Subj : Re: 2023 FTSC Standing Member Election - Preliminary Results
To : Michiel van der Vlist
From : Dan Clough
Date : Mon Mar 20 2023 04:40 pm
-=> Michiel van der Vlist wrote to Andrew Leary <=-
AL> Due to the time frame of the revision being made and the closing of
AL> the polls, the revision was made as the preliminary results were
AL> assembled. I personally do not agree that the revision should have
AL> been accepted, but I was overruled by the International Coordinator.
AL> In the future, the rules will explicitly state that ballots cannot be
AL> altered once submitted.
MvV> I object.
MvV> During my watch there was a precedent. Bj�rn Felten, RC20, once
MvV> requested that his vote be changed. I rejected the request, a
MvV> vote cast is a vote cast. After some debate, my ruling was
MvV> accepted by those concerned. I see that you intended to follow
MvV> the precedent. That should have been the end of it.
MvV> The International Coordinator has a role in the election as
MvV> primus inter pares of the ZCC when the ZCC decides to establish a
MvV> nominating committee as documented in FTA-1001.007 paragraph 3.2.
MvV> And that is it. Beyond that the IC is just a sysop as any other
MvV> sysop in Fidonet when the FTSC holds an election.
MvV> In casu: the IC does not have the authority to overrule a
MvV> decision made by the election coordinator.
MvV> I therefore insist that the ICs intervention is ignored and that
MvV> it is the first vote and only the first vote of RC33 that counts.
As much as it surprises me, I must say that I agree with Michiel here.
Not only the precedent is important, but the general nature of changing
a vote. Did the RC in question change his vote because of "secret" peer
pressure that the public isn't aware of? Did he see an outcome coming
that he didn't like, and wanted to attempt to change it? We don't (and
won't) know those answers. In *ANY* other election in real life, a
person isn't allowed to change their vote once it's cast. Why
would/should one be allowed to do so here?
As far as my understanding goes, I don't think that in this case at
least, the outcome was changed, but it could have been. I firmly
support a rules change to prohibit changing a vote after it has been
cast.
... Pros are those who do their jobs well, even when they don't feel like it.
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