Voting Matters, and It’s Not Just Me Who Thinks So! [Archived]

By Wendy Leedy

Voting in the annual ARIN Elections is one of the biggest benefits of being an ARIN member, but surprisingly less than ten percent of eligible ARIN Members participate. Every October, we rely on all eligible designated Voting Contacts to elect representatives to the ARIN Board of Trustees, the ARIN Advisory Council, and (every two out of three years) the Number Resource Organization Number Council (NRO NC). This year 4,364 Voting Contacts are eligible to vote on behalf of 4,730 ARIN Member organizations.

There are countless reasons why you should care about voting in our elections, including:

• Voting is simple, you can cast your ballot online in the comfort of your office or home using your mobile device

• Your ballot helps to directly shape the future of ARIN, your community, and the Internet

• The policy that is developed and implemented impacts organizations of every size

• A representative has been elected by as few as one or two votes; and so many more reasons!

I’m guessing you don’t want to hear all this from me, so, I’ve asked your colleagues, members of your community, and Voting Contacts from ARIN Member organizations why you should vote, and this is what they had to say:

“ARIN’s work is important. To achieve the best results, it is critical that a wide range of interests be represented. Everyone understands that voting is critical when you need something changed, but it is also important when you feel things are working well. The ‘silent majority’ voting in each election promotes stability.” - Richard Laager, Wikstrom Telephone Company, Inc.

“I believe that the Internet, in order to remain a usable entity for all, must have community involvement that provides diverse influences from every corner use case. Every responsible Internet address number holder should have designated representatives that get involved in and participate in the Internet governance process to present their institution’s views and ideas and to become an informed Internet citizen that can communicate Internet governance policies and issues back to their home organization.”-  Brian Jones, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

“Voting in ARIN elections is an important and direct way to participate in Internet governance.  ARIN isn’t a vendor for us- it’s a member-based organization and the elections are critical to shaping that community.” - Andrew Gallo, The George Washington University

“Voters should make every effort to do their homework instead of listening to advertising before casting a ballot. These hold true in ARIN’s annual elections. Research candidates and take time to understand who and what you are voting for. If you’re just throwing a switch, you’re doing an injustice to the process and potentially putting people and plans in place that can have dire negative consequences for the organization as a whole.” - Barry Sherwood, GBIS Holdings Inc.

By choosing to participate in elections as a designated Voting Contact you exercise a right, a right to elect a representative you believe will provide a better future for your organization, ARIN, the community, and the Internet as a whole. You also give the organization you represent an equal voice, being an equal participant in shaping the future of ARIN, the community, and the Internet. Set an example, be a change agent, help drive the future with your vote, because if you don’t someone else will and you may not share the same views.

Before you vote, please take time to think about the issues that are key to you, your organization, and your community. Then take some more time to read the responses to the candidate questionnaires and Statements of Support to determine the representative(s) you believe will best represent the issues and concerns that mean most to you.

Voting is now open through 12 October. You can visit our election headquarters to learn more. Now, please go out and VOTE! It’s your voice, your vote, make it count!