[Mt-blind] sb358

[Jim Marks]

I agree with Joy.  A mail ballot would create some accountability
problems.  Something as important as voting should be done the right
way, which means either going to the polls or voting absentee.  Mail
ballots may be more convenient, but what our state needs is more
pro-active participation, not convenience.  Our existing system
excludes no one, even those who are house-bound.  Who are the main
people behind the mail ballot?  What do they hope to achieve?

One last thing to mention is that the MAB elects its board members
through a mail ballot.  I've never like this system because it gives
the power to those who never show up to conventions or chapter
meetings.  Our mail ballot also never gives members a chance to get to
know who the candidates are.  A better system would be for votes to
occur at convention.  Candidates could speak there and be interviewed
by the members.  Then we could vote on how our leaders would be.  I
realize this would exclude those who could not attend conventions, but
this problem is less of a factor than the denial of choice to those
who do show up.  We ought to reward those who show up, not those who
do not even when the reasons for not showing are valid.  For example,
I've heard many a potential member say they do not want to join the
MAB because our election process does not empower active members and
because the mail ballot is passive.  People want to know that their
participation is valued, and the mail ballot actually values those who
do not participate over those who do.  Besides that, voting at
convention would be easier to administer, less expensive, and far more
fun than mail ballots.  We could celebrate the election process rather
than waiting on the unpredictable mail ballot turnout.

Jim Marks
blind.grizzly at gmail.com




On 1/31/07, Breslauers <bjb5757 at bresnan.net> wrote:
> I wouldn't trust something as important as my vote to the mail system.
> Besides, I'd have to have someone else fill out the ballot and there would
> go my privacy.  I would prefer to use a voting machine, either on election
> day or by voting absentee.  You can vote absentee before the deadline at
> your convenience.
>
> Joy
>
>
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-- 
Jim Marks
blind.grizzly at gmail.com