FAQ about online voting prepared by Election Committee 2018:
Q1. Who has received the ballots through online voting?
Only individuals with valid and renewed membership by April 15, 2018 @11:59 pm have received the ballots online.
Valid Membership = Individuals who have signed up as members and their information has been verified by the Secretary of the Board.
The first ballot (Ballot #1) was sent on Sunday, April 22, 2018 at 2:00 pm
The second ballot (Ballot #2) was sent on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 at 2:00 pm
If your membership was expired and have not been renewed by April 15, 2018 @ 11:59 pm you would not have received the ballots online. If the Board Secretary was unable to verify your membership, you would not have received the ballots online.
Q2. Can a person who is not a member of ICC receive an online ballot and vote online?
Absolutely Not!
The online ballot is ONLY sent to ICC members whose memberships were valid and renewed by April 15, 2018 @ 11:59 pm
Q3. What should I do, if I am a member, but I have not received my online ballot?
Please contact the ICC through [email protected] and attend the in person voting on April 29th, 2018 or vote by assigning a proxy.
Q4. When I vote, does anyone can see the content of my vote?
Absolutely Not!
The Election Committee, who is in charge of the administration of the online voting, can see that you have voted, but NO ONE can see the content of your vote even after the vote count. The system will tally the votes and provide the Election Committee with the results ONLY.
Q5. When I receive my ballot how much time do I have to cast my vote online?
You can cast your vote online until April 28, 2018 at 6:00 pm.
Q6. Can I change my vote online after casting my ballet electronically?
Absolutely Not!
The system does not allow a return to the ballots.
Q7. How does the Election Committee ensure that people would not vote twice, once online and another time in person?
Once Online Voting ends, the Election Committee reconciles (crosses off) the names of the members who have voted online and produces a new list for the In-Person voting at the AGM.
Q8. I have received my online ballot, but can I vote in person?
Absolutely! As long as you haven’t casted your ballot online.
Q9. In light of the changes to the in-person voting schedule, can the Election Committee change the closing time of the online voting, and end it sooner than initially planned?
No!
Although it would have been convenient to close the online voting to be more inline with the new timelines, the robust security structure of election software being used (Election Buddy) does not allow the election administrator to change the election parameters and interfere with the process, once the election has started.
Q10. What is the level of voters’ anonymity settings within Election Buddy?
This is a secret ballot – the voters cannot be linked to their choices. This option is commonly required by organization bylaws or governing legislature.
Q11. How does Election Buddy tally the votes?
Ballot #1 (Board election)
Election Buddy uses a simple counting algorithm, which is compatible with a Plurality Voting System (First-Past-The-Post System). Election Buddy counts all ballots and the candidate or candidates with the highest percentage of votes win.
According to the ICC bylaws, the Board election is based on Plurality Voting (Also known as, First-Past-The-Post System: whoever receives the most votes wins), where voters select 1 to 6 options. This system is commonly used throughout North America for civic, state, provincial and federal elections.
In a Plurality Voting System (First-Past-the-Post) with more than 2 candidates, candidates do not require to obtain the majority of the votes (50 +1%) to win the election. As a result, in this case (this election), running a multi-seat election (6 directors are elected from 10 candidates) the candidate with the highest percentage will win the first seat, the second-highest percentage wins the second seat, and so on until all seats are filled.
The above calculation is based on the assumption that the bylaw exemption motion is passed by affirmative vote of at least 2/3 of members voting.
Ballot #2 (Bylaw Amendments)
The bylaw Amendments ballot is set on a referendum basis, where voters select one of the listed options (Yes/No/Abstain). Based on the ICC bylaws amendments are passed by affirmative vote of at least 2/3 of members voting. The code of conduct is passed by 50%+1 affirmative vote of members voting.