The Board Page: Vote! Board Elections Coming In April
added 02/22/10
Three seats on the Co-op’s nine-seat Board of Directors are up for election in 2010. Candidates will be announced in the 2009 Annual Report, which will arrive in the mailboxes of Co-op members in late March. Candidate statements and ballots will be included at that time.
Who Can Vote?
Any Co-op member who owns at least three shares of Co-op stock as of March 15, 2010 will be eligible to vote. Two members on the same membership will need to own at least six shares on March 15, 2010 in order for both to vote. A two-person membership with only three, four, or five shares can submit only one ballot. Either member is eligible to submit that one ballot for the membership.
Only individuals named on the membership are eligible to vote. If you are not sure you are named on your household’s membership, check the mailing label of this issue of the Co-op News to see if your name appears, or call Member Services at (603) 640-6328. Unsure how many shares you own? The Member Services staff can give you that information as well.
When Do I Vote?
The 30-day voting period will begin on Thursday, April 1, 2010, and end at the close of business on Friday, April 30, 2010.
Where Do I Vote?
Votes are cast by paper ballot over the 30-day period. Ballots can be submitted by mail, in person at either store, or at the Annual Meeting on April 10, 2010.
How Do I Vote?
Two paper ballots will be included in every copy of the Co-op’s Annual Report to be mailed at the end of March. In addition, paper ballots will be available for pick-up at all Co-op locations beginning April 1st.
After filling out a ballot, you MUST put it into an envelope and put the following information on the sealed flap:
- Your name as it appears in our membership database (see the mailing label of your Co-op News), and
- Your member number.
A ballot without this verifying information will be considered invalid and will be discarded. Duplicates and ballots from members who are not eligible to vote will be discarded.
Then, bring the sealed envelope to the Service Desk at either Co-op Food Store, to the Annual Meeting, or mail the envelope to: Elections, Co-op Food Stores, PO Box 633, Hanover, NH 03755. No ballots will be accepted after the close of business on Friday, April 30, 2010.
What About Voter Anonymity?
Your ballot should be securely sealed inside an envelope. Envelopes with voter identification information will remain sealed until the close of the 30-day voting period. Member names and numbers will be used only to verify the validity of each vote received and to eliminate duplicates.
At the close of the voting period, Board-appointed ballot counters working in pairs will separate each folded ballot from its envelope and put it into a collection of folded ballots until all successfully validated envelopes have been emptied. Only after the complete separation of ballots from their identifying envelopes will ballot counters open and count the ballots.
What Do You Think?
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