[Nfbf-l] Important: Submitted for your Approval --ProposedConstitutional Amendment.

Thu May 24 13:36:54 UTC 2012

 ----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Evans" <
drevans at bellsouth.net>
To: "NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2012 5:59 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] Important: Submitted for your 
Approval --ProposedConstitutional Amendment.


>
> Dear Joe,
>
> The request for a secret ballot is not dependent on the majority wanting 
> it,
> but the single member who request it.
> We can not just over ride the Constitution without making a change to the
> constitution.
> It then has to be reviewed by the state board and then approved by the
> National Board as well
> It can then be instituted at the next state convention and not the one in
> which it was voted on.
>
> Maybe the state needs to hold a Constitutional Convention just to discuss
> this issue and to pass some changes that can be brought to the National 
> and
> then back to the state convention to be voted on.
> It will take some time, but we must follow the process.  There are no 
> short
> cuts.
>
> David Evans, NFBF
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Joe Minichiello" <jbmini at comcast.net>
> To: "'NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List'" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, May 20, 2012 12:00 PM
> Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] Important: Submitted for your Approval --Proposed
> Constitutional Amendment.
>
>
>>I agree with the proposed change. I think if that a majority should call
>>for
>> a secret vote we should have the vote. I think we can determine who 
>> people
>> are voting for through a voice vote when we have multiple people running.
>> I
>> agree that we should determine our leaders individually, but we can save
>> time. We can still use a secret ballot if necessary. Joe Minichiello
>>
>> -----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 -- Proposed
>> Constitutional 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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>>
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>
>
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