iClicker voting

[Rev Ed]

Of course, the organization, if it chooses to use iClicker for elecions, could simply change its nomination/elections procedure thus limiting the election of officers and directors to those who have actually been nominated prior to the closing of nominations.

[Gary Novosielski]

Of course, the organization, if it chooses to use iClicker for elecions, could simply change its nomination/elections procedure thus limiting the election of officers and directors to those who have actually been nominated prior to the closing of nominations.

Yes it could. Just as someone could "simply" cut off their ears to make their hat fit better.

In other words, no rule in RONR prohibits an assembly from putting the needs of its whiz-bang technology above the principles of democracy.

[Guest Susanna Fessler]

I realize that this forum is months old, but I am now in a position where I'd like to revive it. I will be the chair of an academic senate next year, and would like to institute the use of iClickers for voting. The above forum assumes that iClickers would make the vote anonymous, but we have devised a way in which the vote could be *either* anonymous (like a ballot vote) or not (like a show of hands). The decision of which it would be could be made "on the fly." In the past, our default method has been a show of hands with the option to move for a ballot vote (or some other method). I'd like to suggest that the default with iClickers be a non-anonymous vote with the option for an anonymous vote. The big difference is that with iClickers we would have a very solid record of votes, as opposed to a vague memory in senators' gray matter about who raised his/her hands in a vote. Is this problematic?

Also, given that the senators are elected representatives of their constituencies, is there anything wrong with posting how people voted in a public-access manner (i.e., on a web page)?

[Josh Martin]

Is this problematic?

For most cases, this is not problematic at all, although based on the note about keeping records of how each individual member voted, I believe that the non-anonymous method of voting you have in mind is more in the nature of a roll call vote than a show of hands vote. Electronic voting devices are permitted under RONR, although it is advised that the members be given some time to become familiar with the devices before they are used in a real vote. See RONR, 10th ed., pg. 404, line 22 - pg. 405, line 11; pg. 408, lines 4-22 for more information.

As noted previously, the one case in which use of iClickers does not seem appropriate would be for an election, since the technology does not appear to support write-in votes.

Also, given that the senators are elected representatives of their constituencies, is there anything wrong with posting how people voted in a public-access manner (i.e., on a web page)?

There is nothing wrong with this provided that it is determined before the vote is taken that it shall be a roll call vote. Under RONR, a roll call vote may be ordered by majority vote or unanimous consent, although many assemblies adopt special rules of order permitting a lesser number to order a roll call vote. If a roll call vote is ordered, the results should indeed be published, as that is the entire purpose for a roll call vote.