[Lnc-business] Informational purposes: former draft of procedures for online balloting

[Sam Goldstein]

Arg!  Is that because electricity works slower in those state due to 
their size?

---
Sam Goldstein, At Large Member
Libertarian National Committee
317-850-0726 Cell

On 2020-05-11 15:45, Joe Bishop-Henchman wrote:
> Just to give background on point 2, we originally had 1 hour but based
> on feedback from the state chairs of California and Texas, changed it
> to 3 hours.
> 
> JBH
> 
> ------------
> Joe Bishop-Henchman
> LNC Member (At-Large)
> joe.bishop-henchman at lp.org
> www.facebook.com/groups/189510455174837
> 
> On 2020-05-11 15:37, Sam Goldstein wrote:
>> Mr. Bishop-Henchman,
>> 
>> I appreciate the tremendous amount of work that the Bylaws Committed
>> has invested in this procedure.  On first reading I only have two
>> problems or questions.
>> 
>> 1. Since nominations are not state specific and the COC will need
>> token totals for the formal debates before May 22nd, I would propose
>> an Opavote or other similar polling system that would include all
>> known POTUS and VP candidates with write-in nominations of anyone not
>> listed emailed to the Secretary.  The cut off date/time could be
>> different for the debates than for the actual nominations.
>> 
>> 2.  With the shear number of candidates for both POTUS and VP, 3 hours
>> per voting cycle seems way to much.  Assuming delegates are watching
>> the proceedings I would think they should be able to register their
>> vote in no more than 1 hour.  That would also allow anyone with
>> communications problems to contact their delegation chair to make sure
>> their vote is recorded properly.
>> 
>> Live Free,
>> 
>> ---
>> Sam Goldstein, At Large Member
>> Libertarian National Committee
>> 317-850-0726 Cell
>> 
>> On 2020-05-11 15:09, Joe Bishop-Henchman via Lnc-business wrote:
>>> Colleagues,
>>> 
>>> I've attached (and pasted below) language providing procedures for
>>> online balloting, aiming to deviate as little as possible from our
>>> existing Bylaws and Rules. It was developed by the Bylaws Committee
>>> for the "rump" convention option and subsequently refined by a group
>>> of volunteers from the Committee in anticipation of being asked to do
>>> so by the LNC, although that did not come to happen. It's technically
>>> in the form of a Bylaws amendment. The Bylaws Committee is not
>>> empowered to do anything with this language given the approach the 
>>> LNC
>>> has taken, so the mechanics of nomination and balloting are left in
>>> some fashion to the Chair, the Secretary, the Credentials Committee,
>>> the Convention Oversight Committee, the LNC itself, and the delegates
>>> themselves.
>>> 
>>> I share this in case any of those parties may find anything in here 
>>> of
>>> benefit or use.
>>> 
>>> JBH
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> PROVIDING FOR SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES OF CONDUCTING THE FIRST SITTING 
>>> OF
>>> THE 2020 REGULAR CONVENTION
>>> 
>>> 1.	Pursuant to the LNC action of May 9, 2020 bifurcating the 2020
>>> Regular Convention business between first online sitting beginning 
>>> May
>>> 22, 2020 and second sitting as specified by the LNC, these procedures
>>> address the business of the 2020 Regular Convention.
>>> 
>>> 2.	This action will be submitted for ratification by the next
>>> in-person sitting of the Regular Convention.
>>> 
>>> 3. 	All affiliate parties shall ensure that the Credentials Committee
>>> has received, if they have not already, the names, email addresses,
>>> and phone numbers of all delegates and alternates chosen to the 2020
>>> Regular Convention. The names and contact information received by the
>>> Credentials Committee from the affiliate parties shall constitute the
>>> credentials report, and all such delegates shall be presumed present
>>> for electronic balloting upon the adoption of that report by the
>>> Credentials Committee. Delegation Chairs shall be permitted to
>>> substitute alternate delegates with primary delegates between any one
>>> round of voting, which shall be deemed, once confirmed by the
>>> Credentials Committee, to automatically be added to the credentials
>>> report. A delegate is determined to be present for quorum purposes,
>>> for any particular vote by casting a vote for that office.
>>> 
>>> 4.	Nominations shall be made via email from delegates to their
>>> Delegation Chair, who shall communicate the names and total number of
>>> nominations of each candidate to the Secretary; in the alternative,
>>> software or other electronic system provided by the LNC Secretary may
>>> permit nominations to be made. Each delegate is entitled to one
