[Nfbf-l] Important: Submitted for your Approval -- Proposed Constitutiona...

[REPCODDS at aol.com]

I don't have any objections about a majority of the members present voting  
on having a secret ballot.
Dwight
 
 
In a message dated 5/19/2012 1:48:50 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
danjhicks at yahoo.com writes:

Fellow  NFBF Members, 



As Rod Serling used to say in the beginning  minutes of "The Twilight Zone,"
'Submitted for your  approval."



Some of you may recall that at our 2011 NFBF  Convention, we approved an
amendment to the constitution which changed and  simplified the way chapters
designate their  representatives.



During this convention, I mentioned another  amendment that I wish to see
passed, and will be voted on at this year's  convention. 





ARTICLE IV:   ELECTIONS



Now reads:



ARTICLE IV:   ELECTIONS



Elections shall be conducted by a majority vote of  the active members
present and voting at an annually held business  meeting.  Election shall be
by voice vote, standing vote, show of  hands, roll call vote, or secret
ballot.  Secret marked ballots shall  be required upon the request of any
active member present and voting.   There shall be no proxy voting.  If no
nominee receives a majority  vote on the first ballot, the name of the 
person
receiving the fewest votes  shall be dropped from the list of nominees, and 
a
second ballot shall be  taken.  This procedure shall continue until one of
the nominees has  received a majority vote from the active members present
and voting.  





Proposed Change:



ARTICLE IV:   ELECTIONS



Elections shall be conducted by a majority vote of  the active members
present and voting at an annually held business  meeting.  Election shall be
by voice vote, standing vote, show of  hands, roll call vote, or secret
ballot.  Secret marked ballots shall  be required upon the request of a
majority of the active member present and  voting.  There shall be no proxy
voting.  If no nominee receives  a majority vote on the first ballot, the
name of the person receiving the  fewest votes shall be dropped from the 
list
of nominees, and a second  ballot shall be taken.  This procedure shall
continue until one of the  nominees has received a majority vote from the
active members present and  voting. 



I am putting this out now so that we can talk about it  and debate its 
merits
via NFBF-L before the start of convention.  



Let me just say that we spend something like 45 minutes each  convention
passing out, collecting, and counting secret ballots at our  conventions.
This year, the number of offices up for vote could make this  time grow to 
an
hour or more. We usually have about 120 people voting the  final day of
convention. That's 120 collective hours - the equivalent of  five 
twenty-four
hour days - of valuable convention time that we waste on a  procedure which 
a
majority of us may not want. 



Please note  that my proposed amendment does not eliminate secret balloting;
it just  changes our constitution to call for a secret ballot only if the
majority  of the members present and voting wish to have it. 



Please take  a look at this and give it your consideration. Feel free to
share your  thoughts. 



Dan Hicks, President

NFB of  Florida





"It's a shallow life that doesn't give a person  a few scars."


-Garrison  Keillor





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