Politics

March: Gore Gets First E-Vote

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

March 7, 2000 / 7:41 AM EST / CBS

He may not have invented the Internet, but Al Gore gained a place in history on Tuesday by becoming the first-ever candidate to be on the receiving end of an Internet vote.

With the click of a mouse, Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox launched the Internet era in public elections Tuesday - with a vote for Gore in Arizona's Democratic primary.

At 12:01 a.m., Wilcox cast the first web ballot in a binding election for public office, choosing Gore as her favorite for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"We've made history," Wilcox said to cheers at Democratic party headquarters.

Getting To E

Arizona Democrats and election.com had to set up dozens of polling places, establish ballot security protocols, re-send 20,000 Mohave County identification number notices that didn't have complete addresses and fight a federal lawsuit.

The Virginia-based Voting Integrity Project's suit argued that an online election would harm the voting rights of poor and minority voters who have poor computer access.

A federal judge refused to stop the election, but the Voting Integrity Project now plans to challenge the results.

State party chairman Mark Fleisher was set to cast the first vote but tried too early and was blocked.

"This historic moment, the computer knew it had to be a woman," Wilcox said.

More than 60,000 Arizona Democrats submitted requests to vote early by mail or the Internet for the historic presidential primary. Early voting lasts through March 10.

Laurie Ann Larson of Phoenix was impressed with the speed and ease of her vote. "That was really slick," Larson said. "I hope it's around for a long time."

On primary day, March 11, other voters will have to go to one of 124 polling places where they can use either a traditional paper ballot or a computer operated by the party's consultant, election.com.

"When you're doing something for the first time you don't know what's going to happen," Fleisher said. "Yeah, it's scary, but it'll work."

What excites party officials most is the chance to increase participation. The number of requests for on-line or mail ballots more than doubled the turnout for the 1996 primary.

"This is a quicker, faster, easier way to vote than we've ever had in the United States," Fleisher said.

Results will determine the proportional split for Arizona's 31 delegates to the Democratic National Convention. A candidate must receive at least 15 percent of the vote to claim any delegates.

Other states, including California, Washington and Louisiana, have been studying on-line voting. If Arizona succeeds, more will follow, said Matt Klink, a Californa political consultant specializing in Internet campaigning.