7 November 2000
MEDIA STATEMENT
MOCK PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TO BE HELD IN WELLINGTON
Guests at an Election Day function hosted by the United States Ambassador tomorrow will be able to cast a “mock vote” in
the US Presidential election.
election.com, the global internet voting company, will be providing a “mock voting” website where guests can choose
their preferred President.
Stephen Kilpatrick, Managing Director of election.com New Zealand, said today that the election should provide some
entertainment for guests, as well as showing them how easy voting on the internet is.
Guests will be given a confidential “log-in” and password upon arrival, and will be able to enter their preference on
provided computers during the course of the afternoon.
“We hope to show guests just how easy internet voting is. The results are immediate, the process simple, and the
likelihood of error almost totally removed,” Mr Kilpatrick said.
Live televised coverage of the “real” election will be shown during the afternoon, and the Wellington results will be
announced prior to the final US results.
Mr Kilpatrick said that simultaneous mock elections were being held at US Embassy functions in Sydney, Canberra and
London, as well as activities across the United States.
“While election.com is not conducting internet voting for the US election this time, we have been instrumental in
allowing over 700,000 Americans to register to vote over the internet.”
“election.com also provided a unique opportunity for school children across the United States to vote in their
Youth-e-Vote election. More than one million students participated in the historic online election by logging on to
www.youthevote.net and voicing their political opinions.”
-More-
Stephen Kilpatrick said the goal of the Youth-e-Vote election was “to make today’s students tomorrow’s voters. The
unofficial election gave students in America (50% of whose parents are not expected to vote this election) the ability
to participate in a democratic process.”
“election.com is committed to providing accessible and convenient elections across the internet, and we are delighted to
be involved in the US Presidential election in this way.”
About election.com
election.com, the leading global internet election company, provides public and private sector election services for
governments, associations, non-profit organisations, labour unions, credit unions and corporations around the world.
Committed to broadening voter participation in the democratic process, election.com provides a cost-effective, seamless
migration path from the traditional, paper-based election process to the Internet, enabling all people, whether they
live in the city, country regions or abroad, greater voting access. election.com is headquartered in New York and has
offices in Christchurch, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Washington DC; Austin, Texas; London; Paris and Geneva.
ENDS
For further information please call:
Chris Major
Network Communications
(025) 443 220