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Thursday, September 06, 2007

Electronic Voting in West Virginia for 2008 Presidential Primary

WVGOP Presidential Convention, Inc.

For Immediate Release, September 6, 2007

Contact: Gary Abernathy 304-344-4671 or Lynn Staton 304-229-5890

Attn: Political Editors and Reporters

WVGOP Presidential Convention Announces Important Convention Details


Charleston, WV -- The WVGOP Presidential Convention announced today the following information to inform West Virginia Republicans about the electronic voting and delegate selection process in advance of the 2008 Republican Presidential Convention.

"In June of this year, we announced the bold step that West Virginia is taking in 2008 to have a convention on February 5, 2008 to select a majority of our delegates to the Republican National Convention. This is the first time that West Virginia will hold such a convention, and it is certain to increase West Virginia's impact on the 2008 presidential race," said Bob Fish, CEO of the WVGOP Presidential Convention, Inc.

"In order to ensure that all West Virginians are aware of how they can be involved in the process, we are releasing today the information on how to register to vote electronically and how to be a delegate to the state convention," Fish continued.

Electronic Voting

On-line voting and county convention voting will be held between January 1 and January 14. The results of the county convention and on-line voting will be combined to produce the result in each county and the winners will be certified as delegates to the State Convention on February 5, 2008 in Charleston.

All registered Republicans may participate in the election of delegates to the State Convention. Voting will be on-line. Additionally, a county may decide to hold a county convention.

On-line voting is very similar to regular absentee voting by mail. The voter will contact the State Party on-line, by phone, or by mail and request a voter ID and password. The dates for registration are October 1 to November 30, 2007.

The state party may be reached at:

West Virginia Republican Party
PO Box 2711
Charleston, WV 25330
Phone: 304-768-0493
Fax: 304-768-6083

Web: www.wvgopconvention.com or www.wvgop.org

After verification, the voter's materials will be sent by mail to their home of record, and the voter can then go on-line and cast his or her ballot. On-line voting and county convention voting will be held between January 1 and January 14.

The on-line voting software is maintained on a secure server and is completely protected. The program will display the county's candidates for delegate in random order, so each voter's screen will display the same candidates but in varying order. Each candidate for delegate may designate a presidential candidate who he or she favors.

That candidate, if designated, will also be displayed on the ballot.

It will not be necessary that the voter have e-mail or internet access in their home in order to vote. Public libraries have computers that can be used for this purpose. The voter would simply access the voting site, enter his or her voter ID and password, and vote. The results of the on-line voting will be combined with the results of the county convention, if held, to determine the winners in each county. The results of the on-line voting will not be released to county officials until after the county convention results are filed. The delegates for each county will be certified January 18th.

Delegates to the State Convention

Delegates to the Convention have been apportioned to each county. About 60% come from recognized Republican groups ? County Committees, State Committee, and Republican Legislators. The remaining delegates come from county bonus delegates who will be selected by on-line voting and a county convention. While holding a county convention is not required, it is encouraged that every county hold a county convention as it maximizes the opportunity for participation in this process. Those interested in learning if a county convention is being held in their respective county should contact a Republican committee member in their county.

All delegates and delegate candidates will be required to register with the State Party and pay a registration fee of $25. The filing period to register is November 1 ? 30, 2007. Delegate candidates may have the name of the presidential candidate they support listed along with their name on the county ballot. Each delegate may appoint an alternate, although proxy voting and "double voting" will not be
allowed.

For those who wish to be a delegate to the state convention, please visit www.wvgopconvention.com and print the registration form found under the "How to be a Delegate" section. Once completed, please mail it with your registration fee to the WV Republican Party at the address listed above. He or she will then be a delegate candidate, and fellow Republicans in that respective county will select among the delegate candidates by voting. If successful in voting, that delegate candidate will be certified as a delegate to the state convention on February 5, 2008 in Charleston.

Should you have any questions about Electronic Voting or how to become a delegate please email wvgopconvention@gmail.com.

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