Testing tablets.

• Author: Greenberg, Pam
• Position: TRENDS & TRANSITIONS - IPads in state legislatures

More than 55 million iPads have been sold since the devices were first introduced in January 2010, and nearly 20 percent of Americans own some kind of tablet or e-reader, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

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iPads are proving popular in state legislatures as well. Vermont and Virginia conducted iPad pilot projects last year. In at least seven legislatures, iPad pilot projects are underway this year; two states have purchased iPads for all legislators. Even in states without formal pilot projects, tablets and mobile devices are shaking up the way legislative business is done.

Vermont, the Virginia Senate and the Virginia House of Delegates all began pilot projects during sessions last year, and expanded the projects this year. All members of the West Virginia Senate used iPads during a special session last summer, and this year all legislators in West Virginia and Alaska have iPads. Idaho purchased four iPads and four Androids to share among legislators who don't own their own. Indiana has two committees using iPads, and North Carolina has one committee testing Android tablets and iPads.

Why are they so popular? Tablets are user-friendly, relatively cheap, lightweight and more convenient to carry, and have good battery life--all important features for legislators whose schedules involve going from chamber to office to town meetings and home. Tablets are ideal for reading and storing large amounts of information. The Indiana General Assembly found that just a single bill generates about 11,400 sheets of paper. It hopes to go paperless in the future if the iPads work out.

West Virginia Senate Majority Leader John Unger II says the tablets have increased efficiency and saved money. "We were the first state to have the full chamber use iPads, and it really expedited...