USPA Members: When You Vote for BOD - Do you use the actual ballot from Parachutist?

[NWFlyer 2]

In the USPA Board of Directors meeting today, a decision was made to declare that only the actual ballots that are sent out Parachutist magazine elections issue are legal ballots. In all past elections, photocopied ballots were legal, so long as they met all other requirements of a legal ballot.

As a USPA member, I have to say that this new requirement absolutely appalls me. Coupled with two other decisions that came out of this meeting (the delay of online voting, which is actually a wise decision given how behind USPA already is technologically, though it's sad that we ARE so far behind; and the decision by the board not to consider any term limits for board members), it's crystal clear to me that there are at least some members on this board whose only interest is protecting their position on the board.

I understand where it is coming from - it is an attempt to minimize the potential for fraud. But frankly, with abysmally low voter turnout already, this will only serve to further minimize turnout, and hurt the chances of challenger candidates who wish to distribute blank ballots to jumpers at dropzones and jumper events in an effort to drum up support and enthusiasm for the election. With electronic voting still at least one election cycle away, we've got to work with paper ballots for the next cycle. The board has accepted photocopied ballots for as long as there have been elections and photocopiers - why change now? Fear?

There's still one more board meeting prior to the elections in which this decision can change, and it will be on the agenda at that meeting. I strongly encourage every USPA member to write to your regional director and national directors on this issue and let them know how important it is to encourage voter participation and that allowing photocopied ballots is a critical part of that process.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[airtwardo 6]

I understand where it is coming from - it is an attempt to minimize the potential for fraud. But frankly, with abysmally low voter turnout already, this will only serve to further minimize turnout, and hurt the chances of challenger candidates who wish to distribute blank ballots to jumpers at dropzones and jumper events in an effort to drum up support and enthusiasm for the election. With electronic voting still at least one election cycle away, we've got to work with paper ballots for the next cycle. The board has accepted photocopied ballots for as long as there have been elections and photocopiers - why change now? Fear?

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Any ideas on how to improve voter turnout with regard to these latest considerations?

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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[NWFlyer 2]

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Any ideas on how to improve voter turnout with regard to these latest considerations?

Well, hopefully the board will think better of the decision at the summer meeting.

But if they don't, it just means getting more creative in how you encourage people to vote. It means giving them information in another format and getting them to go to their Parachutist and get the ballot (and bother to mail it themselves ... hmm... getting a buncha lazy skydivers to do things for themselves????)

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[skyjumpsteve 0]

I have been a member since 1991 and I always thought the ballot did have to be from Parachutist. Do you really think there will be additional ballots cast by people who lose their ballot and ask a friend to photocopy it for them? What percent of ballots do you think are or would be photocopies? I bet it is a tiny or miniscule amount. E-voting would be cool but they would have to spend the time and money developing a secure system.

[NWFlyer 2]

According to the discussion in both the Nominations & Elections Committee and the Full Board, a considerable number (no exact numbers were given, so I do not know if it is a majority or not) of ballots are photocopy versions. Quite a bit of voter turnout comes via grassroots efforts of candidates and dropzones who bring ballots to prospective voters (members) and request that they complete them.

The board did make a commitment to e-voting, but also recognized that they are not there yet and that they didn't want to rush it for this election cycle. Getting it right is important - I'd hate to see them rush it, get it wrong, and be doomed to paper forever because everyone would then say "e ballots don't work!"

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[jumper03 0]

what about those of us that have asked not to be sent parachutist??

Scars remind us that the past is real

[shermanator 3]

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what about those of us that have asked not to be sent parachutist??

guess you don 't get to vote.

CLICK HERE! new blog posted 9/21/08
CSA #720

[tombuch 0]

At our DZ the S&TA would sometimes photocopy the actual ballot and have copies available on the weekend so members could vote easily. That made it simple for a DZ to "stuff" the ballot box by getting the local jumpers to vote their way, but it also encouraged members to vote. I think any participation is a good thing, and support the continued use of paper ballots.

Tom Buchanan
Instructor Emeritus
Comm Pilot MSEL,G
Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

[MikeTJumps 4]

No, it wasn't a miniscule amount accoding to Larry Bagley who is in charge of the vote counting. What is even more depressing is the hint at the amount of apparent invalid ballots where a checkmark was made for a candidate and the signature ink was different. That is an indication of pre-marked ballots, a violation of the election process.

Once an election cycle is started, the rules can't be changed. With the publication of the notice of the election in this coming April's Parachutist, the system is "locked in" and it will be up to the electorate to change things for the future election.

If you think we have a bad election process, just look what we're being offered for the next President of the US. We need statesmen, not politicians.

Mike Turoff
Instructor Examiner, USPA
Co-author of Parachuting, The Skydiver's Handbook

[airtwardo 6]

What percent of ballots do you think are or would be photocopies? I bet it is a tiny or miniscule amount.

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I've been a voting member for 30+ years and have never torn anything out of my magazines, I keep them intact and catalogued.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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[NWFlyer 2]

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what about those of us that have asked not to be sent parachutist??

Ask to get back on the list, I guess.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[stratostar 5]

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Quite a bit of voter turnout comes via grassroots efforts of candidates and dropzones who bring ballots to prospective voters (members) and request that they complete them.

Yea, just like how Skydive Wayne County would have a stack of them and handed out one with every waver that was filled out by licensed jumpers when they made it out for safety day and it was a Pro-Sherry Butcher kind of day with a large turn out, if you know what I mean.

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[johndh1 0]

Another thought: isn't it the case that if two people are at the same address (roommates, married, etc.), only one Parachutist is sent there each month?

Roll Tide Roll

[DSE 3]

Since a verifiable license number is required for the vote, it shouldn't matter if the vote is submitted on a paper napkin, with Crayon as the writing instrument.
All the more reason for the online balloting needing to be a top priority.

