[Lnc-business] E-MAIL BALLOT: Selection of LNC Secretary - Problematic voting method

[Arvin Vohra]

Just to clarify: a winning candidate needs a majority, not a plurality,
right? If so, does this voting procedure actually have that particular
issue?

-Arvin

On Wed, Jan 30, 2013 at 2:40 AM, Starchild <sfdreamer at earthlink.net> wrote:

> Jim,
>
> I'm not sure how the voting method described below was chosen (perhaps
> I've overlooked or forgotten an email that would answer that question), but
> on consideration it seems to me that it was a poor choice, because it
> favors candidates deemed more likely to have a chance of receiving a
> majority of votes cast on a given ballot.
>  As with other aspects of governance, I think the Libertarian Party
> should conduct elections the same way we want them to be handled in the
> larger polity. This means we should *not* be using voting methods which
> could discourage people from voting for candidates expected to be less
> popular, out of fear of "wasting their votes" -- a practice which costs the
> LP and other alternative parties in the United States much support.
>
> With this in mind, I urge that we reopen this ballot for secretary *
> without* the rule that a majority on any given ballot will get a
> candidate elected.
>
> Love & Liberty,
>                                   ((( starchild )))
> At-Large Representative, Libertarian National Committee
>                                (415) 625-FREE
>
>
> On Jan 27, 2013, at 3:35 PM, James Lark wrote:
>
> TO:  Libertarian National Committee
>
> FROM:    James W. Lark, III
>                 Secretary Pro Tem, Libertarian National Committee
>                 Region 5S Representative, Libertarian National Committee
>
> SUBJECT:  E-MAIL BALLOT TO SELECT THE SECRETARY OF THE LNC
>
> The vote to select the secretary of the Libertarian National Committee
> will proceed as follows:
>
> On each ballot, a member of the Committee will cast a vote for at most one
> person on the list of candidates, or cast a vote for "None of the Above."
>  The candidate who receives a majority of the votes cast on a given ballot
> is selected to serve as secretary.
>
> Should no candidate receive a majority of the votes cast on a given
> ballot, a subsequent ballot will be distributed.  Candidates who received 0
> votes on the given ballot will not be included on the subsequent ballot.
>  In addition, of those candidates on the given ballot who received at least
> 1 vote, the person with the fewest votes will not be included
> on the subsequent ballot.
>
> The voting process will continue until a ballot produces a candidate who
> receives a majority of the votes cast on that given ballot.
>
>
> Candidates (listed in alphabetical order of surname):
>
> Blakey, Robin
>
> Blau, David
>
> Cooke, Mark
>
> Johnson, Gary E.
> Lester, Bill
>
> MacElroy, Bill
>
> Mattson, Alicia
> McDermott, Jim
> McDowell, Jake
> Moulton, Chuck
> Pellegrino, Anthony
>
> Reynolds, Robert
>
> Roberts, Shadrack
>
>
> SPONSOR:  Geoff Neale (request for ballot submitted to the Secretary at
> 6:08 p.m. EST on Sunday, January 27, 2013)
>
> VOTING PERIOD OPENS:  6:35 p.m. EST, Sunday, January 27, 2013
>
> VOTING PERIOD CONCLUDES:  6:35 p.m. EST, Wednesday, February 6, 2013
>
>
> NOTE:  This e-mail ballot is the second ballot that is currently open.
>  The voting period for a previous e-mail ballot opened at 5:05 p.m. EST on
> Sunday, January 20; the voting period for this previous e-mail ballot will
> conclude at 5:05 p.m. EST on Wednesday, January 30.
>
>
>
>
> INFORMATION CONCERNING E-MAIL BALLOT PROCESS:
>
>
> From the Libertarian Party Bylaws:
>
> Article 8, Section 10:
>
> The National Committee may, without meeting together, transact business by
> electronic mail. The Secretary shall send out electronic mail ballots on
> any question submitted by the Chair or cosponsored by at least 1/5 of the
> members of the Committee. The period for voting on a question shall remain
> open for ten days, unless all members have cast votes, or have stated an
> intention to abstain, by electronic mail to the Secretary. Votes from
> alternate regional representatives will be counted, in accordance with the
> ranking procedure of the region, only if the regional representative
> fails to respond to the ballot.
>
> The number of votes required for passage of any motion shall be the same
> as that required during a meeting. The Secretary shall preserve all such
> votes until the next meeting of the National Committee, at which meeting
> the Committee shall order the disposition of such votes.
>
>
> From the LNC Policy Manual:
>
> Section 1.04 ELECTRONIC MAIL BALLOT PROCEDURES
>
> 1) Electronic Mail Ballots (endnote 31)
>
> Electronic mail ballots shall not include an accompanying argument for or
> against passage of the motion. Notification of an electronic mail ballot
> shall be made by the Secretary by electronic mail. An LNC Member may change
> his or her vote on an electronic mail ballot, provided that the change is
> received by the Secretary by the deadline for return of ballots.
>
>
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>
>
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