Enacted at the January 7, 2021 Executive Board Meeting
WHEREAS, during the year 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on our work, leisure, and customary procedures; and
WHEREAS, among the limitations created by the pandemic, restrictions on in-person meetings and gatherings have particularly impacted the operations of the Independent Neighborhood Democrats (IND); and
WHEREAS, since Spring 2020, IND has conducted executive board and general meetings remotely using Zoom and Facebook; and
WHEREAS, given the extenuating circumstances posed by the pandemic, IND will conduct its endorsement voting process for the 2021 local elections remotely; and
WHEREAS, other Democratic clubs in Brooklyn have adapted to these challenging times by using software to collect and tabulate votes that have instant runoff voting (IRV) capabilities, guarantees a single vote allotted to each voter, and maintains anonymity; and
WHEREAS, typical paper ballots at in-person IND endorsement meetings will allow for people to vote by IRV but does not force voters to choose candidates up to the typical 5-candidate limit; and
WHEREAS, at typical in-person IND meetings, there are vote tabulators outside the meeting room and the “no endorsement” option is not removed between voting rounds; and
WHEREAS, the current online options to automatically tabulate (i.e. not using paper ballots with live tabulators that can be later audited) do not perfectly match the voting procedures performed at in-person IND meetings; and
WHEREAS, recent changes to the New York City Charter mandate IRV may make it necessary for IND to update its Constitution accordingly.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that in order to conduct endorsement voting in the 2021 local elections, IND will purchase software to collect and tabulate votes in a manner that, as closely as possible, adheres to the voting processes outlined in the IND Constitution with the understanding that it may not work in exactly the same manner of as paper ballots at an in-person meeting; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that IND will review its Constitution during 2021 in order to ensure that provisions surrounding voting are consistent with the New York City Charter and propose necessary and proper amendments.