>>> nomination for each office to be filled. Nominations must be made by
>>> at least thirty (30) credential delegates. Nominations shall close 
>>> one
>>> (1) hour before the start of the electronic ballot for that 
>>> particular
>>> election; provided that any candidate that was not successful for the
>>> office of President shall be deemed automatically nominated for Vice
>>> President if they communicate to the Secretary that they would accept
>>> the nomination for that office; and further provided that nominations
>>> for the office of Vice President shall not close until two (2) hours
>>> after the conclusion of the final ballot for President.
>>> 
>>> 5.	Electronic balloting shall take place via method selected and
>>> utilized by each Delegation Chair, and the Libertarian National
>>> Committee shall make available the option of utilizing suitable
>>> software, combination of software, or other electronic means, 
>>> provided
>>> that such method shall:
>>> a.	permit all credentialed delegates to vote in a matter that is
>>> sufficiently verified and secure;
>>> b.	inform delegates via e-mail or other electronic means of when
>>> ballots are sent and how long they have to vote;
>>> c.	send an electronic receipt once a ballot is cast to that delegate
>>> with their votes, and to their Delegation Chair that the particular
>>> delegate has voted; and
>>> d.	at the end of each round of balloting, send each Delegation Chair 
>>> a
>>> running total of the votes cast by their delegation for each 
>>> election.
>>> 
>>> Any such balloting system should to the extent possible be secure,
>>> preserve the anonymity of particular delegates’ votes, and create a
>>> sufficient audit trail to be available for inspection and auditing if
>>> discrepancies should arise. Each electronic ballot shall be a single
>>> question or election. For election ballots, delegates shall have 
>>> three
>>> (3) hours to vote or until all delegations have completed their
>>> tallies, whichever occurs first, and only one (1) electronic ballot
>>> shall be conducted at a time unless the system clearly annotates what
>>> the ballot being cast is being cast for, and in that event, not more
>>> than two (2) ballots shall be cast at the same time. Ballots shall 
>>> not
>>> begin prior to noon Eastern Time nor conclude after 11 P.M. Eastern
>>> Time.
>>> 
>>> 6.	In the event of a technical difficulty which impedes the casting 
>>> of
>>> any votes or the functioning of the elections system, including, but
>>> not limited to, the tabulation of votes or the auditing functions, 
>>> the
>>> Libertarian National Committee shall have the ability to declare, by 
>>> a
>>> three-fourths (3/4) vote, that a technical difficulty has arisen, and
>>> either (i) extend the period for that particular election or (ii) to
>>> declare a particular vote and election void, and then redo that
>>> election. The Libertarian National Committee shall be in continuous
>>> session during the Regular Convention.
>>> 
>>> 7.	The Chair shall, via public livestream or other suitable method,
>>> announce each ballot, the options nominated or available on that
>>> ballot, and if applicable and available, the results of any previous
>>> ballot(s). At the discretion of the Chair, nominating speeches for 
>>> any
>>> office can be livestreamed, or, in the alternative, a link to
>>> pre-recorded nominating speeches, can be provided.
>>> 
>>> 8.	Ballots for all nominations and offices shall be conducted under
>>> the usual procedures regarding successive elimination ballots. Votes
>>> shall be recorded including the numbers for each state delegation, 
>>> and
>>> these results shall be displayed in a manner that allows each
>>> delegation to review for accuracy. In the event of any discrepancy
>>> between the totals the delegation chair received and the totals
>>> posted, the Delegation Chair and Secretary shall endeavor to resolve
>>> the discrepancy, and, if they are not able to do so, the National
>>> Committee shall resolve that discrepancy.
>>> 
>>> 9.	The Chair may certify and report the results of the nomination for
>>> President to Vice President prior to the adjournment sine die of the
>>> 2020 Regular Convention, upon the conclusion of those ballots, if 
>>> such
>>> certification is needed to meet any ballot access or filing 
>>> deadlines.
>>> All voting shall be completed and all results shall be announced
>>> before adjournment sine die of the 2020 Regular Convention business
>>> session, regardless of this date and time.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> ------------
>>> Joe Bishop-Henchman
>>> LNC Member (At-Large)
>>> joe.bishop-henchman at lp.org
>>> www.facebook.com/groups/189510455174837