Theos-Talk Archives (April 1996 Message tl01357)

MKR:

I was reading your letter to John Algeo regarding the TSA ballots,
and think that I can answer your questions. I can tell you what
rules were applied to determine which members would be sent a
ballot, since I wrote a new program to implement the rules.

You also might want to note that I also wrote and ran a report
that lists all members, showing who would be sent a mailing.
For those that were not to receive a ballot, the report listed
the reason(s) why that person was excluded. Why? So that at a
later date, if someone wanted to know why they did not get a
ballot, they could find out. Without the report, the membership
database could change over time, and it might not be possible
to determine what a member's records showed at that time.

What are the rules? (Note that I don't have the program in
front of me, and I'm recalling these from memory.)

1. Someone must be an active member, not having been lapsed
   for non-payment of dues.

2. We must have a valid mailing address for the member. (Otherwise
   a mailing label will be generated but not sent out.)

3. The member must not be in the prisoner category. (Prisoners
   get reduced dues, but don't vote or get "The American
   Theosophist.")

4. The member must have been a member in good standing for
   the past two continuous years. This means the member must
   have joined at least two years ago, and not have let their
   dues lapse for four-or-more months during that period
   before being reinstated.

> It has come to my attention that members who have not been TSA
> members for two years as of January 1996 have not received their
> ballots.

This should not happen except for one of the above reasons.
Such members should contact the membership department and
ask why they were excluded from the mailing. The membership
department can look at the reason(s) from the eligible-voters
report.

>These include the members who voted in the last ballot to
>change the bylaws of TSA.

Since the two-years continuous membership rule was not in effect
at that point, you're probably right about this.

>By excluding those who have not been members for two
>years but who voted in the bylaws change, in effect the two
>year voting rule is being applied retroactively. It is
>common knowledge that this kind of retroactive application
>is considered serious disenfranchisement of the voting
>rights of the members. I hope this above non mailing of the
>ballots to the above class of members is an oversight.

This is a matter of interpretation of the new bylaws. That would
be up to the TSA Board to decide. If you want to make a case
that people having been members for less than two years but
who have already voted be excluded from the new rules, it would
have to be quickly made.

Based upon the report that was run, it is possible to determine
who was excluded from receiving a ballot *solely* based upon
the two-year rule. And it would be further possible to narrow
them down to those that had joined soon enough to have voted
for/against the bylaws earlier in the year. From that list, a
second set of labels *could* be generated, if that is what is
decided.

I'm not, though, involved in the political side of things. My
support is simply in providing computer services to the
membership department. I *ask* what are the rules, and try to
clarify them so that I can accurately program to them. I don't
decide *what* they are. But being a database person, I can
come up with whatever is needed as people decide things or
change their minds.

-- Eldon