FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                   March 23, 2007

BALLOTING BEGINS IN NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD ELECTIONS

            The City’s biennial neighborhood board elections began today, Friday, March 23, 2007.

            The Neighborhood Commission Office, which administers the board system, mailed 235,000 paper ballots to registered voters in neighborhood board districts and subdistricts that have contested races. Voters may opt to fill out those paper ballots and return them by mail.

            This year, for the first time, registered voters will have the option of voting online, through the Internet.  They should use the secure, 10-digit voter number that comes with the paper ballot, then vote  at www.nbvote.com.

            In addition, voters in districts or subdistricts where there are no contested seats or no candidates may also vote online. In the past, mail-only elections, ballots were not sent to registered voters in districts that had no contests.

            With this year’s advent of online voting even voters in no-contest districts may participate. All they have to do is visit the website at www.nbvote.com and request a secure voter number, then vote.

            “We encourage everyone to participate in these neighborhood board elections,” said Mayor Mufi Hannemann. “This is grassroots democracy in its purest form.”

Important dates:

March 23 – Ballots mailed to registered voters

April 5 – Last day to request a secure voter number

April 16 – Last day to vote online or mail completed paper ballots

May 1 – Announcement of election results

June 1 – Board members’ term of office begins

June 2 – Installation ceremony at City Hall

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