[AggieDave 6]

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Another thought: isn't it the case that if two people are at the same address (roommates, married, etc.), only one Parachutist is sent there each month?

Nope, my wife and I both receive an issue. When asked we were told to give away our extra copy to whuffo friends or leave them in doctors offices, etc.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[pilotdave 0]

I think I've voted twice. Once by ballot (when there was a big write-in campaign), and once when our RD brought photocopied ballots to the DZ and handed them out and sent them in for us. Wouldn't have voted that year otherwise, but she made it too easy. If every RD did that every year, I bet we'd have much better voter turnout.

Making it harder is a bad idea.

Dave

[stratostar 5]

I'm NOT taking sides, only pointing out that indeed the copies of ballots was done a lot, or more then some poster would think, based on the posts I've seen. And pointing out how it helped get on BOD member their seat, without a doubt. It would be interesting to know how each vote was cast.

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[MikeTJumps 4]

Some BOD members admitted to filling in the USPA # and/or address on ballots where members forgot to do so. That is another reason to have a different process.

Mike Turoff
Instructor Examiner, USPA
Co-author of Parachuting, The Skydiver's Handbook

[Amazon 7]

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In the USPA Board of Directors meeting today, a decision was made to declare that only the actual ballots that are sent out Parachutist magazine elections issue are legal ballots. In all past elections, photocopied ballots were legal, so long as they met all other requirements of a legal ballot.

As a USPA member, I have to say that this new requirement absolutely appalls me.

Me thinks they KNOW a SHITSTORM is coing their way

[jlmiracle 7]

I usually print my ballot off the website and make copies for the dz. When people ask about voting I spend more time with them making sure their ballot is filled out correctly than i do pushing any particular candidate. I usually have a ballot highlighted in the areas (not candidates) that they MUST fill out in order for their vote to be valid (name, signature, USPA#).

Maybe they should just require a pen color other than black. I realize with color copier this might not be the best idea, but is somewhat better than relying on the post office to deliver my parachutist intact.

j

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[NWFlyer 2]

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Since a verifiable license number is required for the vote, it shouldn't matter if the vote is submitted on a paper napkin, with Crayon as the writing instrument.
All the more reason for the online balloting needing to be a top priority.

I sat in the Nominations and Elections committee meeting Sunday morning and I think that it was pretty clear that it was a priority ... but I think they also realized that they are absolutely not going to be ready; and rather than risk fucking it up royally this cycle, they'd rather wait. I give them credit for that; fucking it up royally could mean no online balloting for a long time to come ... waiting one more cycle could mean getting it right the first time and having it from now on (of course, it's inexcusable that we're this far behind the times, but given that we are where we are, I think it was the right decision).

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[lauraliscious 0]

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Any ideas on how to improve voter turnout with regard to these latest considerations?

During this discussion one of the board members (I *think* it was John DeSantis, but I could be mistaken) mentioned something about the USPA sending extra copies of "official" ballots to DZO's to hand out at their DZ's. Not photocopied ballots, but the ones that they actually put in the magazine. Maybe on special paper with a USPA seal?? Not sure if this has actually been done or not, it was kind of hard to hear in there. This sounds like a great alternative to photocopied ballots to me.

But as for the question, the only election during which I have been a USPA member, I did use the actual ballot from Parachutist.

Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

[airtwardo 6]

... but I think they also realized that they are absolutely not going to be ready.

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Yeah, wouldn't wanna rush into this whole 'computer - new technology' thing...why spend any money utilizing some fly by night fad that will never catch on!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[NWFlyer 2]

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Yeah, wouldn't wanna rush into this whole 'computer - new technology' thing...why spend any money utilizing some fly by night fad that will never catch on!

USPA is way behind and taking a while to catch up ... but they are catching up. Slowly. As someone who works in IT, I can sympathize ... a poorly implemented project can actually set you back farther than no project at all.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[ZigZagMarquis 8]

Well, this does sound kind-of pissy on the part of the USPA BOD, but consider this. In past USPA elections, I have heard it told, that they have had problems with "marked ballots." For example, Joe Skygod is running for the BOD. #1 Lets say Joe is on the ballot... so Joe and/or a bunch of his buds take a ballot, mark an "X" next to his name, make a gajillion copies, go form DZ to DZ getting folks to sign them and send them in... #2 Lets say Joe is running as a writein... same thing though, Joe and/or a bunch of his buds take a ballot, write in Joe's name, same thing, make a butt load of copies, get folks to sign and send in. It is my belief (because I was told this one by a National Director) that both such ballots would be tossed out as "marked ballots". (I was also told, that every election numerous ones like this are "tossed"... and I've always wondered why the BOD doesn't try to educate folks as to this fact). Anyway... That being true, this would take care of that issue... if one believes it to be an issue.

In theory, you're only supposed to be able to vote once because you have to sign and put your USPA membership number on the ballot you send in. so, if they're tracking that data, you'd think they'd figure out something was up if they got two or more votes from the same person... so, if they only get one vote / ballot from an individual, what does it matter if the ballot was "pre-printed", let's say, as long as their signature and USPA number is original / valid?... one could argue!


IF the USPA BOD is going to say that at the next election that only orginal ballots from the Parachutist mag are vaild, I wonder if they'll be those spiffy kind that if you photocopy them they have something like "COPY" written across them that only apperas on the photocopy... like on some college transcripts. Or maybe it will be "high tech" and have a hollogram on the orig??

Anyway, this does sound like kind of a pissy move by the BOD without any supporting information as to "why".

I'd hope one would be able to go to the USPA's website and download a fresh and valid ballot if need be, even if you had to print them off one at a time, in case someone wants to vote and doesn't get or misplaces that issue of Parachutist.