For a complete list of this year's winners and finalists, plus special project winners, click here.
Last year, many government agencies laid the groundwork for enhancing public-facing services by planting a seed based on customer-centric governing styles. This year, that seed has taken root, and agencies are now branching out, adding a strong focus on overall connectivity between governments and communities to help their customer service efforts grow. Whether that meant crafting digital road maps or using AI to improve language immersion and website interactivity, these changes are steadily transforming how residents connect with services.
For eight years, the Center for Digital Government* has honored jurisdictions nationwide for their efforts in enhancing digital services, and this year is set to expand that work. The 2024 winning jurisdictions created blueprints to increase accessibility to services for residents, developed new digital platforms to centralize resources, and embraced emerging technologies like AI to enhance efficiency and save their constituents’ most valuable resource: time.
MASSACHUSETTS — FIRST PLACE IN THE STATE CATEGORY
In a world where digital services are now the default, Massachusetts has been leading the charge in delivering accessible, user-friendly government services online. At the heart of this transformation is the state’s digital road map, which is seen as the online doorway to state services and has been pivotal in enhancing the way residents interact.
"We've seen that for around 90 percent of people, their first interaction with Massachusetts state services happens digitally," he said. “So investing in that was essential. And with public-facing services originally being organized by departments, leaving the end user to navigate a maze of agencies, the department recognized that for a truly impactful digital transformation, the focus needed to shift to the individual user.”
The success of Massachusetts' digital road map is best exemplified through platforms like MyMassGov. Within a year, the constituent single sign-on platform used by more than 80 websites grew to 1.5 million users, including over 500,000 active monthly users. Snyder attributes this growth to the platform's ability to provide easy access to multiple state applications without repeated logins or data entry.
Another tool, Ask MA, has helped reduce the influx of help desk calls by providing users with immediate answers to their inquiries. It is a multilingual chatbot that serves over 700,000 active monthly users, answering 3.46 million visitor messages and over 94 percent of responses. The Registry of Motor Vehicles, an early adopter of Ask MA, reported that since the launch of the chatbot, they saw a decrease in their overall call volume, decreasing calls by 1,000 per day.
However, Massachusetts’ digital transformation goes beyond just implementing new technology to making services intuitive and accessible. The state is driving engagement with its tech tools by understanding the needs of the individuals they're serving and tailoring solutions to meet people where they are. As Snyder explains, "Reducing complexity is key. We challenge ourselves and our agencies to identify the fewest number of steps and the least amount of data needed for users to complete their tasks."
This level of engagement is possible thanks to collaboration across agencies.
"By working together, users are now discovering services they hadn’t even considered before," Snyder added. "This cross-agency cooperation not only enhances the digital experience but also ensures that users can easily access a broader range of services."
Snyder’s department is also focused on expanding digital services and enhancing security through identity proofing, an important step in reducing fraud. As more applications join the MyMassGov platform, Snyder envisions a future where users can access any state service regardless of entry point, at the click of a button.
Additionally, accessibility will remain a priority for the state. "We’re involving external stakeholders to ensure that digital services meet the needs of all residents," Snyder said, pointing to the formation of an accessibility task force that includes non-government representatives.
Snyder credits the overall success of the state’s digital efforts to the strong sense of teamwork across the administration.
"The governor has emphasized that we’re one team and that mentality has made all the difference," he says. “With cabinet members and agency heads fully on board, the collective commitment to improving digital services has been unwavering.”
ARLINGTON COUNTY, VA. — FIRST PLACE IN THE COUNTY CATEGORY
Arlington County, Va., is paving the way toward its tech-driven future with a focus on enhancing constituent engagement through AI and revamped communication tools. The county has several initiatives in the works designed to improve services by reducing wait times and increasing overall digital accessibility for residents.
Some major projects include the implementation of AI-powered customer service bots and a new phone system and call center.
“We expect a multitude of improvements over the next 12 to 18 months because of our investment in AI and our new Teams-based phone system. First, being able to connect a bot to a live person will be much easier because of the integrations we will have,” CIO Norron Lee said via email. “We want to avoid a frustrating experience with a bot and ensure users will be able to transition to a person quickly for a positive, timely interaction.”
This focus on providing user-friendly services reflects Arlington’s broader success in tech, which Lee attributes to the widespread adoption of agile methodologies.
