PNB Mainpage arrow Elections

Elections

Elections Committee meetings, agendas, and reports are here.

2009-03-23 Elections Committee Minutes

ELECTIONS COMMITTEE MINUTES

23 MAR 2009, 8:30 p.m. Eastern

via teleconference


TO DO LIST

    * Per the Acting E.D.'s request, this committee is to draft
policies for recruiting candidates, rotating CARTs, enforcing compliance
by GMs and PDs.
    * Someone must bring the Motion to Rescind to the PNB
    * Bob will circulate policies re engaging the membership & the
integrity of the staff & membership list to the Acting E.D. and the rest
of the committee.
    * Yosh will draft & circulate questions for the iFC re limiting
litigation liability by shifting liability to the NES
    * Bill will share his comparisons of Maerriman's initial and
supplemental bids.
    * Yosh will send Yahoogroup invitations to Grace and Shawn

Present:  Westley Bethune (KPFT LSB), Carolyn Birden (WBAI PNB), Jim
Brown (WPFW PNB), Steve Brown (WBAI LSB), Bill Crozier (KPFT LSB),
Anthony Fest (KPFA LSB), Tracy Larkins (KPFK LSB), Bob Lederer (WBAI
LSB), Efia Nwangaza (Affliate PNB), Wendy Schroell (KPFT PNB), Bonnie
Simmons (KPFA PNB), Yosh Yamanaka (KPFK LSB).

Absent:  Warren Mar (KPFA LSB), Bonnie Simmons (KPFA PNB).

Guest:  Grace Aaron (PNB Chair and acting E.D.)

AGENDA (as amended below)

1.  Approval of agenda

2.  Process for election of chair and secretary (10 min.)

3.  Approval of meeting minutes (5 min.)

4.  Meeting schedule:  fixed days of each month? (10 min.)

5.  RFP Working Group

         A. Report on bidder interview process (5 min.)

         B. Implications of PNB motion changing relationship of NES and
vendor (30 min.)

         C. Next step with bidder review/recommendation process (Note:
discussion of

                         specific bidders will be held until executive
session) (15 min.)

         D.  NES & litigation liability (10 min.)

         E. Pros and cons of hybrid election (mail-in ballots plus
electronic voting) (25 min.)

6.  Update the 2004 manual for NES and LESes (10 min.)

7.   Working group reports

       A. Membership lists: cleanup (10 min.)

       B.  Cost-savings - proposal to extend delegate terms to 4 years
(10 min.)

       C.  Staff lists -   Implementation of motion passed but not acted
upon:  (10 min.)

Motion:  The Elections Committee strongly recommends that the PNB direct
the interim Executive Director to direct the General Managers to update
their membership lists every three months. The list updating shall be
implemented within 30 days of PNB approval. Further, the prior PNB
motion of 28 NOV 2005 is hereby amended from requiring a membership
update every month to an update every three months.

8.  Old Business

      A. Motion on arbitration of disputes on unpaid staff lists (see
text at bottom) (15 min.)

9.  New Business

        A.  Changes to MEMSYS that we want to request/recommend (Carolyn)
(5 min.)

        B.  Motion re campaign finance reform (20 min.)

10:00 PM - Adjourn to Executive Session to discuss particulars of RFP
bids

10:45 PM - Adjourn Executive Session

Officer elections postponed pending results from WPFW.  Bob Lederer
continued as chair pro tem; Yosh Yamanaka continued as secretary pro
tem.

Minutes for January 12 and March 2, 2009 were approved as re-circulated
on March 23.

Next meeting dates:  Monday, 30 MAR 09 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern (4:30 p.m.
Pacific) and Monday, 20 APR 09 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern.

Adopted rule:  The Elections Committee will meet on the 3rd Monday of
each month at 8:30 p.m. Eastern (5:30 p.m. Pacific) beginning May 18.

The Bidder Interview Process was described by Anthony.  The Election
Mgmt Svcs working group ranked the four remaining bids, then interviewed
the 3 rated the highest. bidders.

