GAGB Committee Election Process

[LadybugKids]

The below is the content of the e-mail sent Sunday, 18 November 2012, to all GAGB Members of Record as of 1 October 2012:

Hello GAGB Member:

The GAGB Committee campaign is underway with on-line voting scheduled for Friday 23/11/12 through Thursday 29/11/12.

Candidates standing for election are:

*geocass*
Bobo Frett (Steve)
Countrymatters
daddyanddude (Dax)
Geocaching Womble
JackieC
Mollyjak (Lilian)
northking (Jeff)
sandvika
Team Microdot (Pete)
The Wombles (Dave)
Walker Clan (Andy)
Zomblou

A special “Committee Elections Q&A” board is open in the GAGB forums at https://www.gagb.org.uk/fo...splay.php?f=53. You may post your questions here for the candidates to answer and read their responses.

As with the Committee Chair election, voting will be done online using Surveymonkey.com. You will receive an e-mail from me via SurveyMonkey with a unique ballot link. Do not share this link with anyone as it may be used only once. Click on the link to open the ballot in your web browser and vote for UP to eight candidates.

For whitelisting/SPAM/junk mail filtering purposes, the e-mail will have the following appearance:

From: ladybugs@geocachealaska.org via surveymonkey.com member@surveymonkey.com
Subject: Please Vote: 2012/13 GAGB Committee Elections

Best regards and at your service,

Michael Malvick
GAGB Returning Officer

[keehotee]

Received my voting email this morning - thank you.

I see we have 13 votes. For some reason I thought we had moved away from this, and were only having as many votes as there are spaces, not candidates?

[Maple Leaf]

Received my voting email this morning - thank you.

I see we have 13 votes. For some reason I thought we had moved away from this, and were only having as many votes as there are spaces, not candidates?

So did we, but as the constitution changes haven't gone through yet we had to remain with the word 'candidates' rather than 'spaces/places'.

[Write and Mane]

Seems to have two advantages:
If you can't make up your mind, but want the satisfaction of exercising your franchise, use all 13 votes.
If you want to vote against someone, vote for everyone else. Now this option really appeals!

[LadybugKids]

Per the Constitution, Section M.7:

"In the election for the post of Chairman, each Individual Member shall have one vote. In the elections for the posts of Committee Members, each Individual Member shall have as many votes as there are candidates, but may use as many or as few of those votes as they choose."

[LadybugKids]

1. If the ballot window in your browser closes before you are done voting (click "save"), reopen the ballot by clicking the link in the e-mail you received. You may first need to close all your browser windows before trying again.

2. Can't find your ballot?
a. Check your spam and junk mail folders
b. Make certain you are checking the e-mail account that is your e-mail account of record for these forums.

3. Want to communicate via PM? Be certain your forum settings are set so you may receive PMs. I have received this error when attempting to respond to a PM: "<cacher> has chosen not to receive private messages or may not be allowed to receive private messages. Therefore you may not send your message to him/her." GAGB members may e-mail me directly at ladybugs@geocachealaska.org.

[LadybugKids]

Voting is brisk! So far, 185 votes have been cast, only sixteen hours after the ballots were sent out.

[LadybugKids]

After 24 hours, 241 members have cast their votes.

I wonder if more cachers will vote for the Committee than the Chair?

[frosty68]

Is that 241 members casting their votes, or the number of votes cast?

[LadybugKids]

Is that 241 members casting their votes, or the number of votes cast?

Fixed it!

[Team Microdot]

Fixed it!

Out of idle curiosity - does that answer the question

So what are the numbers then?

[frosty68]

Out of idle curiosity - does that answer the question

Yep, statement was changed from voted to members,

[LadybugKids]

272 GAGB members have cast their votes.

A reminder will be sent early Sunday morning your time to those GAGB members who have not yet voted.

[LadybugKids]

365 GAGB members have cast their votes.

A reminder was sent early Sunday morning your time to those GAGB members who have not yet voted.

Now to start a work week.

[LadybugKids]

With three days to go, 376 GAGB members have cast their votes.

175 more members need to vote to match the number that voted in the Chair election.

[Team Microdot]

Out of interest, what fraction of the total membership does that number represent?

