BT and Election.com Pioneer e-Voting in the UK for Sheffield City Council; May 2002 Local Government Elections to Foster Participation by Bringing Polls to the People.

Business Editors

GARDEN CITY, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 17, 2002

BT and election.com have been selected by the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR) to conduct a ground-breaking e-voting pilot for Sheffield City Council during the May 2002 local elections.

The Office of the e-Envoy, which is currently leading the drive to get the UK online, has endorsed the e-voting pilots as an important step in the effort to modernize the UK election process.

In Sheffield, BT and election.com will be working in close partnership with the City Council to introduce state-of-the-art voting methods and help ensure that voters are comfortable with the new technologies. The May pilot will test a variety of voting technologies, including voting through the Internet, text messaging, kiosks and smart cards.

Sheffield City Council's Chief Executive Bob Kerslake said: "Sheffield is a forward looking city that makes the best use of new technology. The electronic voting pilot scheme presents us with the opportunity to give the people of Sheffield more choice in the way they vote."

The kiosks being used by voters in Sheffield are Public Access kiosks, which have been deployed as a key part of the City Council's e-government strategy. These kiosks provide access to a range of public and private sector information and transactions. For the pilots, BT and election.com have provided additional access to a secure voting service. The voters will be able to authenticate themselves by inserting a smart card into the kiosk. The voters in the electoral wards of Hallam, Manor and Nether Edge will be able to use any one of the 24 kiosks sited in the wards and at key locations across Sheffield.

Through the historic introduction of computerized registers at the polling stations, voters will be able to vote via alternative online methods - the Internet, kiosks and text messaging - from 9:00 a.m. on April 26 right up to the close of polling at 9:00 p.m. on May 2. Voters in the three target wards will also be able to vote in person on May 2.

The pilots mark the first step towards making e-voting a reality, bringing the polls to the people and facilitating better participation in the democratic process. Technology can make everything from banking and researching local primary schools easier and more accessible for today's time-pressured citizens. Now, people will have the opportunity to experience firsthand how technology can facilitate the voting process. Depending on which ward they live in, voters will have the option to cast their ballot via the Internet, kiosk, text message, or the traditional way - via the post or in person at the polls.

Stuart Hill, director of BT Stepchange, says, "There's growing realization at all levels of government of the need to change and adapt to people's attitudes and lifestyles - and to find ways of keeping them plugged in - in many cases, quite literally - to the democratic process."

"New technology is helping government improve services in many different ways - the move to e-voting is an evolutionary process. We recognize that many people are not fully comfortable with the concept of voting by telephone or the Internet. This pilot will test a mix of technologies and services that will make voting accessible and easy for everyone in the UK. We will be looking closely at practical applications that are supported by robust and secure systems."

Julia Glidden, UK director of election.com, said: "The UK e-voting pilots will be the first major public sector implementation of online voting. Providing 21st century voting methods for 21st century lifestyles is a natural extension of the Government's path-breaking e-Democracy agenda and represents a potentially important step in the effort to address declining voter turnout."

A number of e-voting systems will be available for the local elections in May and, if successful, could be rolled out across the UK. The DTLR has invested (pound)3.5m in the e-voting pilots as part of the funding package under the (pound)350 million Local Government On-Line (LGOL) Programme.

election.com and BT are members of an international election standards committee headed by the Office of the e-Envoy (OeE). The committee will define the standards for the secure interchange of election information in an open, multi-vendor environment, such as between a voting kiosk and a counting system.

About BT

BT is one of the world's leading providers of telecommunications services and one of the largest private sector companies in Europe. Its principal activities include local, long distance and international telecommunications services, Internet and broadband services and IT solutions. In the UK, BT serves more than 28 million exchange lines as well as providing network services to other licensed operators.

BT Group consists of:

- BT Retail - the UK's largest communications service provider and the prime
channel to market for BT's other businesses;

- BT Wholesale - the provider of network services and solutions to
communications companies, network operators and service providers;

- BT Ignite, a datacentric solutions and broadband IP business focussed on
European corporate and wholesale markets, currently holding the former assets
of the Concert global venture; and

- BTopenworld, a mass-market narrow and broadband Internet business.

Further businesses make up the BT Group, including BTexact Technologies, the internationally renowned advanced research and technology business. In the year to March 31, 2001, BT's group turnover was (pound)20,427m with profit before goodwill, amortisation, exceptional items and taxation of (pound)2,072m. For more information, visit www.btplc.com.

About election.com

election.com, the leading global managed election services provider, provides election solutions for public and private sector entities around the world. election.com develops customised and flexible election solutions using paper, telephone and the Internet. With its world-class team of election experts and customer-focused approach, election.com is uniquely positioned to help its clients leverage their elections to improve communication with key constituencies. election.com (www.election.com) has offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.