Comments

20% wrote on Feb 1, 2008 2:41 PM:

" Up to 20% of the votes don't get counted. I'm not calling anyone corrupt. I'm just saying that if 1 out of 5 votes is rejected, there's a problem. You'd THINK MEA would WAN'T to fix these problems. Not argue that 1 in 5 members is too stupid to be allowed a vote. "




If there wrote on Jan 31, 2008 8:11 PM:

" is so much vote fraud at MEA, why is the board 4/3 and not 7/0?? How do explain that? Oh, yes, it's the "keep up good appearances thing".. what was I thinking.. "




Best Wishes wrote on Jan 30, 2008 9:57 PM:

" How can the board composition change if 20% of the votes don't count? "




Best remedy wrote on Jan 30, 2008 1:16 PM:

" Turn the wise and ratepayer-friendly board minority into the majority by marking your ballots for Burchell and Kincaid. Time to reclaim OUR electrical co-op. "




Furthermore... wrote on Jan 30, 2008 10:09 AM:

" The minority members of the Board of MEA are not complicit as they are in no way involved in the election process or in the counting of ballots. In addition, the minority members all supported the motion to contact members if their votes were not counted. "




To Do You: wrote on Jan 30, 2008 10:05 AM:

" Yes, we do. As our politcal votes are anonymous it isn't possible to be contacted if our voted is not counted; however, we as a people have demanded that our voting process be as reliable as possible. Can you tell me how many votes were not counted during this last borough election? None, it was done electronically with a hard copy back-up for verification. Again, this letter is not about members filling out their ballots correctly, it is about MEA using an out-of-date process to validate those ballots. A 4% failure rate in any process is unacceptable. "




To "Do You" wrote on Jan 30, 2008 9:02 AM:

" Acually, yes. There are people working at polling places specifically to identify you. There are people working at polling places to help you if the ballot machine eats your ballot, gets stuck, or in some other way keeps your ballot from being properly received for counting. Not that I have ever seen anyone need it, but there are people working at polling places to answer questions about how to fill out the ballot if you for some reason are unable to figure it out. And check out people's demands for receipts from electronic voting machines. Yes, we so ask this. "




I think the problem wrote on Jan 30, 2008 8:44 AM:

" isn't really that they are throwing out 4-20% of ballots each year. Well, that's pretty bad. The problem is that a phone call could stop it from happening again year after year after year. People get married. People get divorced. Sometimes we sign with a middle initial, sometimes we don't. Sometimes people sign while standing at the counter reading their mail. Sometimes people get older and their handwriting changes. Ever look at your signature from 5 years ago?...it probably isn't the same. Collect 100 signature samples, note the differences, and wonder if your vote at MEA will be counted. "




Oh Yes, Of Course wrote on Jan 30, 2008 8:21 AM:

" Of course the three people on the board that voted to have our votes actually counted are complicit in not counting them. Because that makes sense. They're just on the record saying that this is a problem and offering a simple and perfectly practical solution. And we can't demand this type of notification of municipal or general elections because those ballots are not id'd by voter once cast. MEA ballots are signed by the owner, and individually numbered so they can trace if you are voting the ballot sent to your address. Easily ID'd and tracked from start to finish. "




Do you wrote on Jan 29, 2008 10:42 PM:

" make the same demand from Palmer, Wasilla, the Borough or the State? No, I thought not. Besides, if there were voter fraud at MEA, the board minority would be by default, complicit. "




Instructions... wrote on Jan 29, 2008 10:41 PM:

" You're absolutely right. If we want to have our votes counted, we just have to follow the instructions. Like in the ballot book about to come out, where they tell us what bylaw amendments not to vote for, and design the questions to make anyone who disagrees with management look bad. Nice, clear, easy instructions. And I guarantee, if you follow those, you're ballot will count. Otherwise, you had better show up at the Annual Meeting March 1 and check for yourself. "




Vote Rejected 3 years in a Row wrote on Jan 29, 2008 10:30 PM:

" In 2005, 2006, and 2007. Each year I went to the annual meeting to see if my ballot was counted and found it was not. Never had a problem before that, and voted every year for at least 20 years. in late 2006 I even filled out a new signature card, figuring that as I got older my signature had just changed too much. Still got rejected in 2007. Interestingly, early 2005 I also changed my party affiliation. I always wondered if the two were related. "




Did you wrote on Jan 29, 2008 10:00 PM:

" even read her letter??? It is precisely to the point. And yes, I'll say it again: If you can't fill the stupid ballot out correctly, throw it out! Why don't you act like an adult for a change? "




To If you wrote: wrote on Jan 29, 2008 9:21 PM:

" Following the instructions on how one is to complete their ballot is hardly the point and clearly not the issue about which Michelle Schuman is writing. It seems that Michelle, as well as myself and many Mat-Su residents, are concerned that their vote may not be counted. More importantly, we are concerned our votes will be thrown out without just cause and we will never know. - If MEA is willing to pay someone $1 to collect a signature, one would think they would be willing to pay the $.41 to send a member a note about an invalid ballot. "




If you wrote on Jan 29, 2008 5:54 PM:

" can't follow simple 3rd grade level instructions, your vote should be thrown out. It is so easy accomplish, even George W. Bush could figure it out. Why can't you? "




dab wrote on Jan 29, 2008 3:05 PM:

" It would be very easy to notify someone if their ballot was not correct-This is the computer age--lets use it "