[keehotee]

Out of interest, what fraction of the total membership does that number represent?

Not even 50% of the Facebook group, let alone the GAGB proper

[frosty68]

I think many of the Facebook group aren't actually members, I know my Mrs isn't.

[northking]

I think many of the Facebook group aren't actually members, I know my Mrs isn't.

I've spotted the number of people on the GAGB Facebook group that haven't joined the GAGB, is there a reason for your wife not joining Tony?

Is this where the GAGB need to focus, and try to ensure that players understand what it's all about?

There's also an issue with members not voting, is that because they don't realise that they are members, or because they have been put off by the process or the candidates. Whatever the reason there needs to be a bit of radical thinking and listening to try to address this.

[mollyjak]

On the run up to the Chair election I know I posted in the 20 odd caching groups I belong to trying to drum up voting - and as all members received emails - there was a big increase in numbers. For the Committee I didn't email as I didn't want to canvas votes as it were. Plus I thought the emails would be known about second time around.
There may be a number of reasons why some didn't vote but really unless we know which ones didn't vote - we won't know which ones to ask??? If that makes sense but may need a think about

[frosty68]

I've spotted the number of people on the GAGB Facebook group that haven't joined the GAGB, is there a reason for your wife not joining Tony?

She's asked why she should, and I struggled to answer. "so you can join in the last 2 letters of the word game" didn't seem reason enough.

[northking]

Thought it might be something like that, let's hope that the new committee come up with something a little more exciting than a word game then!

[Team Microdot]

Thought it might be something like that, let's hope that the new committee come up with something a little more exciting than a word game then!

Why put all the onus on the committee?

Why not ask the membership for their ideas?

[LadybugKids]

Out of interest, what fraction of the total membership does that number represent?

As of a few minutes ago, 385 GAGB members have voted, which is about 25%. 37% voted in the election for Chair.

[northking]

Why put all the onus on the committee?

Why not ask the membership for their ideas?

I have previously said this on a number of occasions, the committee needs to find ways to engage with all players.

The comment was made in response to a tongue in cheek post, so was in a similar vein.

[Palujia]

Without wishing to state the blindingly obvious - The national elections for the Police Commisioners, and local elections for MPs have had really low turn outs so it probably follows that a lot of people are pretty apathetic to any elections now. The Chair election has had the highest membership vote for some years and the last few years it has been difficult to get ANY committee members - yet alone an election - and in truth a lot of cachers have more important things to think about in the depressed state of the economy - So we are not doing that badly !!!

[LadybugKids]

398 GAGB Members have voted so far in the Committee Election.

A final reminder note was sent to all Members who have not yet cast their ballot.

I will be traveling on Thursday and most likely will not post the results before 0700 GMT, Friday, 30 November.

[perth pathfinders]

398 GAGB Members have voted so far in the Committee Election.

A final reminder note was sent to all Members who have not yet cast their ballot.

I will be traveling on Thursday and most likely will not post the results before 0700 GMT, Friday, 30 November.

I thought ballots were secret. Can you see votes then? hmy:

[perth pathfinders]

398 GAGB Members have voted so far in the Committee Election.

A final reminder note was sent to all Members who have not yet cast their ballot.

I will be traveling on Thursday and most likely will not post the results before 0700 GMT, Friday, 30 November.

I thought ballots were secret. Can you see votes then? hmy:

[amberel]

I thought ballots were secret. Can you see votes then? hmy:

I read it that the returning officer could see WHO had voted, not HOW they voted.

Rgds, Andy

[perth pathfinders]

I read it that the returning officer could see WHO had voted, not HOW they voted.

Rgds, Andy

Well i am hoping that is what was meant as well.

Was just a thought.

[LadybugKids]

I read it that the returning officer could see WHO had voted, not HOW they voted.

That is correct.

SurveyMonkey allows one to set up a poll/ballot to record a person's IP and/or e-mail address with the ballot or NOT. The GAGB ballot is set up NOT to link that information to a completed ballot. The list of who has and has not voted is maintained separately from the vote tallies. When a person voted is not recorded, either.

This is a significant change from past years when ballots were e-mailed to the Returning Officer and counted manually.

[Maple Leaf]

Unsticking post ... as we approach the 2013/2014 elcection period.