[governance] Coordinator election in progress

[Deirdre Williams]

I agree with Avri and Tracy. My perception (personal opinion) is that the
important thing is to exercise one's right to vote, rather than to make a
specific choice, and my reading of the charter (personal opinion) is that
the requirement is for demonstration of sufficient interest in the process
to take part in it, rather than for the indication of which, among the
listed candidates, is the "voter's" choice.Anyway, I interpret "to vote" to
mean to make a formal indication of choice; that choice can be a name from
the list or "none of the above".
This is how I see it anyway.
Deirdre


On 9 January 2013 08:46, Tracy F. Hackshaw @ Google <tracyhackshaw at gmail.com
> wrote:

> In my country's electoral system, submitting what is referred to as a
> "spoilt ballot" (e.g. not ticking any of the candidates. writing in None of
> the Above, writing in your own candidate, scratching off any or all of the
> names) counts as you participating in the democratic process, even if it
> doesn't count as a "vote", per se. In other words, because it is a secret
> ballot, you have been counted as "voting", even if your vote does not
> eventually count.
>
> Some people use it as a "protest vote"
>
> I must say that I treasure that flexibility as part of the democratic
> process.
>
> From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoilt_vote#Intentional_spoiling:
>
> "Spoiled votes may be the result of a deliberate act by the voter; some
> proportion are likely to be protest votes<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protest_vote>,
> especially in systems where voting is compulsory<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_voting>
> ."
>
> "However, in countries such as the UK<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_the_United_Kingdom> where
> spoilt ballots are counted, some voters will deliberately spoil their
> ballot paper to show disapproval of the candidates available whilst still
> taking part in the electoral process. This may include signing or printing
> the voter's name on the ballot slip."
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Jan 9, 2013 at 9:03 AM, Avri Doria <avri at acm.org> wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> This is why I have been requesting a NOTA, None of the Above, option.
>>
>> That is a vote.
>>
>> As I read the charter one has to participate in the voting event.  One
>> should not be forced to pick a candidate they may not support.  We should
>> probably even have the option of writing someone in.
>>
>> Abstain, to my mind is also a vote.
>>
>> It is not really appropriate that you have substituted your opinion, or
>> that of Australia,  for a discussion and agreement among the members.
>>
>> avri
>>
>>
>>
>> On 8 Jan 2013, at 23:45, Jeremy Malcolm wrote:
>>
>> > On 09/01/13 12:37, parminder wrote:
>> >>
>> >>  i think it needs to be explicitly mentioned on the ballot and
>> otherwise on the list just before the elections that  participation in
>> voting is required (even if excercising a no preference option) to be
>> eligible to vote for charter amendments (but not for other purposes) - and
>> thus for what can in a way be called as the full membership of IGC....
>> >
>> > The charter doesn't say that exercising a no preference option is
>> sufficient.  This is where Avri and I have a disagreement.  I come from a
>> country with a compulsory preferential voting system, so being forced to
>> vote doesn't seem so obnoxious to me.  According to the former Chief
>> Justice of the High Court, even handing in a blank ballot paper is not
>> allowed in Australia (though this is debatable).  In the context of the
>> IGC, I feel it is better if everyone who wants to count themselves as a
>> "full" member of the IGC expresses a preference.  This is one reason for
>> amending the charter, to make the requirements clearer.
>> >
>> > --
>> > Dr Jeremy Malcolm
>> > Senior Policy Officer
>> > Consumers International | the global campaigning voice for consumers
>> > Office for Asia-Pacific and the Middle East
>> > Lot 5-1 Wisma WIM, 7 Jalan Abang Haji Openg, TTDI, 60000 Kuala Lumpur,
>> Malaysia
>> > Tel: +60 3 7726 1599
>> >
>> > Your rights, our mission – download CI's Strategy 2015:
>> http://consint.info/RightsMission
>> >
>> > @Consumers_Int | www.consumersinternational.org |
>> www.facebook.com/consumersinternational
>> >
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-- 
“The fundamental cure for poverty is not money but knowledge" Sir William
Arthur Lewis, Nobel Prize Economics, 1979
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