PRESS RELEASES from Americans Elect

Contact:
Ileana Wachtel
National Press Secretary
For Immediate Release

Americans Elect Opens Candidate Page for Business: Revolutionizing The Way We Pick Our President
Candidates can announce plans to run & every American can now support candidates of their choice

WASHINGTON, D.C., FEBRUARY 2, 2012 - Americans Elect today unveils the website capability for candidates to announce their intention to seek the presidential nomination and for any registered voter to begin a draft movement for a candidate they choose at AmericansElect.org. Just as the two-party selection process for presidential nominees comes to a close, Americans Elect is opening for business with the first-ever national online primary to pick a president.

Americans Elect is putting America's choice for president on the ballot nationwide, and the Americans Elect presidential nominee will be required to pick a running mate from a different political party, setting the stage for a presidential ticket willing to reach across the aisle to solve the nation's problems rather than advancing the partisan divide that cripples decision-making in Washington. 

The candidate page enables Americans Elect delegates – now numbering more than 360,000 – to bypass the two-party primary process, identify and draft candidates who share their concerns, and have their voices heard regardless of where they live. Any registered voter can become a delegate by signing up at AmericansElect.org.

“We’ve seen time and again that the current two-party process rewards the most extreme and negative voices in our nation while the majority of Americans are not being heard,” said Elliot Ackerman, COO of Americans Elect. “As we begin the candidate nomination phase, Americans Elect is giving a voice to all those who want a say in who our leaders should be and how we select them.”

In the 72 hours since the candidate page was launched in beta, 52 candidates spanning the political spectrum have been drafted by Americans Elect delegates. So far Chuck Hagel, Michael Bloomberg, Jon Huntsman, Buddy Roemer, Ron Paul, Gary Johnson, Warren Buffett, Rahm Emanuel and Condoleezza Rice, among others, have all been drafted. Individuals who automatically qualify for the Americans Elect nomination must have a similar level of experience as past presidents or current public figures and win support from 1,000 delegates in each of 10 different states. Those who contingently qualify must draw support from 5,000 delegates in each of 10 different states.

In the spring, Americans Elect delegates will begin three rounds of online voting that will winnow the field to six candidates, one of whom will become the nominee in June and appear on the general election ballot in November nationwide.

“This is a moment in time when the country needs more options not fewer. Americans Elect will draw people back to the electoral process – via the Internet – and not push them away or limit their impact or involvement,” said Joshua Levine, CTO of Americans Elect. “With 50-state ballot access and a restless electorate, Americans Elect is the serious third choice on the ballot this November, opening up the process up and creating a renewal in our democratic system that allows greater participation."
 
For more information about or to view the candidate page go to AmericansElect.org/candidates.
 
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Contact: Padmananda Rama
Deputy Press Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AMERICANS ELECT LAUNCHES NATIONWIDE GRASSROOTS NETWORK:“PROJECT 500”

More than 2,000 volunteer “Delegate Leaders” to participate in state senate districts and college campuses nationwide

WASHINGTON, D.C. Sep 19, 2011- Striving to combine the best-in-class grassroots organizing, with the most current technology innovation, Americans Elect is launching PROJECT 500.  This nationwide endeavor will utilize over 2,051 committed volunteers, at least one from every state Senate district, to recruit more than one million delegates as participants in transforming the current presidential nominating process. Americans Elect is a nonpartisan nonprofit presidential nominating process founded by citizens from across the political spectrum.
 
The mission of Project 500 is to encourage each of the 2,051 volunteers to enroll 500 delegates.  The pool of delegates will come from registered voters from all ideological backgrounds.  Delegates will have the opportunity to participate in discussion forums, shape the political debate, and build the platform of questions each candidate will be required to answer as part of the eventual nominating process. The Americans Elect ticket will be on the 2012 presidential ballot in all 50 states.
 
“To meet this goal, Project 500 leaders will work in their communities to host meet-ups and gatherings,” says Elliot Ackerman, Americans Elect’s Chief Operating Officer. “As part of their leadership role, they will address political and civic groups, engage college students, submit letters to editors as well as rally friends, family and neighbors to sign up and become delegates at www.americanselect.org.”
 
Americans Elect offers a second nominating process that gives the American people a choice beyond the two-party system. Through www.americanselect.org, any registered voter who signs up to be a delegate has the power to vote in the first-ever open and secure online nominating convention in June of 2012 that will choose a bipartisan Presidential ticket.
 
“Our Project 500 Leaders have joined this mission for a variety of reasons that include giving the American people a voice in the nomination process and putting party functions back in the hands of the people. We thank them for their patriotism and commitment.” said Kellen Arno, executive director of ballot access and national field engagement.
 
Project 500 is designed to accommodate individual communities and gives flexibility to leaders to shape their own program. Americans Elect will provide Project 500 leaders with tools, suggestions and support to facilitate their outreach.
 
On campuses across America, Project 500 has also developed dedicated programs to provide students with the freedom to become leaders within Americans Elect and have a direct impact on the outcome of the nominating process.

Americans Elect is the first online Presidential nominating process that is independent of the major parties. Every registered voter can be a delegate. For more information go to www.americanselect.org.
 
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