How to Vote

Members have the option of voting for President-Elect and other members of the Board of Directors via the Internet, or by the traditional paper ballot to be mailed to you in September.

Frequently Asked Questions about e-Balloting

Was the National “hybrid” Election successful?

The 2005 National Election successfully used both mail and internet voting options. There were very few technical difficulties throughout the election process and nearly half of the ACS members voting for President-Elect, did so via the Internet. Voters found the Internet option very easy to use.

Who developed the e-balloting technology and conducts the presidential elections?

ACS used an experienced external vendor (VR Election Services) to develop the technology and conduct the election.

Does Internet discourage members who are more comfortable voting by mail?

No. The number of votes cast via the Internet in 2005 indicated a high comfort level with Internet voting. The 2006 elections will again be a “hybrid,” offering members the choice of mail or Internet voting.

How does e-balloting prevent fraudulent balloting?

Before each election, the vendor generates a unique PIN (Personal Identification Number) for each voting member. The PIN used to identify the member to the system and to resolve any issues with respect to double voting. The PIN can only be used once.

What happens if a member votes twice, once over the Internet and again through the mail?

A member’s mail ballot will have the same PIN as the e-ballot so that any duplicate vote would be detected and invalidated before votes are tallied.

Is my vote confidential? Will the vendor (or ACS) be able to see how I voted?

Before tallying the votes, the vendor breaks the association between each PIN and that member’s vote. ACS does not know for whom a member voted, only what the balloting results are.

What happens if I do not receive my ballot package in the first place?

The procedures are similar to what occurred when the election was conducted solely through paper ballots. The member contacts ACS for a new package and the vendor issues a replacement.

How will a vendor archive the balloting results without compromising anonymity?

The vendor, as the trusted authority conducting the election, will keep a record of the election. N&E, with CPC concurrence, can specify what information the vendor should retain. By agreement, the vendor is able to audit the election and recreate the results, but ACS would only be able to see the results.

Will e-balloting cause any delays in getting the election results?

The vendor tallies the election results after the election period closes, as was done under the old system. The vendor would then count the mail votes and merge them with the Internet votes (discounting double voting). The process for 2005 was actually much faster than the under the old system.

What security methods do vendors use to prevent a hacker from disrupting an election?

Our vendor uses multiple, industry-standard methods to “harden” its site. It also uses a secure facility with controlled and monitored access, and protects the network infrastructure with redundancy and scalability. The vendor also uses state-of-the-art firewall and intrusion detection software.

How would the vendor know that someone is a valid member of the ACS?

ACS provides the vendor with the list of current members eligible to vote, as was done under the previous mail-ballot-only election procedure.

What will be the long-term benefits to the Society of voting online rather than using the mail balloting procedures?

ACS is committed to providing products and services through the Internet. The ACS members are enthusiastically using these new services. Electronic balloting is the direction that our members asked us to go.

Will the Society save money through e-balloting?

The 2005 hybrid election proved to be a cost saving process for the Society; an estimated $35,000 was saved.

Will voter turnout increase through e-balloting?

There was an increase in voter turnout in 2005 compared to previous years. Many organizations, including associations and ACS divisions, have experienced an increase in member participation through e-balloting.