“Agile practices have allowed us to deliver products and services more closely tied to our users’ needs,” Lee noted. “It’s all about creating persistent feedback loops with customers, helping us get to market faster with digital services that truly satisfy demand.”
In 2023, Arlington County launched an AI-enabled document search engine that’s now proving to be very beneficial for residents. The search engine, which spans a wide range of public records, from meeting minutes to property cards, addresses one of the county’s long-standing challenges: navigating more than 15,000 documents on the public website. And the county is already planning its next AI advancement, which will include a "docbot" capable of conversational search to help with document creation.
“This use of GenAI will lead to further enhancements in our search capabilities and chatbots,” Lee added, signaling that AI will continue to be central to Arlington’s digital evolution.
But AI and automation aren’t the only tools in Arlington’s toolbox. The county employs an “omnichannel” approach to public engagement, combining social media, website forms, AI chatbots and public working groups to provide a cohesive experience.
“Our focus is ensuring that regardless of platform, messaging and responses are consistent,” said Lee. “Creating that cohesive experience is vital for two-way information sharing between the public and the government.”
The numbers speak for themselves. In 2023, Arlington County posted over 1,300 times across platforms like X, Facebook and Instagram, garnering more than 1.8 million impressions. The county’s website saw 13 million page views, with an additional 700 million through the county’s newsroom. Virtual community forums and online videos also gained traction, with over 200,000 unique views — an increase of more than 60 percent from the previous year.
As Arlington continues to refine its digital services, Lee stressed the importance of data in driving these efforts.
“We continuously monitor statistical trends and update our strategies to meet our constituents where and when they choose to engage,” he explained.
In 2023, the county rolled out enhanced website analytics dashboards that provide real-time updates, allowing staff to make data-driven decisions on content and engagement strategies.
“Arlington’s focus is always on the future," Lee said, "and that future is about leveraging technology to meet the needs of our community in the most effective way possible.”
SAN DIEGO, CALIF. — FIRST PLACE IN THE CITY CATEGORY
San Diego, Calif., is blazing its own trail to offering seamless access to city services, with a commitment to improving the user experience through a blend of AI integration, comprehensive web navigation and transparent services.
Jonathan Behnke, chief information officer for San Diego, highlighted the city’s focus on making information easy to find as a critical component to the city's digital strategy.
"Getting customers the information they need as quickly as possible without lengthy navigation through the website is key," he said.
Behnke praised the work of his department’s web team for achieving this goal, pointing out that the front page of the website now prominently displays the most frequently used services because of the team’s efforts. This reduces the time users spend hunting for essential services, like paying parking citations or applying for permits, with the majority of those high-use web visits already handled on the front page.
Another notable development is how the city has integrated AI into service delivery.
"We see AI as really helping us build the bridge to that next level of user experience for the public," Behnke explained.
One example of this is the city’s AI-powered chatbot, My eCISO (My Electronic Chief Information Security Officer), which helps organizations assess their cybersecurity posture based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology framework. This tool, offered for free to regional agencies, local businesses and even individuals, guides users through a question-and-answer process, generating a report card on their cybersecurity strategies.
Behnke believes AI’s ability to simplify interactions is the next frontier. "We imagine a search page where you ask a question and it gives you the answer right away," he said, describing an AI-powered search engine that doesn’t just deliver a list of web pages but provides direct answers.
In addition to improving services, the city is also working on increasing transparency. When asked about challenges and lessons learned in implementing transparency tools, Behnke pointed to San Diego’s trust ordinance, which required balancing the public's right to know with the need to protect sensitive data.
"It took time to balance providing as much transparency as possible while not disclosing information that could be used by adversaries," he said. But despite these challenges, the city has implemented policies to ensure transparency, particularly around police technologies, with the San Diego Police Department providing detailed documentation on how public safety technologies are used while safeguarding privacy.
As San Diego continues to refine its digital strategy, the city's tech efforts are set to make accessing services smoother and more transparent, with AI playing a more prominent role in service delivery and public engagement.
"AI is exciting and frightening at the same time," Ron Vazquez, San Diego’s web services manager, added. “But with continued focus on improving user experience, AI and transparency, the team is ready to lead San Diego into a new era of digital government.”
*Note: The Center for Digital Government is part of e.Republic, Government Technology's parent company.