Implications of the PNB motion changing the relationship between NES and
the vendor:  One opinion is that the change creates additional problems
and as such, the earlier PNB motion should be rescinded.  To the
contrary, there is a potential conflict of interest if the NES/employee
of the vendor had to choose between his/her employer and Pacifica.
However, there is also the danger that the NES might be influenced by
the E.D.  An Election Mgmt vendor would have a vested interest in
conducting a fair election.  In the past, there has been a perception of
bias and lack of professionalism on the part of the NES/LESes.  There
have been problems with the LES failing to comply with the NES's
instructions.  We have a way of holding the vendor accountable and a
reputable company is the better choice.  Past elections have failed to
recruit candidates, thereby undermining our democratic ideals.  It is
doubtful that a vendor would stick its neck out to be politically
active.  However, it is up to Pacifica to lean on GMs, PDs and producers
and it is up the GM to mobilize our members.  It is really important
that there be a good working relationship between the NES and the LESes.
It is critical that we hire an NES with sufficient experience and great
integrity, then get a vendor that the NES can work with.  Perhaps there
should be negotiations between the NES and our selected vendor.

The Acting E.D. requests that this committee craft a consistent
network-wide policy for recruiting candidates, rotating English &
Spanish CARTs, and documenting such rotation as well as enforcement
mechanisms for compliance by GMs and PDs.

MOTION:  The Elections Committee recommends that the PNB rescind the
motion adopted on March 8, 2009 regarding the independence of the NES.
(Passed 7:4:0)

The Acting E.D. asked that Bob forward to her and the rest of the
Committee any proposed or adopted policies re engaging the broadest
possible membership in our elections, the integrity of the staff and
membership list.

Yosh's motion:  The Elections Committee shall review and rank the
three vendors and  NESes and forward its recommendation together with
comments pro and con to the PNB and the Acting E.D.  (Was not voted upon
as discussion got side-tracked by the lengthy discussion on a
replacement seating from KPFK.)

MOTION:  Shawn Casey O'Brien shall be seated on the Elections
Committee at this time.  (Failed 5:5:1)

MOTION:  The Elections Committee will provisionally seat Shawn Casey
O'Brien and allow him to provide input on the Working Group's
recommendation while final seating by the PNB is pending.  (Passed
10:0:1)

Litigation liability:  Yosh will draft and circulate several written
questions which will then forwarded in a few days to the Acting E.D. for
the interim Foundation Counsel's legal opinion.

Hybrid balloting:  Several of our stations are already harvesting e-mail
addresses from listeners.  One station has e-mail addresses for 40% of
its membership.  Not only would e-mail communication save costs (from
the $210k spent in the last election cycle exclusive of litigation
costs), it would provide ancillary benefits the stations.  Will members
accept e-mail contact for election materials and/or ballots?  All of the
responding vendors are already geared up for hybrid elections.  We can
send a postcard which asks the member to vote online or request the
mailing of their ballot and/or candidate pamphlets.  We should provide
incentives for members who vote online (e.g. by raffling of prizes,
etc.).  We should encourage GMs to begin harvesting e-mail addresses
immediately if they are not already doing so.  Optout would be fairer to
members who are not online.  Online communication provides an
opportunity to get feedback from our members.

Bill will compare & contrast the initial and amended bids from Merriman
River Group.

Yosh will send Yahoogroup invitations to Grace and Shawn.

Recessed until Monday.  Submitted 24 MAR 09 by Yosh Yamanaka, secretary
pro tem.


