Hi Leah.
Just a note, to you and all other ALS
representatives: These votes are held by secret ballot. You
need not broadcast your intentions unless you explicitly wish
to do so.
In addition to the "VOTE ANNOUNCEMENT" emails
which go to the entire mailing list, every ALS representative
should by now have personally received two separate emails
with the subject "VOTE CREDENTIALS" -- one for the Secretariat
and one for the ALAC representative.
(Individual non-ALS members should have
received similar but slightly different ballots.)
Each of these "credentials" emails contains a
link that is private to you, that enables you to vote using a
web service called "BigPulse". Upon voting you will receive a
coded receipt that can be used in case of challenge or
irregularity.
Results are tabulated automatically by BigPulse
and relayed to ICANN staff at the close of the election
period.
ICANN staff could if they wanted extract
information on who voted which way, but that would only be
required in case of a challenge and this has not yet IIRC been
required in the history of ALAC. What is more often done is
that ICANN staff typically query BigPulse halfway through a
voting period, in order to send reminders to those who have
not yet voted.
HTH.
- Evan