[EM] Alaska Internet Voting (FWD)

[DEMOREP1 at aol.com]

------- Forwarded message follows -------

Send reply to:          <paul at govote.com>

From:                   "GoVote.com - Paul Hrabal" <govote at rcsis.com>

To:                     <clift at publicus.net>

Subject:                E-Voting Starts Monday

Date sent:              Thu, 20 Jan 2000 23:43:25 -0800



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Paul Hrabal, CEO

(916) 797-7443 or paul at govote.com


> E-Voting Starts Monday

> First Binding Internet Elections In History

> Internet Voting Lets Alaskan Voters in Remote Region Participate in Straw

> Poll

> Juneau, Alaska - January 20, 2000. The first binding internet election in

> history will take place January 24, 2000. With sponsorship by a web

> company named GoVote.com and new technology making it possible, over three

> thousand registered Republicans in districts 36, 37 and 38 - a region

> accessed mostly by seaplane, snowmobile or dog sled -- will be able to

> cast their ballot.

> The Monday election determines who will go to the Republican National

> Convention on behalf of Alaskan Republican voters, and, consequently, who

> Alaskan voters nominate for the Republican presidential candidacy.

> GoVote.com's sponsorship of the Alaska poll is part of the company's push

> to make politics more accessible. Tens of thousands of people per day come

> to GoVote.com for answers and updates about the presidential candidates.

> Paul Hrabal, CEO, says he wants the Alaskan straw poll voters to check out

> GoVote.com before casting their ballots.

> "GoVote.com is tackling some of the largest obstacles voters face -- lack

> of time to dig up the political news and information that affects them.

> Alaskans in remote areas face really tough obstacles, so we volunteered to

> sponsor them to vote by internet," Hrabal said.

> The Alaskans set to cast their ballot online Monday live in a region that

> is dark for about 20 hours per day during the month of January. Their home

> districts border Canada on the east, the Bering Sea to the north and the

> Yukon River to the west. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, 62

> percent of households in Alaska have a computer - higher than any other

> state -- and of those households 44 percent are on the web.

> "The inclusion of these people in the democratic process is historic.

> GoVote.com wants to see all voters visit us to register to vote, get

> practical information about their choices, and go vote." Voters can take

> the VoteMatch® quiz on GoVote.com to get the facts about which candidates'

> views match their own. After VoteMatch® returns a ranking of the

> candidates, visitors can immediately check a candidate's stance on 23 hot

> issues and 100 recent quotations. GoVote has documented 7 Republican and

> Democratic candidates on a broad range of political issues. The site

> appeals to an online audience that wants a "lightening-speed,

> user-friendly way to interface with politics. That's why so many visit us

> online," Hrabal said. "We might be even more popular in snowbound areas of

> the U.S, like Alaska." GoVote.com is the leading independent political

> site on the Net. The company is keeping pace with public response to the

> year 2000 presidential election campaigns by adding and changing content

> on its site daily.

> As a gateway to news and information at the local, state, and federal

> levels, the site provides:

> voter registration

> snapshots of daily political news coverage drawn from the top 30 U.S.

> sources

> discussion forums on issues such as gun control and abortion

> a spotlight on the presidential candidates' background and policy

> positions

> a calendar of upcoming elections, conventions, and political news coverage

> links to commercials, quotations and political news broadcasts

> links to a broad spectrum of advocacy groups, and more.

> This morning's free email update from GoVote.com, for instance, delivered

> 10 handpicked headlines from today's top political news stories plus

> streaming audio from National Public Radio.

> For more information, visit <http://www.govote.com>, or call 916 797 7443,

> or send an email to govotepr at govote.com <mailto:govotepr at govote.com>.

> Correspondence may also be sent to GoVote.com at PMB 152, 6963 Douglas

> Blvd., Granite Bay CA 95746.