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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Sorry, Joan, it IS possible.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">If you don’t believe we should do it, I am open to reasons why. But do not say it is not possible, because it is<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">This is the first day and people can vote all week, so there is nothing “impossible” about fixing a defective ballot<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">--MM<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> NCSG-Discuss [mailto:NCSG-DISCUSS@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Joan Kerr<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Monday, August 22, 2016 10:17 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> NCSG-DISCUSS@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: *Important* NCSG 2016 Annual Elections - voting has started<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt">Hello Everyone,<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt">Thanks for all the great discussions around the election, certainly the NCSG EC needs to address for the next election. This is not possible for this election as it has already begun as noted by Tapani. So
clearly some work to be done for future elections.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt">Thanks again for your ongoing input and let's work on this together for next time.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Joan<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">On Mon, Aug 22, 2016 at 9:58 AM, Tapani Tarvainen <<a href="mailto:ncsg@tapani.tarvainen.info" target="_blank">ncsg@tapani.tarvainen.info</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Dear all,<br>
<br>
Good arguments have been made about how NOTA should be treated and how<br>
it should have been presented in the ballot.<br>
<br>
But the text of the ballot is clear, and after the election is already<br>
under way, it cannot be changed or explained or reinterpreted to mean<br>
anything but what it explicitly says.<br>
<br>
So the rules are simple:<br>
<br>
If you want to vote for any candidates for council you cannot<br>
simultaneously vote for NOTA. If you do, your ballot will be<br>
considered invalid.<br>
<br>
Likewise, you cannot both vote for a Chair candidate<br>
and NOTA for Chair at the same time.<br>
<br>
So: if you have already voted and marked both NOTA and some<br>
candidates, please vote again lest your ballot be considered invalid.<br>
<br>
There's nothing in the charter that precludes this, even if other,<br>
arguably better alternatives exist. But we cannot change rules when<br>
the election has already began.<br>
<br>
As for what voting NOTA would mean: absent anything in the charter<br>
or any predetermined rule, it can only mean same as abstaining,<br>
in the sense that it would not affect the election outcome.<br>
<br>
NOTA votes would be counted and counts published, just like<br>
blank votes are counted separately from invalid votes in<br>
many national elections, nothing more.<br>
<br>
Anything else would be changing the rules mid-election,<br>
and we can't do that.<br>
<br>
I agree that the procedure could be better and it definitely should<br>
have been made clear in advance. It should also have been explicitly<br>
codified by the EC, and I will take it upon myself to do that before<br>
next election.<br>
<br>
But now, let's vote.<br>
<span style="color:#888888"><br>
<span class="hoenzb">--</span><br>
<span class="hoenzb">Tapani Tarvainen</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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