             ADDENDUM

Motion on arbitration of disputes on unpaid staff lists

The Elections Committee strongly recommends that the PNB adopt the
following motion to set up an arbitration method to resolve disputes
about who is qualified as an unpaid staff voter:

Whereas, according to PNB Resolution 387, approved 11/28/05 (as amended
on 12/21/08), at stations that have no Unpaid Staff organization or
Unpaid Staff Collective Bargaining Unit, "primary responsibility [over
the unpaid staff roster] rests with the General Manager" and at stations
that have an Unpaid Staff organization or Collective Bargaining Unit,
"primary responsibility for the maintenance of this roster shall be
assigned to an individual designated by the Unpaid Staff Organization or
Unpaid Staff Collective Bargaining Unit, but the General Manager may
exercise authority to insure its accuracy," and

Whereas, in neither such case is there mention of an appeals process,

Therefore, be it resolved that:

1. At stations where a Unpaid Staff Union or Unpaid Staff organization
exists, the authentication of the Unpaid Staff list shall be a joint
process between that body and Management. In cases where differences
exist, an appeals process shall be set up for arbitrating differences
about the eligibility of Unpaid Staff to vote. One member of this
arbitration panel shall be appointed by the Union or Unpaid Staff
Organization, one by Management, and a third member agreeable to both
parties shall be selected.

2. At stations where no such union or staff organization exists, in
cases where a person claiming unpaid staff status disagrees with a
decision by Management, the arbitration panel shall consist of a
representative of the Unpaid Staff person(s), a management designee, and
a third person agreeable to both parties. The Unpaid Staff
representative(s) in this instance would be chosen by a 2/3 vote of all
Unpaid Staff whose ballots are challenged, and may be one or more of
their number.


************************************************

For reference: PNB Motions Passed 11/28/05

387)

Part A - Motion as amended.  That the General Managers of each Pacifica
station shall maintain a roster, updated monthly and retained for 12
months, of the individuals who qualify as staff members under the bylaws
criteria for stations with no Unpaid Staff organization or Unpaid Staff
Collective Bargaining Unit. Authority over sections of this unpaid staff
roster may be delegated, but primary responsibility rests with the
General Manager and the IED will be asked to implement a standardized
procedure.

388)

Part B - Motion passed.  That the General Managers of each Pacifica
station with a recognized Unpaid Staff Organization or Unpaid Staff
Collective Bargaining Unit shall maintain a roster, updated monthly and
retained for 12 months, of the individuals who have been qualified as
staff members by that Organization or Unit and the basis of the
qualification in each case. Primary responsibility for the maintenance
of this roster shall be assigned to an individual designated by the
Unpaid Staff Organization or Unpaid Staff Collective Bargaining Unit,
but the General Manager may exercise authority to insure its accuracy.

2009-01-12 Elections Committee Minutes

ELECTIONS COMMITTEE MINUTES

12 JAN 2009, 8:30 p.m. Eastern

via teleconference


Present:  Carolyn Birden (WBAI PNB), Steve Brown (WBAI LSB), Bill
Crozier (KPFT LSB), Anthony Fest (KPFA LSB), Bob Lederer (WBAI LSB),
Efia Nwangaza (Affiliates PNB), Bonnie Simmons (KPFA PNB), Yosh Yamanaka
(KPFK PNB).

Absent:  Westley Bethune (KPFT LSB), Tico Chacin (KPFA LSB), Kathy Davis
(WBAI PNB), Jan Goodman (KPFK LSB), Leslie Radford (KPFK LSB), George
Reiter (KPFT PNB), Rob Robinson (WPFW PNB).

AGENDA - Mon., Jan. 12, 2009 – 8:30 p.m. Eastern

1.  Approval of agenda (5 min.)

2.  Set next meeting date (5 min.)

3.  Review and approval of prior Minutes, if available (5 min.)

4   Proposed Bylaws amendment re NES/LES (15 min.)

5.  Reports from working groups

         a) RFP for Election Management (Anthony Fest) (15 min.)

         b) Cutting election costs (Bob Lederer & Bill Crosier) (see PNB
Finance Comm.

             e-mail & resolution below, followed by tentative list of
suggestions from the

             working group (20 min.)

         c)  Cleaning up listener membership lists (Steve Brown) (5 min.)

         d)  Staff lists (Carolyn Birden) (20 min.)

6.  Proposed new election rules (Yosh Yamanaka, Jan Goodman) (20 min.)

7.  Motion re campaign finance reform (text pasted below) (20 min.)

Adjournment time:  10:30 p.m.  Eastern

(Note: PNB motion adopted 3/20/08 limits PNB & committee meetings to no
longer than 3 hours after meeting begins or midnight Eastern, whichever
comes first.)

