[Nfbf-l] Important: Submitted for your Approval --ProposedConstitutional Amendment.
David Clarke
dbclarke99 at gmail.com
Thu May 24 12:20:41 UTC 2012
A single run-off election between only the top two vote-getters in an
election would not necessarily serve the best interests of the group.
Imagine the following hypothetical 1st ballot between 4 candidates:
A gets 11 votes
B gets 10 votes
C gets 9 votes
D gets 8 votes
27 people of the 38 voted against person A and 28 of the 38 people voted
against person B being elected. Perhaps person C is a "consensus builder"
who works well with others and has a history of bringing various groups
together. If person D is removed for the 2nd ballot, the people who voted
for person D and those voting for person B on the first ballot may throw
their support to person C, with person C then winning 18-26. If only
the top 2 candidates were allowed to move on, this possibility is
eliminated.
Just because a person is not in the top two vote-getters on the 1st ballot
does not necessarily mean they will not (or at least should not) be elected.
Dave Clarke
On Wed, May 23, 2012 at 8:36 PM, David Evans <drevans at bellsouth.net> wrote:
>
> Dear all,
>
> In the past, we always passed a bag or box down the row or a collector
> would hold the bag or box in front of the voter and they would place the
> ballot in the bag or box themselves. The collectors should never touch the
> ballit.
> If I saw someone rip the corner off someone else's ballot, I would report
> them on the spot and stop the balet collections till the matter was
> resolved and corrected.
> The person tampering with a ballot would be dismissed from the NFB for
> Conduct Unbecoming to a member.
> Even at our chapter elections, we let each member place their ballot
> directly into the bag or box so that no one else touches them till they are
> counted by at least 3 people.
> I would say that we might consider eliminating the lowest vote getters and
> go directly to a single run off election between the two top vote getters,
> to save time in any 3,4,or 5 candidate races. This would save paper cards
> too.
> Only members wearing their convention badges would be given a ballot card
> to vote with and different color cards could be used for each office, with
> no one other than the election counters knowing the color until the time of
> the ballot.
> As per policy, no member of the ACB can hold office or be a committee
> chair in the NFB at any level. They can be a rank and file member, but as
> long as they are a ACB member, they can not hold an office.
> This is like the Republican letting a Democrat make their decisions for
> them and would be a conflict of interest.
> You would never know just where their loyaltywas.
>
> David Evans, NFBF
>
>
>
> ----- 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<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<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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