Forwarded as requested. Bill Sec. -- -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Run-off Election: Formal Protest Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1999 12:31:15 -0700 From: Fred Smoot <dogtrot@well.com> Reply-To: fred@dogtrot.com Organization: Dog Trot X Press To: tstowell@chattanooga.net, wnoliver@worldnet.att.net CC: BOARD-L@rootsweb.com, jpowelljr@worldnet.att.net To the Advisory Board of the USGenWeb Project <Board-L@rootsweb.com> Tim Stowell, National Coordinator, USGenWeb Project Bill Oliver, Secretary, Advisory Board, USGenWeb Project CC to Jim Powell, Chairman, Election Committee, USGenWeb Project Greetings, Please be advised that I am protesting the Aug 1999 run-off election for the position of National Coordinator based on the following: 1. No certified lists of eligible voters were ever published. 2. The election was not conducted by a neutral third party, but by an organization, Rootsweb.com, Inc., which had a vested interest in the outcome of the election, and was aware of my positions in regard to their numerous recent actions, including, but not limited to, my having questioned the role of Rootsweb.com, Inc. in relation to the USGenWeb Project, claimed ownership of compilation copyrights to List Archives, GenConnect databases, permanent rights to store Archives, etc. whereas my opponent had stated publicly that he did not believe there was any conflict at all between the Project and Rootsweb. 3. The change in software for the run-off election was not approved by the Advisory Board. 4. The software used in the 2nd election was insecure. Anyone with FTP access to the software and data could have easily hacked the results. 5. Although voting closed on 8/18/1999, the web page http://www.usgenweb.org/elections/election-central.html indicated that the polls would not close until the 23rd. 6. Requests by myself for additional data necessary to attempt to determine if results were valid based on software used, etc. were denied. I also request that a copy of this Formal Protest be posted to: Board-L@ rootsweb.com. Respectfully, Fred Smoot Candidate for National Coordinator, USGenWeb Project