The actual votes were:

The above votes included 33 postal votes, and 38 proxies that were eligible to receive ballot papers. There was a total of three informal votes cast. Three postal votes and four proxies were rejected, mainly due to lapsed membership.

The number of members voting at the 1993 AGM was less than half that of the last election. The number of people attending this meeting was far lower than in the previous months despite presentations from very well known companies who gave away hundreds of prizes worth over $20,000. This drop in attendance seems to indicate a lack of interest in the club's affairs, which may lead to the club's decline. We are one of the best computer clubs in the world - your participation will ensure our continued success and growth, ultimately benefiting you.

Being a computer club, computers were used this year to significantly assist in the election. The bar codes on the members' cards allowed two PCs with bar code scanners to easily and quickly process each member to determine if he/she is financial. This also automatically verified that they had not sent in a postal vote or proxy, as these had been keyed into the database beforehand.

Another benefit of the bar code scanners was that the total number of voting slips issued was immediately known after voting had closed. This allowed verification against the actual votes counted. The numbers matched exactly, giving the scrutineers and counters a warm feeling, and the Returning Officer an enormous sense of relief.

Finally I would like to thank all the volunteers who gave up their time to bring in and set up the computers, man the tables, issue, collect and count votes. Without their help the election could not have been possible.

Reprinted from the November 1993 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

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