OpenMPE launched its 2007 election season today, earlier than ever and with hopes of drawing its biggest participation since the group began its elections four years ago. Last year 111 customers, vendors and partners, as well as some HP lab engineers, voted to bring on new directors to the advocacy organization. The balloting begins Monday Feb. 12. You're got to be an OpenMPE member to vote, but membership is still free, for now.

While last year's 111 votes may not seem like much, the directors of the multi-million-dollar user group Interex were voted in on not too many more ballots. Those slim numbers ruled the results of the years leading up to the Interex demise. If size matters, the most crucial measurement might be the depth of the organization's debt, rather than the number of customers having their say.

As has been the case for the past three years (2004 through 2006), I'm acting as impartial judge for the elections, taking a second count to shadow the calculations done by OpenMPE's secretary Donna Hofmeister (nee Garverick). A new last name for the secretary is not the only fresh element to this year's vote. The board is putting out an open and somewhat early call for candidates, too.