The White House is ordering a one-year study of the feasibility of online voting as part of an initiative to harness the Internet for more than just shopping.

USA Today said Vice President Al Gore, one of two Democrats vying for his party_s nomination to run for the White House, was due to announce the initiative on Friday. The National Science Foundation will bring together legal scholars, technical specialists and experts on the democratic process to consider whether cybervoting might increase turnout without creating problems with fraud and privacy. President Clinton signed two executive memorandums on Friday on developing Web resources, and Gore was set to unveil them in New Hampshire, where he will participate in a debate with his rival for the Democratic nomination, Bill Bradley. By the end of next year, the initiative promises to have the 500 government forms most used by citizens available for downloading off the Web.