February 24, 2006
RE: Internet usage for proxy voting.
There could be significant savings over mailing costs of Proxy votes if the internet were to be utilized. I already receive 'some' annual reports from selected Mutual funds over the internet, so I appreciate the value of internet distribution.
Care must be taken so that no stockholder is left out - the decision to utilize the internet for proxy voting MUST be left to the stockholder. Though they might have a PC, they may lack specific software or correct operating system to be compatible with the proxy materials or security. Just as we can vote our proxy by phone, a process for getting back to a mailing system (by phone) should be in place before instituting the internet process.