Next meeting date:  Wednesday, 4 FEB 2009 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern

Approval of the December 1, 2008 Minutes was postponed until the
February meeting.

Pursuant to the PNB motion for us to consult with Foundation Counsel
prior to sending out the RFP for election management services, Item #1
in the RFP was modified by omitting the sentence "Pacifica will
reimburse you for reasonable hourly wages paid to the five LESs"
from Item 1 copied below:

1.      Appoint, supervise, and pay a Local Election Supervisor
("LES") at each of

five station signal areas:  Berkeley, CA, Los Angeles, CA, New York, NY,
Washington, D.C., Houston, TX.  Pacifica will reimburse you for
reasonable hourly wages paid to the five LESs.

Thereafter, the RFP as amended above was sent to five previously
identified vendors.

Our secretary will ask Otis to post the amended RFP on Pacifica's
websites, will ask the acting E.D. to instruct the five GMs to post that
RFP on their station websites, and will circulate the amended RFP to the
Elections Committee.  Anthony will post the amended RFP to websites
likely to reach additional vendors.  Upon receipt of the bids, Bob will
forward the bids to the working group.  The RFP working group together
with Bill, Bob and Art Stasney will evaluate the responses and bring
their findings back to this committee.  Yosh will ask Art to send each
bidder a 40-ballot sample STV election with transmittal letter asking
them to return their tally results within seven days.  Bob will ask the
CFO for a summary of costs for the last election costs to give us some
idea of the reasonableness of the incoming bids.

Proposals for cutting election costs were presented by Bob and Bill.
Seek out non-profit organization and other bidders for low cost or free
election management services.  Perhaps unbundling services and farming
out to volunteers will lower costs.  However, relying upon multiple
sources risks missed communication, missed deadline, finger-pointing,
etc.  Bonnie will ask California Reconciliation & Mediation (?) whether
they would be willing to perform the vote counting or other task(s).
Perhaps we should ask the vendors whether they would be willing to
utilize our volunteers.  However, the vendor's accountability may be
compromised by the use of volunteers.  We can ask each vendor their
opinion on the use of volunteers to do some of the work.

Particularly in view of the timeline for balloting being extended from 4
weeks to 6 weeks, first class mailings should be dropped in favor of
cheaper standard class mailing (3- to 5-day delivery) available to
non-profits.  Bonnie to ask the PNB Chair to include on the next agenda
the Election Committee's November 10, 2008 3-part motion on cleaning
up the stations' mailing list and amending the PNB motion which had
required first class mailings of ballots.

During bidder interviews, emphasize that the vendor must use a unionized
printing house for candidate pamphlets.  Ask the vendor for one price
using the least expensive grade of paper for election materials and a
second price using recycled content.

Discussion on electronic balloting deferred.

Don't have higher-priced personnel doing menial, clerical tasks.

Reduce litigation costs by insuring that replacement ballots are
received timely.

We should consolidate the policies, problems, procedures, and
recommendations set forth in the election summaries prepared by prior
NESs.  Ask that the NES prepare written policies that the NES and LESs
are to follow.  Bill volunteered to contact local stations create a list
of problems encountered by earlier NESs and LESs.

For future consideration:  possible Bylaws amendment to increase
Delegate terms from 3 years to 4 years and hold elections every other
year rather than twice every 3 years.

Adjourned at 10:58 p.m. Eastern.  Submitted 23 MAR 09 by Yosh Yamanaka,
secretary pro tem

2009-05-27 Elections Committee Report

PNB Elections Committee Report

May 27, 2009


Our Interim Executive Director selected a National Elections
Supervisor for this year's Pacifica elections, Les Radke.  He was NES
for the 2006 Pacifica elections.

Bill Crosier of KPFT was elected chair of the Elections Committee,
and Yosh Yamanaka was elected secretary.  The committee had delayed
the election until it could determine if WPFW would choose its
members for this committee.

