Post by leokeeler on Nov 2, 2016 16:51:48 GMT -7
The GLA voting process has changed a lot from the early days when everything voted on had to be pre-approved by the developers and all votes cast had to be signed. Most GLA landowners do not attend the GLA elections or voting meetings for numerous good, personal reasons. I have heard from several that they will not vote by mail because of fear of reprisals by neighbors or others. They feared that the previous absentee, mail in ballot process enabled someone to see how they voted and tell others
I volunteered during the last voting process on August 27th for changing the interest rate for late assessments and the North Glastonbury Ombudsman. I hope this information shows secrecy is now the goal for both personal and absentee voting. I felt 99% of the absentee votes (mailed in or hand delivered by a neighbor) were totally private.
Here is why I feel that way:
1. Ballot materials and questions are handed by a team of two people. All teams are two volunteers with one an “action volunteer” and the other a “watching/checking volunteer”. The team members alternate between duties to add “chance” into who will handle any one envelope or ballot.
2. Mailed in ballots are not taken out of the original mailing envelope until the morning of the vote, limiting last minute contacts with voters.
3. Ballots are folded by the voter when returned to GLA and not unfolded until after they are separated from any means of identifying the voter.
a. A team opens ballot envelops and put the “UNFOLDED” ballot in a box and the envelope with any identification into a bag. No ballots are unfolded until box is taken to the vote counters.
4. Vote counters are at the opposite side of the room, totally separated from any materials identifying voters.
5. The vote countering team each counted the votes and compared their tallies until they agreed on the final number and each of them were able and willing to sign a validation card reporting the vote.
6. Improper multiple votes were prevented by a “Sign-In” team recording the absentee ballots before landowners arrived to place votes in person.
That’s the short version. The long version is in the attached Voting Secrecy document.
Voting Secrecy.doc (44.5 KB)
I volunteered during the last voting process on August 27th for changing the interest rate for late assessments and the North Glastonbury Ombudsman. I hope this information shows secrecy is now the goal for both personal and absentee voting. I felt 99% of the absentee votes (mailed in or hand delivered by a neighbor) were totally private.
Here is why I feel that way:
1. Ballot materials and questions are handed by a team of two people. All teams are two volunteers with one an “action volunteer” and the other a “watching/checking volunteer”. The team members alternate between duties to add “chance” into who will handle any one envelope or ballot.
2. Mailed in ballots are not taken out of the original mailing envelope until the morning of the vote, limiting last minute contacts with voters.
3. Ballots are folded by the voter when returned to GLA and not unfolded until after they are separated from any means of identifying the voter.
a. A team opens ballot envelops and put the “UNFOLDED” ballot in a box and the envelope with any identification into a bag. No ballots are unfolded until box is taken to the vote counters.
4. Vote counters are at the opposite side of the room, totally separated from any materials identifying voters.
5. The vote countering team each counted the votes and compared their tallies until they agreed on the final number and each of them were able and willing to sign a validation card reporting the vote.
6. Improper multiple votes were prevented by a “Sign-In” team recording the absentee ballots before landowners arrived to place votes in person.
That’s the short version. The long version is in the attached Voting Secrecy document.
Voting Secrecy.doc (44.5 KB)