E-elections.com `nets' election clients
East Bay Business Times - by Nanci L. Valcke
Chris Lavin, a former Oakland Tribune editor and wife of Oakland City Councilman John Russo, has snagged the Web name domains for "Yes" and "No" on A through Z and one through 100.
"We are offering the 252 Web addresses free for the November election," Lavin said.
The Livermore group Citizens Alliance for Public Planning has taken advantage of the free offer. Voters wanting more information about CAPP's initiative can call up Yes on B to be linked to the groups Web page.
The new addresses are the base for Lavin's online electoral service company called E-elections.com. The new start-up was named Hot Site of the Week by PoliticsOnline for the week of Oct. 11.
"The Internet is an increasingly important tool for politics and E-elections.com has shown that they understand the value of this new media," said Phil Noble, president of PoliticsOnLine.
Lavin said the idea of registering the names came to her after designing a Web site for Pleasanton's Measure P campaign.
There's a market for issue campaigns that want to have the shortest, easy-to-remember Web address, Lavin said.
But, once that address is registered, it is off the market for at least two years, effectively preventing other campaigns from using it. Using E-elections.com any issue campaign throughout the country can use the Yes or No Web site. When voters go to the site they are given a list of campaigns and can then link to the campaign in their area.
Newark residents wanting to know more about the growth initiative, Measure C, can type in Yes on C.com and through E-elections be linked to the local campaign site.
Along with offering issue campaigns nationwide an opportunity to take advantage of the succinct, easy-to-remember name sites free of charge, the company offers an array of other services.
The price of a basic package is based on the total population size of the campaigns mu-nicipality or district. Subscribers to the basic package can get a secure server; volunteer recruiting form; one forwarding e-mail account; a Web site users build themselves with E-elections template and a link to anonline fund-raiser.
The price for a city with a population under 50,000 for six months is $500.
