[Lnc-business] E-MAIL BALLOT: Selection of LNC Secretary - Problematic voting method
Starchild
sfdreamer at earthlink.net
Wed Jan 30 17:13:05 EST 2013
Dan,
I understand there's no specific mandated procedure, and was pretty sure we hadn't formally adopted one for this vote. I was just trying to be polite by acknowledging the possibility that I overlooked something.
It's not a matter of me personally not liking the method proposed for this vote. It's about us trying to be consistent as a party in using voting methods that do not lead to people potentially voting differently than they might otherwise out of fear of "wasting their votes", because we want these methods to be adopted in government elections so that the "wasted vote myth" does not hurt Libertarians and other non-establishment candidates.
Do you understand how the currently proposed method could cause such behavior? Here's how: Let's say, hypothetically speaking, that I want to vote for a candidate whom I do not expect to get many if any other votes. If we use some sort of ranked choice or range voting method, I could do this without risk that my vote would not be counted, because votes for that candidate would be dropped or reallocated with that candidate's elimination and not prevent my vote from subsequently going to another candidate. But with the rule that a candidate getting a majority in any round is the winner, I would be incentivized to instead vote for a candidate whom I thought might have a chance of getting a majority vote, even if I that candidate was not my first pick, if I preferred him or her over some other candidate whom I thought had a chance of getting a majority.
With this in mind, I make the following motion, for which I am seeking three co-sponsors (or the chair to sponsor):
MOVED that we reopen balloting for the position of secretary without the proviso that receiving a majority of the votes cast on any given ballot will get a candidate elected, and otherwise proceed as described in the procedure previously posted by Jim Lark below, until all candidates have been eliminated save one, whereupon that individual will be our new secretary.
Love & Liberty,
((( starchild )))
At-Large Representative, Libertarian National Committee
(415) 625-FREE
On Jan 30, 2013, at 6:00 AM, Daniel Wiener wrote:
> Starchild,
>
> There is no specific election procedure because the Bylaws do not specify one or even require an election. The Bylaws merely say:
>
> "The National Committee shall appoint new officers if vacancies occur, such officers to complete the term of the office vacated."
>
> This means that the LNC can appoint a new officer by just passing a motion saying it is selecting a particular person, and this has sometimes been done in the past. At its discretion, the LNC can employ a more complicated election procedure of whatever form it wants.
>
> In this case the Chair has caused an email ballot to be sent out in which LNC members can vote for one of a list of candidates. A majority is required to select a candidate, just as a majority is required to pass any motion. If no candidate receives a majority, the Chair has said he will deem the motion as having failed, and he will send out a new email ballot with a reduced set of options.
>
> This is an informal method of Instant Runoff Voting, since LNC members can vote for whoever they most prefer, and then if they see that they're candidate has insufficient support they can switch their votes to another within the ten day voting window. That effectively allows the bottom candidates to be dropped without needing multiple formal voting rounds.
>
> If you don't like this method, there is a simple solution: Propose an email ballot which will employ a different selection method, and get three other co-sponsors for it. Then there will be a competing motion, and if the Chair's motion fails (nobody gets a majority) and yours succeeds (your method produces a majority on this or a subsequent motion), then your procedure will have prevailed.
>
> Dan Wiener
>
> On Tue, Jan 29, 2013 at 11:40 PM, 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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