Internet Societal Task Force Conducts Global Online Election Using election.com; Tech Advocacy Group Elects Steering Committee Members Online.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 7, 2000

election.com, the leading global Internet election company, and the Internet Societal Task Force (ISTF), the international organization for open development and widespread Internet usage around the world, today declared the success of their all-Internet election to select new members for the Internet Societal Steering Group (ISSG).

"Using new technologies for our election management follows strongly the line of our mission. Indeed, online voting is another application of the Internet that has the potential to benefit all people, over time, throughout the world. I am pleased that the Internet Society is practicing what it promotes by using online methods for one of its own elections," said Vint Cerf, Founding Chairman and Trustee of the Internet Society.

To accommodate voters from six different continents, members were able to cast their votes over a six-day, twenty-four hour time period, beginning on November 13. ITSF members received their secret PIN numbers and passwords via email prior to the extended voting period.

Voters logged on to the secure election.com site, and after authentication, selected 24 of the 40 candidates on the ballot. The election concluded on November 19, with the selection of the new ISSG members (see www.istf.org for official election results).

"The first online ISSG election was an unquestionable success," said Christine Maxwell, the new Chairman of the ISTF and Trustee of the Internet Society. "The ISSG members enjoyed the convenience of being able to vote online for their steering committee members and election.com's management was flawless. The election process was expeditious and efficient from start to finish."

Last October, election.com conducted the Board of Directors election for the International Corporation for the Assignment of Names and Numbers (ICANN.) In this historic online vote, ICANN's At-Large Members chose five Directors for the ICANN board in one of the world's largest all-Internet votes to date.

"With the ISSG election, election.com has demonstrated again that online voting is the best tool to flawlessly manage a worldwide election," said Regis Jamin, Vice President, Europe, Middle East and Africa. "We hope the Internet Society and ISTF members will encourage their chapters and associated organizations to take advantage of the benefits of online voting."

About Internet Society

The Internet Societal Task Force (http://www.istf.org) was created in 1999 to address societal issues impacted by the Information Society. The I.S.T.F. provides sustained support for the Internet Society's Mission Statement that the Internet is for Everyone - and as such is open to all.

Founding Chairman Vint Cerf, often called the father of the Internet, has been largely instrumental in bringing this new medium into mainstream use.

About election.com

election.com Inc., the leading global election company, provides public- and private-sector election services for governments, associations, non-profit organizations, labor unions, school districts, credit unions, pension funds and corporations around the world.

Committed to broadening voter participation in the democratic process, election.com also provides online voter registration services that enable U.S. citizens, whether they live in the country or abroad, to request an absentee ballot and register to vote online.

Named one of the top 50 privately held companies by Red Herring magazine, election.com (http://www.election.com/) is headquartered in Garden City, N.Y., and has offices in Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Austin, Texas; London; Paris; Geneva; Dublin; Sydney, Australia; and Christchurch, New Zealand.