[Nfbf-l] Important: Submitted for your Approval --ProposedConstitutional Amendment.
Dan Hicks
danjhicks at yahoo.com
Sun May 20 19:25:41 UTC 2012
Very good point. And I don't think National would approve any changes which did not include nominations fr the floor.
Sent from my iPhone
On May 20, 2012, at 2:42 PM, Cathy Koyanagi <cakoyanagi at samobile.net> wrote:
> Hi Kirk,
> This sounds like a good idea, except it would cause a conflict with the part of the consistution that says nominations must be allowed from the floor.
> Cathy-Alice
> Original message:
>> Dan, Let me throw this at all to ponder! What if we had a set time frame in
>> which all Florida chapters held an election locally for their state
>> candidates prior to the convention and elected a delegate to attend the
>> general assembly representing those votes in their prospective
>> chapters(perhaps the delegate could be one of their chapter board
>> members?(. This would give our less financially able, or members with ill
>> health the ability to feel like they are still able to contribute to a part
>> of our state decisions as well as bring less people, more votes to the
>> floor! I do not believe this will reduce our attendance any, as most that
>> wish to go will continue. It will just simplify our voting and the time
>> involved as well as allow all of us when we cannot attend the good feeling
>> of at least being able to contribute our vote and still be heard, albeit it
>> silently if prefered. It would be Democracy at it's best! The individual
>> chapters could even vote by secret ballot if necessary, and their chapter
>> board could tally them and submit a ssealed count for the state conventions
>> general assembly to validate! Just an idea from one ,member. Kirk
>
>
>
>> Kirk Harmon
>> DA V national blind chapter
>> Life member
>
>> BVA/FRG
>> Life member
>
>> NFB & FCB
>> member
>> " A smile can change a persons life, try it sometime!"
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Cathy Koyanagi" <cakoyanagi at samobile.net>
>> To: <kdavisnfbf at cfl.rr.com>
>> Cc: <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, May 19, 2012 11:23 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] Important: Submitted for your
>> Approval --ProposedConstitutional Amendment.
>
>
>> Easy fix is to have each person put their ballot into an envelope and
>> seal it, then they can be picked up by designated election officials.
>> Cathy-Alice
>
>> Original message:
>>> Holly,
>>> Do you mean that you observed people tearing off an additional
>>> corner or tearing off a corner when there was no corners torn off? I
>>> really
>>> do not see any way around that. I want each person to put their ballot in
>>> the container for counting so there can be no alterations.
>
>>> Kathy
>
>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>>> Behalf
>>> Of Holly
>>> Sent: Saturday, May 19, 2012 7:26 PM
>>> To: NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List
>>> Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] Important: Submitted for your Approval
>>> --ProposedConstitutional Amendment.
>
>>> Kathy,
>>> I tend to agree with you. I would also like a different way to collect the
>>> secret ballot, as well. I have seen people change the ballots as they were
>>> past down the isle. At that point, I did not feel that I could do anything
>>> about it.
>>> Holly
>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>
>>> On May 19, 2012, at 7:18 PM, "Kathy Davis" <kdavisnfbf at cfl.rr.com> wrote:
>
>>>> Hi Dan,
>>>> I totally oppose your proposed amendment to the NFBF Constitution.
>>>> You and I have always held differing opinions on the matter of secret
>>>> ballots.
>>>> The fact is that I do not want to stand up publically or even raise
>>>> my hand so members will know exactly how I vote. I may respect several
>>>> members running for office but I do not want them to be cognizant of
>>>> how I choose to vote. Hurt feelings that can be long-lasting in
>>>> nature would likely result.
>>>> Even though the majority of the voting members are blind, many have
>>>> enough vision to see how folks cast their votes and of course, we have
>>>> many sighted members who will also be part of the election process.
>>>> Don't think for a minute that a given candidate will not learn from other
>>> members what
>>>> they observed pertaining to how others cast their votes
>>>> To take my position a bit further and a little more concrete, let
>>>> me add an example. It's a really terrible situation when two of my
>>>> really good friends are running for the same office such as Second
>>>> Vice President. This situation has occurred on numerous occasions
>>>> throughout the years I have been part of the NFBF. For example, let's
>>>> say that Sherrill O'Brien is running against Gloria Hicks. I may
>>>> choose to vote for Gloria but I would feel horrible for Sherrill to
>>>> know that I voted against her because I value both candidates'
>>>> friendship. After all, we are an organization that has worked for
>>>> years and years for voters to have the right to vote in secret and in
>>> private.
>>>> Sorry my friend, but I can never support your amendment! Moreover,
>>>> elections are far too important to get caught up in making our
>>>> elections be over and done with in the quickest manner possible. If
>>>> only one voting member is uncomfortable about voting publically, that
>>>> member should have the right to call for a secret ballot. I hope
>>>> others will jump in and share their views on this matter.
>
>
>>>> Your friend and longtime colleague,
>
>>>> Kathy Davis
>
>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>>>> Behalf Of Dan Hicks
>>>> Sent: Saturday, May 19, 2012 1:47 PM
>>>> To: 'NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List'
>>>> Subject: [Nfbf-l] Important: Submitted for your Approval --
>>>> ProposedConstitutional Amendment.
>
>>>> 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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