In an effort to lure swing voters from the Democratic Party this November, Republican attorney general candidate J.B. Van Hollen launched a website Thursday encouraging officials to register public endorsements.

DemsforJB.com has already published the names of ten Democratic district attorneys and seven county sheriffs who have completed the online form pledging support for Van Hollen.

The site aims to "give Democrats an opportunity to know [Van Hollen]," Van Hollen's campaign spokesperson Brian Fraley said. "We want to show them they're not alone."

Publicizing law enforcement support for the attorney general race is a time-tested campaign strategy, according to Charles Franklin, a University of Wisconsin political science professor. But he added that utilizing the Internet's easy access makes this move a little different.

"The main problem with the medium is it requires voters to come to the site," he said. "I find it hard to imagine undecided voters will search for DemsforJB.com."

Nonetheless, Fraley said the campaign would direct undecided voters to the site, adding that it's "micro-targeted" toward people who usually vote for Democrats but feel uncertain with Democratic candidate Kathleen Falk being Wisconsin's next attorney general.

In addition, Fraley said the campaign might place ads on Democratic weblogs to also attract voters to the site.

Alternatively, Falk's site does not feature a similar petition for Republican officials.

Adam Collins, spokesperson for Falk's campaign, said the campaign will not specifically target certain populations.

"[We'll be] talking to people in Wisconsin as a whole," he said.

But Collins said Falk has also received "dozens of endorsements from prosecutors and law enforcement organizations."

While the Internet has been used as a tool in campaign fundraising and rallying party support, some say the medium isn't nearly as invasive as television or radio commercials.

Most people who visit the site will already be Van Hollen supporters, Franklin said, so he isn't sure how this site will affect Van Hollen's campaign.

Franklin said it may introduce more Democrats who support local officials to the Republican point of view. Or, ironically, it could take Republicans away from Van Hollen if too many Democrats endorse his campaign, he added.

With the race running closer to the Nov. 7 election day, early polls have already been drawing comparisons between Falk and Van Hollen.

A poll last week from WisPolitics.com found Falk holding an early lead over Van Hollen. About 38 percent of respondents said they would vote for Falk compared to about 33 percent for Van Hollen.

Nearly 30 percent were undecided, supporting polls in which 48 percent had no opinion or had never heard of Falk and 68 percent had no opinion or had never heard of Van Hollen.

The phone survey of 600 likely voters was conducted Sept. 20-21 by Diversified Research.

Falk beat incumbent attorney general Peg Lautenschlager with 53 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary Sept. 12, while Van Hollen beat Waukesha County District Attorney Paul Bucher with almost 60 percent of the vote in the Republican primary.