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From Paul:

I wanted to let you know about the exciting next chapter in my long career in elections: I have joined the technology-savvy company Everyone Counts, Inc. as their new Chief Operating Officer . Everyone Counts is a California-based enterprise, with offices in Australia and the U.K., that is a world leader in utilizing the Internet and new technology to serve voters. I’ll be still living in St. Louis, but doing a lot of travel (that’s not new!).

I am actually sending this from Australia, where Kerry and I have been since June 27 to meet the Everyone Counts development team. We’ve really enjoyed our visit. Today we took a train from Canberra to Sydney and saw lot of kangaroos and 5 different rainbows.

After my term on the U.S. Election Assistance Commission ended in March, I took several months to focus on my future and determine how I could best utilize my passion for the best managed elections possible, with maximum voter access and participation. I also wanted to continue to advance the cause of democracy throughout the world. In May and June I did some work for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and spent a month in Europe assessing elections in Belgium & Ireland.

In the spring I had the opportunity to focus on Internet voting in other countries and assessed first-hand how voters in the Netherlands, Estonia and Switzerland have used the Internet to cast their ballots. I witnessed a blind voter from Estonia casting his ballot privately and independently for the first time in his life.

Intrigued by the progress that had been made in this important field, in May I was offered the opportunity by the CEO of Everyone Counts, Lori Steele, to assess the company’s innovative work in England, where their eLect system had been selected to conduct a comprehensive pilot project for local elections in Swindon.

And what an election it was.

Most of you know that I have witnessed many elections in my 22 years as an election professional working in over 20 countries, including quite a few in the USA. But I had never seen anything like the Everyone Counts solution in England. Imagine giving voters the choice to cast their ballot over the telephone or by the Internet in four different languages; or the opportunity to cast their ballot at a public library, by mail, or on any one of 300 laptops located at 65 voting centers on election day; or, if they wanted, to cast a paper ballot. Then imagine that a voter can go on the Internet to verify that their own vote had been received and counted. Those are the kind of choices voters were given in Swindon. The election and the use of the eLect system was quite a success thanks to the Everyone Counts team, including their brilliant Chief Technology Officer and founder, Craig Burton. From the moment I witnessed this historic election, I was convinced that my future belonged with Everyone Counts and its accomplished team of professionals.

Everyone Counts is exactly what the name means: Every voter and every vote counts. Our mission is to provide access for voters and trust in elections. Everyone Counts has developed transparent, secure and verifiable Internet Voting software that is second to none. The software has been specifically developed to comply with both the global Internet Voting Technical Standards and the Geneva Convention standards for fair and open elections. Because they believe in complete transparency and trust, their software is open to the highest scrutiny and security audits.

The eLect software platform developed by Everyone Counts, Inc. has been providing high integrity elections over the Internet for over a decade for private and public clients, including political parties , labor unions, schools and corporations. eLect has been used for governmental elections in the United Kingdom since 2003 and by the Australian Department of Defence.

The United States has an estimated 6 million Americans, including nearly 2 million military men and women and their dependents, who live and work overseas. Study after study has shown that these voters are being disenfranchised at an alarming rate. The solution that Everyone Counts offers can provide these voters�and others�with the opportunity to have their voices heard. The increased access can certainly help improve the dismal turnouts we see in so many elections.

Just like there has been in electronic voting, I realize some will be skeptical about an Internet approach and that there will be legitimate concerns over security and transparency issues. I can tell you from experience that while there will always be critics of voting systems, the truth is always found by those who take the time to truly understand the end-to-end process of any election system. I have done that scrutiny with the eLect system and can tell you that it uses the highest standards possible to ensure complete integrity and security.

I invite you to check out our website to learn more about our services, this way you’ll know what I am getting into. You can go to this link to view my video and to hear more about the company (please do!).

Thanks.

All the best,

Paul S. DeGregorio
Chief Operating Officer
Everyone Counts, Inc.
www.everyonecounts.com
858.427.4673
866.843.4668

U.S. Offices

1804 Garnet Avenue, Ste 408
San Diego, CA 92109 USA

Paul {at} everyonecounts {dot} com

June 11, 2007

Contact: Kit Crancer (314) 882-8767

doganforstaterep@gmail.com

Shamed Dogan announced today that he will run for State Representative for Missouri’s 88th District and has opened up a fundraising committee, Citizens for Dogan. “I am running to help return the Republican Party to its small government conservative roots,” Dogan said. “My experience working for Senator Jim Talent taught me how be an effective advocate for curbing spending, protecting life at all stages, promoting economic growth, and controlling illegal immigration. I believe I am the best person to represent the values of the 88th District and I would be honored to serve as State Representative.”

Dogan was born and raised in North St. Louis County and graduated from Yale University in 2000. He has long been an advocate of conservative values and political causes. After college, he worked for Black America’s Political Action Committee, where he helped select conservative candidates to receive PAC contributions. From 2001-2002, he worked for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, conducting opposition research that helped Republicans take back the majority in the U.S. Senate. After that campaign, he was offered a position on Senator Talent’s staff, where he served for three years as a legislative assistant. He helped to write federal “Pass with Care” legislation and advised the Senator on transportation, immigration, energy and other issues.

In 2006, he served as Deputy Coalitions Director for the Missouri Republican Party, where he organized the Party’s statewide African-American, Hispanic and Small Business coalitions.

Dogan currently serves as Higher Education Coordinator for the Regional Business Council, a consortium of Presidents and CEOs of 100 of the St. Louis region’s largest mid-cap companies. He manages a mentoring program for more than 80 students at 13 regional universities. He lives in Ballwin with his wife, Sara, and is a member of the Young Republicans, the Urban League Young Professionals, and the West County Jaycees.

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Missouri’s own Paul DeGregorio sent the following:

I wanted to let you and others know that my time on the Election Assistance Commission will be coming to an end this week now that the US Senate has confirmed my successor.

It has been a real honor to serve the nation on the EAC for the past 3 years. I have worked very hard to implement the Help America Vote Act and bring real election reform to America. I am very proud of every accomplishment and pleased to have been there from the historic beginning of this great agency. Serving as the nation’s chief election official last year was a highlight of my career.

Because of the uncertainty of when my successor was to be confirmed, I have not been able to pursue new opportunities. However, that effort will now begin in earnest. One thing is for certain: I will continue to do work in the area of elections, democracy and freedom. For the past 22 years, God has given me great experiences in this important field and I want to continue to use that experience to make the world a better place.

Thank you for the continuing support and kindness you have shown me. Please keep in touch. God bless.

Paul DeGregorio
Commissioner
US Election Assistance Commission
1225 New York Ave, NW
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
1-866-747-1471 toll-free
202-566-3100
202-566-3127 (FAX)
www.eac.gov

Gregg Keller, who most recently served as campaign manager for Jim Talent, has accepted a job as National Coalitions Director for Mitt Romney.

Keller is a Clayton native and a product of Florida State University. He has been a part of the Talent operation since the former senator’s 2002 campaign versus Jean Carnahan.

Talent has yet to make public which candidate he is supporting for the Republican presidential nomination.

Romney is expected to tout his Missouri endorsements, including one from Gov. Matt Blunt, when he speaks at the statewide Lincoln Days dinner in St. Louis on Saturday, February 10.

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