The committee agreed to have a work group conference call with the
new NES to discuss a list of concerns committee members developed
regarding previous elections, and then for the whole committee to
meet again with him to discuss how the committee can work with him to
facilitate the election process.

The committee also agreed to impress upon the NES the importance of
cleaning up both the listener member lists, and the staff lists.

The detailed list of concerns is in the appendix below.

A summary of the NES's responses during the May 21 conference call
follows, referencing the list of concerns:

General updates from the NES on May 21:
* He is in the process of reviewing information on possible LES's and
(as of May 21) has hired two (for KPFT and WPFW).  He has lots of
prospects for KPFA and WBAI, but not for KPFK.
* He is preparing material to be sent to the LES's, and would
appreciate help from the committee in developing guidelines for them
that would help them avoid future problems and challenges.
* He told the work group that he did not intend to contract out any
of the election work to companies who had responded to our earlier
Request for Proposals and whom the committee had interviewed and
evaluated, and did not need information on them.
* He was invited and intends to join the conference call for the next
Elections Committee meeting (May 31).

Responses to the list of concerns (below):

1.  Replacement Ballots:
The NES understood this was a problem.  He wants a single point
person for each station.  The work group emphasized the need for a
feedback system and a way of tracking replacement ballot requests,
and also the need to do an NCOA scan and use return service requested
on mailings to members, to be followed up with phone calls as needed
to get correct addresses and for them to be entered into the
stations' data bases.

1a. Election cost -- While discussing the above item, committee
members reminded the NES that getting the lists cleaned will reduce
effort, confusion, and challenges later and minimize the number of
replacement ballot requests and possible lawsuits.  In addition,
including along with the ballot, a member survey and a well-written
letter requesting donations, may increase participation in the
election and donations to help offset the cost.  Doing the NCOA scan
and correcting addresses before mailing the election packet will also
allow the use of bulk rate mailing to reduce postage costs.

2. Voter outreach via e-mail, slate mailings and other mailings:
The NES wanted minimal constraints on such mailings, and felt this
was primarily a free speech issue, but that more discussion may be
needed re: using personal e-mail lists.  He agreed that station
resources, including e-mail lists or other member contact
information, should not be provided to any candidates unless all had
equal access.  He also agreed it was virtually impossible to control
use of personal e-mail lists, even if we wanted to, and he does not
believe we should.  He was not sure about providing incentives for
replying to mailings and said he'd need to get a legal opinion about
that.  In response to a question re: delays of mailers by mailing
houses, the NES said he'd like for that to be the mailing house's
responsibility.  Committee members discussed possible ways we might
help all candidates get equal publicity online but nothing was
decided about that.

3.  Staff lists:
After hearing concerns of the committee on the need to get good staff
lists, the NES agreed that GM's also need to know who's on their
staff, and he wants (presumably the LES's) to work with station
managers to get good staff lists so all of them who should get a
ballot will get a ballot.  Several suggestions were proposed to the
NES.

4.  Faxing of candidate petition forms and other filing material:
The NES said this was OK but that candidates would also need to
deliver the signed hard copies later.  Committee members asked that
faxing of the forms be equally publicized to all candidates.

5. Deadline time for filing:
The NES said this should be fixed, probably 5 PM local time, and
publicized in advance (not just the date), and that the LES's should
not be able to change this.

6.  Timely response to Fair Campaign complaints/challenges:
The NES said he could use help with this. and wants to develop
guidelines (as the committee requested) in advance to challenges that
have come up before.  He said he'd like help from the Elections
Committee in developing a list of problems that have come up and how
they were resolved, and said he would send a list of prior challenges
so that the EC can help develop guidelines for how to handle them.
He agreed that this will help to reduce the number of complaints and
this will in turn make it easier to respond promptly to them.   He
added that complaints tend to come in surges, though, such as right
after campaign events, and it's not easy to respond immediately then.

7.  Fair playing of candidate carts:
Committee members impressed upon the NES that this has been a
continuing problem at all stations.  He agreed to check with PD's at
stations to see what worked best, and to help the LES's come up with
solutions that will work.  Station management also needs
encouragement to make sure the candidate cart playing system works
fairly for all candidates.

