Post by Admin on Jul 31, 2017 17:12:15 GMT -7
Cumulative Voting – The Basics
By Tim Brockett
By Tim Brockett
• Landowners currently are allowed one vote per board opening for three directors in GLA annual elections. This is a process called Block or more precisely, At Large, voting. Cumulative voting is a new Election Committee proposal that would allow three votes to be distributed amongst candidates.
• Cumulative voting offers landowners more options when they cast their votes in an annual election.
• Cumulative voting provides more choices for landowners while still allowing them to vote with the traditional At Large or Block method.
• Cumulative voting works best when the number of candidates is one greater than the number of open positions. When just three or less candidates run for three open positions all will win as long as they each receive one vote.
• Cumulative voting is supported by Montana state law. The GLA can adopt cumulative voting with a bylaw change and may be able to with a rule change. Collective Board wisdom will decide which path is best.
• Cumulative voting tends to favor minority candidates. Women are currently under represented on the GLA Board. Cumulative voting could help any group gain representation.
• Cumulative voting helps to address the undemocratic tendencies of non-profit corporate At Large or block voting, where a single person is allowed to cast multiple ballots because they own many parcels.
• With just six openings for the same position every year—only 3 in North and 3 in South—At Large voting and staggered terms tend to reduce competition for Board seats and favor the ruling group.
• Cumulative voting could lead to greater GLA Board diversity and proportional representation that matches our community demographics.
• Cumulative voting does not favor lone wolf candidates. Any group must be well-organized and must convince many landowners to cast all of their votes for one candidate just to gain one seat on the board.
• The following cumulative ballot is for three candidates to fill three open positions. A parcel owner could check all three boxes for one candidate, one box for each candidate or any combination of three check marks.
Example 1 – Cumulative voting allows landowners to maintain the traditional Block
method of casting one vote each for three candidates.
method of casting one vote each for three candidates.
Check Any Three Boxes
| Tom | X | | |
| Mary | |||
| Joe | X | ||
| Nancy | |||
| Sue | X |
Example 2 – Cumulative voting allows a landowner to cast multiple votes for one
candidate while giving another candidate just one vote.
candidate while giving another candidate just one vote.
Check Any Three Boxes
| Tom | | | |
| Mary | X | X | |
| Joe | X | ||
| Nancy | |||
| Sue | |
Example 3 – Cumulative voting also allows a landowner to cast all three votes
for a single candidate.
Check Any Three Boxes
| Tom | | | |
| Mary | |||
| Joe | | ||
| Nancy | |||
| Sue | X | X | X |
• The ideal election for a minority candidate to get elected with cumulative voting is when four candidates are running for three positions.
o For more detailed information download the Glastonbury Election Reform paper here.
Glastonbury Election Reform Paper - Main Points
- Historical Analysis from 1997 to 2017
- Power Shifts From the Masses to a Select Group of Landowners
- Just 17 of 159 Landowners Can Determine Who Wins an Election in 2017
- A Broken System Invites Corruption and Cronyism
- Cumulative Voting provides a partial solution