Post by Poor Richard on Oct 13, 2023 10:05:11 GMT -7
Lose or Destroy your GLA Annual Election Ballot Envelope?
Glastonbury landowners are required to re-use the large window envelope that their ballot was mailed in. Unfortunately, some landowners have lost or ripped that special envelope and thus cannot vote. The matter was discussed at the October 12, 2023, GLA Board meeting. Landowners are now being told to contact the Election Committee Chair Andrea Sedlak at sedlakgla@gmail.com to receive special instructions and a secret code. Then they may mail their ballot in a standard envelope.
Landowners are also forewarned to carefully consider who they vote for. Candidates who receive less than 20 votes will be considered to "lack broad public support" and will be automatically disqualified. The votes they earned will be tossed. They may not be applied to any other candidate either.
The GLA Board's decision to disqualify candidates who earn less than 20 votes was carefully considered, debated, and finally approved on September 14, 2023; one day before the candidate nomination form deadline. At that point, the GLA Board did not realize that there would not be a traditional flood of candidates submitting applications minutes before the 5 p.m. deadline. They were shocked when the deadline passed and just four candidates were vying for nine open seats.
The urge to ensure that only candidates with "broad-based" support are allowed on the GLA Board strikes a familiar chord in some human souls. Women were seen as unfit for political office when our country was founded and were denied the right to vote. After the slaves were freed by President Lincoln many hurdles were placed in their path to the voting booth. The quest for greater harmony amongst members of a political body sometimes involves discrimination against opposing views and minority groups. Discrimination is against the law and if any candidate actually gets disqualified for having a minority view then the courts may need to step in. Our republican democracy is a system of government where everyone is allowed to freely express their views no matter how unpopular those views may be. Candidates are never required to be part of the mainstream to qualify for office.
Landowners are also forewarned to carefully consider who they vote for. Candidates who receive less than 20 votes will be considered to "lack broad public support" and will be automatically disqualified. The votes they earned will be tossed. They may not be applied to any other candidate either.
The GLA Board's decision to disqualify candidates who earn less than 20 votes was carefully considered, debated, and finally approved on September 14, 2023; one day before the candidate nomination form deadline. At that point, the GLA Board did not realize that there would not be a traditional flood of candidates submitting applications minutes before the 5 p.m. deadline. They were shocked when the deadline passed and just four candidates were vying for nine open seats.
The urge to ensure that only candidates with "broad-based" support are allowed on the GLA Board strikes a familiar chord in some human souls. Women were seen as unfit for political office when our country was founded and were denied the right to vote. After the slaves were freed by President Lincoln many hurdles were placed in their path to the voting booth. The quest for greater harmony amongst members of a political body sometimes involves discrimination against opposing views and minority groups. Discrimination is against the law and if any candidate actually gets disqualified for having a minority view then the courts may need to step in. Our republican democracy is a system of government where everyone is allowed to freely express their views no matter how unpopular those views may be. Candidates are never required to be part of the mainstream to qualify for office.