t's an electronic election year ... for the National Association of Payment Professionals (NAOPP), that is. The NAOPP announced that its first ever elections for seats on its Board of Directors will take place Feb. 28 - March 10, 2005 via an electronic ballot.

"The elections are sure to bring some new blood and ideas to NAOPP," said Steve Norell, NAOPP's Interim President and co-founder of the organization.

NAOPP accepted nominations for board member candidates through Jan. 17. The nomination committee will present to the membership its official slate of candidates on Jan. 27. NAOPP will post biographies and qualifications of these candidates on its Web site, (www.naopp.com) and distribute them by e-mail to all members.

Members will vote through an online survey service, and NAOPP will announce the results on March 11.

The positions that NAOPP seeks to fill are President; Vice President; Secretary; Treasurer; and several Director and Advisor positions.

NAOPP's current Board of Directors, all volunteers, were elected on an interim basis at NAOPP's kickoff meeting, held October 10, 2003 in Orlando, Fla. (see "NAOPP Kickoff Event Scored!" The Green Sheet, Nov. 10, 2003, issue 03:11:01).

Since the first meeting, NAOPP has continued to increase its membership (it now boasts more than 275 members) and benefits for merchant level salespeople (MLSs). The organization offers access to low cost legal consultation and representation, a 401(k) plan for all 1099 MLSs, and a health insurance plan available for one person or up to 100 people.

NAOPP will hold the following upcoming meetings, open to all MLSs:

• Feb. 1 at the Grand Summit Lodge in Mt. Snow, Vt. in conjunction with the upcoming Northeast Acquirers' Association (NEAA)
• In March at the ETA Annual Meeting and Expo in Las Vegas (stay tuned for exact date and time).

For more information about NAOPP, visit www.naopp.com. For more information about NAOPP elections, send an e-mail to elections@naopp.com.