into Congress last year.
Lawmakers say they treat e-mail the same as postal mail.
Everything gets read and, if the content warrants it, gets a reply, they say. But much of this e-mail is written and produced with no more than a touch of a button. And with so much flooding into the capital, many officials confess that such digital form letters carry less weight than other modes of correspondence, such as personal visits or postal letters. According to a 1998 study by the oversight group OMB Watch, congressional offices give the most attention to personal letters. Next in priority are personal visits, telephone calls, faxes, and personal e-mails.