Problem: The implementation several years ago of the device of requiring candidates for the LP’s nomination for President and Vice-President to submit signatures in order to qualify for stage time for nominating and seconding speeches shut out any possibility of a person advocating that the delegates vote for None of the Above (NOTA) for that position. In fact, that was one of the major reasons for some delegates to oppose that provision.
Solution: Allow a delegate to speak for NOTA by collecting the requisite number of signature tokens.
RULE 9: NOMINATION OF PRESIDENTIAL AND VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
5. Nominating and seconding speeches shall be limited in duration as follows:
President: Total of 16 minutes;
Vice-President: Total of 11 minutes.
A delegate who collects the required number of nominating tokens so designated may speak in favor of voting for None Of The Above.
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3 comments:
Since NOTA is always a candidate, why does NOTA need tokens at all? Simply allow for nomination and seconding speeches for NOTA.
Since the delegates voted that NOTA be a candidate as part of our Bylaws and Convention Rules, it can be said that NOTA already has met the token requirements by delegate vote anyway, so tokens for NOTA are simply repetitive and unnecessary.
It isn't the existence of NOTA as a voting option that is at issue. There have been Conventions where delegates wanted to be able to PUBLICLY express their disappointment with the selection, and just voting for NOTA is only a silent way to do that. Prior to requiring signatures, there were two Conventions at which a delegate actually spoke in support of NOTA, and that option was lost when the signature requirement was instituted, because NOTA never submitted the requisite signatures.
This proposal attempts to address that complaint. The issue, actually, is WHO SPEAKS for NOTA -- and gathering and submitting tokens is a way to satisfy that requirement.
That simply exposes the flaw in the entire token process, since NOTA is not a person to decide who speaks on its behalf.
The simpler solution is to allocate the same time for NOTA that every tokened candidate gets, and should there be no speakers for NOTA, the time gets ceded back and the process continues. No tokens needed, and it's much simpler on all concerned. There is no need to complicate this.
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