Hi Neighbors,
I am writing to notify you that at the August 26th council meeting VNA council will be voting on a Covid-19 emergency bylaw to allow for absentee voting for council members. If it passes, ballots will be distributed on November 9 either by email or by hand. Ballots may be mailed to a designated address or deposited in lock boxes at designated locations. Mailing and lock-box addresses will be announced when ballots are distributed, beginning on November 9th. All ballots must be received by election day, November 18th." For more details read below.
Best regards,
Sarah Bahauddin
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In response to the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, the November 18, 2020 VNA election will be held using paper absentee ballots. This Article will supersede Article 5, Sections 5,6 7 and Article 8, Section 3, for the 10 day period between November 8 and the end of the 2020 election day.
All individuals of at least 18 years of age, who make their principal residence in the Vilas Neighborhood, and who have paid the year 2020 dues will be eligible to vote. A “household” membership includes up to 2 eligible voters.
Although VNA members are encouraged to announce their candidacy sometime in October, the main deadline for declaring candidacy for one of the 4 available council seats is 10 days prior to election day. These candidates will have their names included on the ballots distributed beginning the next day, November 9, and have their bios distributed at that time.
The ballots and bios will be emailed to members whose email addresses are in the VNA membership file, or hand distributed to those members who have made that request. The bios will be available at vilasneighborhood.com and at the Monroe Street Library, if open.
Beginning the day after candidate deadline, November 9, each eligible voter may cast one written, secret ballot on which is recorded the member’s vote for as many candidates as there are positions to be filled. This is not a “ ranked vote” so all markings for candidates will be treated identically. The four candidates with the most votes will be elected. Any ties will be settled with a coin toss, or other agreed upon tie-breaker strategy, witnessed (in person or virtually) by at least 3 election committee and council members.
Voters’ completed ballots, in sealed envelopes, will be submitted to either a lock box on the porch at __(address)_, mailed to __(address)_, or will be picked-up by election committee and deposited into the lock box, upon request. The sealed, ballot envelopes should include voter(s) name(s), address, and the inclusion of dues in the envelope should be noted on the envelope.
If there are four or fewer candidates on election day, Wednesday, November 18, 2020, the declared candidates will automatically become council members via a move for unanimous consent by the current council. If there are fewer than four candidates, the VNA council members will appoint the additional necessary member(s) when candidate(s) become available, per the original VNA charter (see Article 5, Section 8)
If there are more than 4 candidates, the locked ballot box will be removed by the election committee and taken to the site of membership verification/vote tabulation. Voter names will be checked against the membership database for eligibility. Envelopes will be separated from ballots, which will be kept confidential, and any dues payment will be recorded.
Once envelopes are opened, counting of ballots by the election committee will commence at 6:00 pm on November 18. If there is a tie, a coin-flip, or other agreed upon tie-breaker strategy, will be used to determine the winner. Results, ballots and envelopes will be given to the VNA president, or another council representative, upon completion of counting. Terms for the new council members begin as soon as election is declared concluded by the current VNA president.
(If it is possible to hold an in-person vote at a general meeting on election day, and the council has approved it, there will still be absentee voting as described above. If you prefer, you may receive and cast your ballot at the meeting or bring your absentee ballot to the meeting and have it counted there. Also, If possible, early in-person absentee voting sessions could be held in the library during the week before election day. )