8.  Shut off time for returning ballots:
NES:  Same as #5 above

9.  Write-in candidates as 1st preference by default, how to handle
eligibility:
The NES said he felt write-in candidates should always be ranked #1
automatically, or else they would not have a chance to be elected.
He agreed the ballot needed to provide for more than one write-in
candidate, and will look at the eligibility issue (how to quickly
determine if a write-in candidate is a member, so that vote
tabulation would not have to be re-done.

10.  Hybrid (snail mail plus Internet) voting
The NES did not want to use any Internet voting, except perhaps for a
staff election on a trial basis.  If Internet voting is used, open
source software should be utilized.

11.  Other fair campaign issues  needing clarification:
NES: Yes, candidates can provide a link to a web site of their own in
their written candidate statements or audio statements (cart).
NES: Candidates will have a hard deadline for recording their
candidate statements and may not re-record their carts after that
date.

12.  Possible changes to new election policy:
NES:  The policy is done and adopted by the PNB.  Regarding changes
to the requirement for all programmers to produce and broadcast their
own tutorials, he said he believed the intention was to give
programmers more control and choice and that they could choose to
either produce their own tutorial or use one produced by others.

- - - - -

Appendix (sent to NES and Elections Committee before May 21 work
group conference call, and was the main topic for that call)

Concerns re previous elections for NES to address:

1.  Replacement ballots
*Every Pacifica election has had problems with this, repeatedly.
*Members have been promised replacement ballots but not received
them, lawsuits have been filed over this, and members have said
they'll never donate to their station again due to frustration
getting ballots -- lots of frustration and accusations about this.
*Some, but not all, of the problems relate to having good staff and
listener member lists, with correct addresses.
*Members need an easy way to determine in advance if they are on the
lists correctly, and an easy and reliable way to request replacement
ballots and get accurate status on whether they'll be sent one and
when.
*Part of the problem seems to be lack of accountability and
traceability so that the LES's and NES know who's really been sent
replacement ballots, what addresses they were sent to, etc.
Using one of the election vendors with whom we evaluated may help
with part of this, but getting accurate/complete/non-duplicated lists
is also very important.

2.  Voter outreach via e-mail, slate mailings and other mailings -
lots of questions
(Need to check California law that applies to this, too)
*What constraints can and should be put on slate and individual
candidate mass mailings, by e-mail and by snail mail (using
candidates' own lists, or a station's member lists)?
*Can such mailings provide incentives for recipients to reply, and if
so, what limitations, if any, might there be?
*What kind of information/endorsements can programmers send out
individually to people they know or to snail mail or e-mail lists
that they have personally or have acquired through non-Pacifica
organizations?
*What should be done if non-candidates send out mailings that contain
attacks or inaccurate information about one or more candidates?
*Under what conditions, if any, should Pacifica/the NES send out or
distribute mailings or announcements to counter inaccuracies in slate
mailings or individual candidate mailings?

3.  Staff eligibility lists & prior PNB motion
*At all Pacifica stations, it's been difficult to get good staff
lists, for unpaid staff members.
*The PNB passed a motion months ago asking all GM's to ensure that
lists (staff and listener members) are checked every 3 months but the
checking may be inadequate or not happening at all.
*We need a better way of getting staff lists in advance, verifying
them, and handling challenges (both for people who should be listed
who are not, and the reverse).  This needs to be a priority for
station managers, and a better system of working with unpaid staff
organizations on lists is also needed.
*Note that accurate and complete staff lists are needed not just for
elections -- they're also needed so that management can effectively
communicate updates and changes to station policies, emergency
information, training, and news regarding programmers and their shows.

4.  Faxing in of signatures on nomination petitions:
At at least one station, LSB candidates were allowed to fax in
petition signature forms and other forms to the station's fax machine
(sometimes with just one signature per fax), but this was not
communicated to all candidates.  Should this be allowed at all, and
if so, how should it be handled so it's fair to all candidates?

