Subj: electronic proxy voting Date: Thu, Nov 5, 1998 11:00 AM EDT From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] X-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Lorrie Faith Cranor) Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] The 4 November 1998 New Jersey Star-Ledger has an article by Dan Weissman with the headline "Paper proxies losing ground: Shareholders like phone, e-mail voting." The article reports that Internet and telephone proxy voting in shareholder elections is becoming more popular. And it reports a curious quirk in New Jersey Law: "...New Jersey prohibits e-mail or telephone balloting -- but apparently not Internet Web site tallies, according to Campbell [Soup Co.]'s legal take on the issue -- for companies incorporated in New Jersey, even as the practice gains wider acceptance." The article says that Republican state senator C. Louis Bassano has introduced legislation that would allow telephone proxy voting. The bill is supported by the state Chamber of Commerce and the New Jersey Industry and Business Association. The article quotes the president of the Consumers League of New Jersey as having some concerns about electronic proxies. The article also quotes (among others): - Ronald H. Gruner, president of Direct Report Corp., a company that tabulates electronic votes: "All states are changing their laws to allow electronic proxy voting." - Charles Keryc, vice president of First Jersey Trust Co.: telephone voting saves about 22 cents per proxy vote as compared to postal mail voting. - a shareholder praising phone voting: "I can do it while watching 'Jeopardy,' football, 'Crossfire' or baseball." Does anybody know anything about this quirk in NJ law or what provisions in other state laws have to be changed in order to allow Internet or phone proxy voting? This message was distributed through the e-lection mailing list. For info and archives see http://www.research.att.com/~lorrie/voting/
