To be clear about what I would like the Board to consider at this time, it is that members of the NFL Section receive an election reminder being sent for the current election that is substantially similar to the sample generic reminder that I included in a prior email—regardless of who sends it.
There are several possible solutions:
1) I send the reminder
2) HQ sends the reminder only to the NFL Section
3) HQ sends the reminder to all four contested Sections
4) E&E sends the reminder only to the NFL Section
5) E&E sends the reminder to all four contested Sections
6) No one sends a reminder
In the current election, options 1 through 5 all accomplish the notification.
To briefly analyze each option:
1) I have not endorsed or campaigned for either candidate. This is the only election in my Division. I have already previously mentioned the election in a monthly Division email which WAS approved (after petitions were due, I named the two candidates).
2) While this is seemingly the most innocuous option, a problem is created in that there are 3 other elections being held. IF HQ sends a reminder to only one of the Sections, it appears that HQ is trying to draw attention to it.
3) While this addresses the issue of disparate treatment, it creates a new issue: we don’t know whether the Directors with the other 3 elections in their Divisions want reminders sent or not.
4) 99.99% of the membership will have no idea what the Ethics and Election Committee is and the same issue as #2
5) 99.99% of the membership will have no idea what the Ethics and Election Committee is and the same issue as #3
6) EPIC FAIL…
Unless the members of the Board want to work through adopting a notification policy online in an expeditious enough fashion that a timely reminder can still be sent, I submit that for this election options 1 and 3 are the most appropriate for dealing with the immediate notification need. If all of the other Directors with Section elections voice their opinion that they want reminders sent from HQ, then option 3 should be approved, otherwise option 1 should be approved (and apply equally to other Directors with ongoing Section elections where the Director would like to send a reminder).
Unless the Board members feel we can timely adopt a policy, I am not asking that a permanent policy be immediately adopted, but that a one-time notification be allowed. We can then address the nuances of a permanent policy without an election deadline looming.
Thanks & 73,
Doug
Doug Rehman, K4AC
Director Southeastern Division
ARRL—The National Association for Amateur Radio®