NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release
	Contact: Erin Hutchins General Manager InforME/Maine.gov 207-621-2600 x32 erin@informe.org

---

AUGUSTA, Maine – March 18, 2008 – With the 2008 election season upon us, candidates for the state legislature are looking to secure funding for their campaigns. The Maine Ethics Commission is pleased to announce the nation’s first online service that enables citizens to contribute online with a credit card to a candidate in their voting district who is seeking to qualify for clean election funds. This service is available through the state’s official Web site, http://www.Maine.gov, or at http:// www.maine.gov/online/ethics/cleanelection.

In Maine, candidates are able to privately fund their campaigns or may choose public funding available through the Maine Ethics Commission. In order to qualify for public funding from the state, candidates must show that they have a threshold level of community support. This is accomplished by the candidate securing a minimum number of $5 contributions made to the Maine Clean Election Fund on the candidate’s behalf.

The new online service will assist candidates in obtaining the minimum number of contributions by making the contribution process more convenient for citizens. Citizens visiting the site may view a list of eligible candidates in their voting district and make a qualifying $5 contribution on behalf of a candidate using a Visa or Master Card credit card with payment made over Maine.gov’s secure payment system. Users are also able to make a general donation to the Maine Clean Election Fund.

“We are excited to add the option of online contributions to the Clean Election program,” noted Jonathan Wayne, Director of the Maine Ethics Commission. “Fewer people carry cash or a checkbook with them; this site recognizes that fact and allows people to make a contribution using their debit or credit card.”

In addition to the convenience of online contributions, the service allows candidates to view and track their online contributions, and to print a list of contributors in order to complete the required verifications with municipal registrars.

The online service for qualifying contributions to the clean election fund launched on February 5, 2008. To date, 147 candidates applying for public funding from 120 different Maine towns have already received qualifying contributions through the online service. A total of 1,004 candidate contributions have been made online to date. This is in addition to those contributions made solely to the Clean Election Fund. Each election cycle, the Maine Ethics Commission receives approximately 400 applications for public funding. The applications are from candidates running for the offices of state senator, state representative, or governor.

About Maine.gov
Maine.gov is the official Web portal of the state of Maine (http://www.Maine.gov) and a six-time winner in the Center for Digital Government’s Best of the Web competition. Maine.gov is a service of the Information Resource of Maine (InforME), a collaborative effort between the State of Maine and Maine Information Network, LLC that helps Maine's governmental entities provide information and services electronically. Maine.gov was built and is operated, maintained and marketed by Maine Information Network, a wholly owned subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC (NASDAQ: EGOV).

About NIC
NIC manages more eGovernment services than any provider in the world. The company helps government communicate more effectively with citizens and businesses by putting essential services online. NIC provides eGovernment solutions for 2,800 state and local agencies that serve more than 69 million people in the United States. Additional information is available at www.nicusa.com.

-- 30 --