Cable TV ballot in the mail...who lied?

[nana]

I was so confused by all the postings that I asked three people what would happen to our ballot(s). Husband signed FOC many months ago (with his name and our lot#); I returned only the blue ballot with election of Directors, approval of minutes and $ carryover. I have been assured that our ballot will be counted as one, despite the different signatures. Anybody else run into this with their voting?
The accompaning written directions sure weren't a great help.

[Luke]

As fascinating as the blank ballot conundrum is, in reality, I doubt if there really are any, that its enough to swing the election one way or the other. Thus, just a tempest in a teapot.


I am going on the assumption that we are talking just the FOC ballot, not the other ballot.

[Wilbur]

people mark something and shove everything back in the envelope including an untouched FOC ballot. that's not a vote. No judge in the land is going to say it is.

Moon, I have repeatedly stated that we have no objection to counting your no ballot as revoking your yes proxy. BUT, if RMA refuses to allow us to audit the name-free ballots allegedly revoking a proxy and the number thereof could affect the outcome, possibly forcing judicial review, we will ask the court to apply the LAW and BYLAWS, which was the court's order. Our concession to withdraw a proxy which bumps up against a CAST vote was voluntary and in good faith. We have not been met with good faith, but with games. If RMA is intent upon forcing litigation there is no good reason on God's green Earth why we should give an inch. The law is the law. And you don't bring a knife to a gunfight.

BTW yes, I'd wager it turns out that there are less than a dozen blank ballots and it makes no difference at all. But nobody knows yet, and the Inspector resisted disclosing that information. These games have gone on long enough and are no longer being tolerated.

[Wilbur]

Originally Posted by nana

I was so confused by all the postings that I asked three people what would happen to our ballot(s). Husband signed FOC many months ago (with his name and our lot#); I returned only the blue ballot with election of Directors, approval of minutes and $ carryover. I have been assured that our ballot will be counted as one, despite the different signatures. Anybody else run into this with their voting?
The accompaning written directions sure weren't a great help.

I don't think you'll ever know. I don't think the Inspector intends to notify any member that their ballot was rejected and why.

[DBCooper]

Hey just to get back to this undivided common facility argument. How can we have voluntary broadband and premium channels creating two seperate classes of membership?

[MoonMan]

Originally Posted by Wilbur

people mark something and shove everything back in the envelope including an untouched FOC ballot. that's not a vote. No judge in the land is going to say it is.

Then why do we allow such idiots to vote at all? just sayin'...

[Wilbur]

That's why some call it dumbocracy

[Luke]

The law is the law, but the law also allows for equitable principles such as estoppel and unclean hands. It was very clearly made that a no ballot would cancel a proxy. Litigation or no, I think it would be foolish to raise that issue in court. Innocent members like Moon relied upon that representation. Had they know that would not in the end have been the procedure to cancel the proxy they may have acted differently.

Fight all you want over the blank ballots if it comes to that. That is fair game, but even though I am in favor of FOC, you will lose my support, and I suspect many more in the community if the extreme position that the no ballot does not cancel the proxy after the fact position is taken.

All I want is a fair election. It would be unfair to punish those who changed their mind and voted no to seek to disregard that vote now.

[Wilbur]

Originally Posted by DBCooper

Hey just to get back to this undivided common facility argument. How can we have voluntary broadband and premium channels creating two seperate classes of membership?

You been puffin' on Julie's pipe, DB?

That question will never be answered other than more around the bush blather and insistence that the blather answered the question. I can't tell whether it's just a deliberate smokescreen or reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of both concepts, neither of which has anything to do with user fees.

[MoonMan]

Originally Posted by Wilbur

Our concession to withdraw a proxy which bumps up against a CAST vote was voluntary and in good faith. We have not been met with good faith, but with games. If RMA is intent upon forcing litigation there is no good reason on God's green Earth why we should give an inch. The law is the law. And you don't bring a knife to a gunfight.

then you've lost MY faith in you and your FOC folks. When someone says they are going to do something, reassure people repeatedly, and then say "well, maybe we won't" that is dispicable.

Just because the other party is not being nice to you, suddenly your good faith disappears. Your good faith was not toward the association, but your neighbors! Apparently, it was not good faith at all...but rather, a bargaining position that you used to solicit signatures, knowing that it could be pulled back.

That sucks...big time, and I think you and your FOC folks will need to work hard to get an iota of respect back.

If my dues go up because truly the majority of people in RMA want people to have the choice of opting out, then I'm fine with that. That's not even an issue for me at this point.