5.  Extension of the filing deadline
Under what conditions, if any, can an LES extend the filing deadline
for candidates (by a few hours, or a few days), to allow slow
candidates to file, and/or to increase the number of candidates if
the total number seems low.  It would help to have a written policy
or guidelines on this for the LES's to use.

6.  Timeliness of NES/LES response to fair campaign complaints
*How can we ensure that complaints are responded to promptly?
*Do the LES's and NES need help when the number of complaints is large?
*Note that if we can fix some of the other problems, so there are
fewer perceptions of unfairness, the number of complaints is likely
to decrease.

7.  Fair playing of CARTs (per checkoff lists, etc.)
*This has been a big problem at all stations and has caused many
complaints, although it may have been better in the last election, at
least at some stations where the LES was able to work out better
arrangements with the PD.
*There have been cases where one candidate's cart was not played for
an entire week, one candidate has her/his cart played several times
in a row, others skipped, etc.
*Playing of candidate carts needs to be logged, and verification
should be done to ensure the logs are accurate (not just time and
date, but which cart was played).
*Previous LES's, and GM's and PD's could be polled to see what works
and what doesn't, plus the EC members can provide suggestions based
on their experience.
*Programmers who don't follow the prescribed cart playing schedule
(which seems to be a common problem) may need greater incentives to
do this fairly, or the playing should be confined to times when this
can be controlled better (while still ensuring that carts are played
during a variety of programs).

8.  Shut off time for returning ballots
The deadline for returning ballots needs to be clarified (5 PM, or 6
PM, or midnight on the last day?)

9.  Write-in candidates as 1st preference by default, how to handle eligibility
The ballot, and instructions, need to provide for more than one
write-in candidate, and to allow voters to rank them other than #1.
Another issue related to write-ins is whether we can determine if
they are eligible before the votes are counted, so that the vote
transferring will work properly.  (In the last election, one write-in
was elected but was later found to be ineligible, thus making the
vote count incorrect.)

10.  Pros & cons of hybrid (snail mail plus Internet) voting
*Every election vendor who we interviewed told us they are already
doing combined/hybrid elections, and told us how they would verify
ballots, prevent people from voting twice, etc.
*Voting by e-mail has security problems, and some people feel voting
via a web site might also be insecure, although the election vendors
claim voting via a secure web site connection is OK.
*Allowing voting via the Internet can help voters who lose their
ballot and candidate info, as many seem to do because they wait until
they learn more about the candidates before voting.
*Providing a web site for replacement ballot requests, in addition to
a toll-free phone number, can facilitate getting replacement ballots
(either mail-in paper ballots or online voting passwords, etc.) and
increase the number who vote.  (All the election vendors said they
can do this.)
*Sending all members a complete election packet, with a pamphlet with
all candidate information as well as a ballot and ballot
instructions, is likely to result in more members voting, than if we
do not send candidate info except when requested and instead
encourage them to vote via the web.
*Sending everyone complete candidate info will maximize printing and
postage costs.
*Verifying addresses in advance (something we need to do anyway) will
allow use of bulk rate mailing to reduce costs.
*Enclosing a well-written fund raising letter along with the election
packet can generate extra donations to help defray the cost of the
election.
*Putting complete candidate information on the web can be done
regardless of whether everyone is mailed a complete election packet,
and can include links to audio statements from candidates, audio
candidate forums, and updates/corrections to what may have been
mailed.

11. Other fair campaign issues -- need to be clarified in info given
to candidates
*Can candidates provide a link to a web site of their own in their
written candidate statements or audio statements (cart)?
*Under what conditions may candidates re-record their carts and how
they can be changed?

12.  New election policy
* Should certain provisions be changed, such as the requirements for
tutorials produced by each programmer, and the disciplinary measures
and bonuses for station management?
--
Bill Crosier
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it       713-641-4941
Support KPFT - Radio for Peace - 90.1 FM Houston   http://kpft.org
Progressive Action Alliance     http://progressiveactionalliance.org