(Sept. 14, 2017) According to an Ocean Pines Association Elections Committee report, 6,545 validated votes were cast during the August election. The report stated 129 ballots were disqualified. Of those, 26 were duplicate ballots.
Doug Parks and Dr. Colette Horn each won three-year terms on the board of directors, earning 1,912 and 1,647 votes, respectively. Marty Clarke finished third with 1,579 votes and Nicole Schafer Crosariol received 1,407 votes.
Ballots are kept for one year and are locked in an elections committee file cabinet in the administration building. The report said ballots and envelopes from the 2016 election were discarded.
“The counting process went very smoothly,” the report stated. “Ballots rejected by the Scantron machine were reviewed by the Elections Committee and counted if a determination could be made as to the clear intent of the voter.”
According to the 2017 report, the major undertaking of the committee was submitting a revision and update of the Resolution M-06, governing the election process.
“Presentations to the board at board meetings and board work sessions were made. All documents were reviewed by OPA counsel and finally the board adopted the proposed revised resolution,” the report stated.
“The Elections Committee as part of the revising of M-06 discussed options as to when the voting results are announced. The Elections Advisory Committee made presentations at BOD work sessions and BOD meetings. It was the OPA’s board decision to continue to announce the results of the election at the annual meeting.”
The committee met nine times from last October through June, and held a candidate workshop and two candidate forums.
“Board Director Slobodan Trendic as our liaison, was able to attend most of our meetings and was of great help in helping the committee to know the procedures and processes for revising resolution M-06. Since no one on our committee had ever served on the elections committee, Director Trendic was very helpful in identifying the proper steps in preparing for and conducting the board of directors election,” the report stated.
The committee recommended announcing vote totals upon completion of the ballot counting, according to the report.
“There is no value-added benefit of waiting till the annual meeting to announce the results. In fact, in a close election waiting to announce the results at the annual meeting could impact a potential recount process. In the interest of transparency and respect of voters it is in the best interest of all concerned that the results of the election be announced at the completion of the ballot counting,” the report stated.
Before the election process starts next year, the committee wants to clarify the procedures for recounting votes and to research the purchase price of a backup Scantron machine. It also wants to examine the possibility of live streaming or broadcasting the candidate forums.
Additional recommendations included coordinating the process and timeline for recruiting and qualifying candidates with the search committee, and investigating “ways to increase the number of eligible association members actually voting.”
The committee also recommended disallowing candidate ads in the Ocean Pines quarterly newsletter.
The entire committee was re-staffed last fall. The previous committee members resigned, citing frustration with the process, and a full report of the 2016 election was not submitted.
According to a 2015 election committee report, 6,707 votes were cast that year and a Scantron machine processed 3,421 ballots. And additional 37 ballots were counted manually.
In 2015, 31 ballots were rejected. Twenty-two ballots were thrown out because votes were cast for more than the two allowed candidates, five were mailed blank, two were in improper envelopes and two had multiple ballots in the envelope.
The 2015 report said it cost $7,462.34 to conduct the election. Of that, $4,715.06 went to printing and mailing, $1,309.78 was spent on “extra insert” and $1,437.50 was spent on “IT cost.”
To view Ocean Pines Association Elections Committee reports, visit www.oceanpines.org/forms-docs-cat/2015-election-committee.
Doug Parks and Dr. Colette Horn each won three-year terms on the board of directors, earning 1,912 and 1,647 votes, respectively. Marty Clarke finished third with 1,579 votes and Nicole Schafer Crosariol received 1,407 votes.
Ballots are kept for one year and are locked in an elections committee file cabinet in the administration building. The report said ballots and envelopes from the 2016 election were discarded.
“The counting process went very smoothly,” the report stated. “Ballots rejected by the Scantron machine were reviewed by the Elections Committee and counted if a determination could be made as to the clear intent of the voter.”
According to the 2017 report, the major undertaking of the committee was submitting a revision and update of the Resolution M-06, governing the election process.
“Presentations to the board at board meetings and board work sessions were made. All documents were reviewed by OPA counsel and finally the board adopted the proposed revised resolution,” the report stated.
“The Elections Committee as part of the revising of M-06 discussed options as to when the voting results are announced. The Elections Advisory Committee made presentations at BOD work sessions and BOD meetings. It was the OPA’s board decision to continue to announce the results of the election at the annual meeting.”
The committee met nine times from last October through June, and held a candidate workshop and two candidate forums.
“Board Director Slobodan Trendic as our liaison, was able to attend most of our meetings and was of great help in helping the committee to know the procedures and processes for revising resolution M-06. Since no one on our committee had ever served on the elections committee, Director Trendic was very helpful in identifying the proper steps in preparing for and conducting the board of directors election,” the report stated.
The committee recommended announcing vote totals upon completion of the ballot counting, according to the report.
“There is no value-added benefit of waiting till the annual meeting to announce the results. In fact, in a close election waiting to announce the results at the annual meeting could impact a potential recount process. In the interest of transparency and respect of voters it is in the best interest of all concerned that the results of the election be announced at the completion of the ballot counting,” the report stated.
Before the election process starts next year, the committee wants to clarify the procedures for recounting votes and to research the purchase price of a backup Scantron machine. It also wants to examine the possibility of live streaming or broadcasting the candidate forums.
Additional recommendations included coordinating the process and timeline for recruiting and qualifying candidates with the search committee, and investigating “ways to increase the number of eligible association members actually voting.”
The committee also recommended disallowing candidate ads in the Ocean Pines quarterly newsletter.
The entire committee was re-staffed last fall. The previous committee members resigned, citing frustration with the process, and a full report of the 2016 election was not submitted.
According to a 2015 election committee report, 6,707 votes were cast that year and a Scantron machine processed 3,421 ballots. And additional 37 ballots were counted manually.
In 2015, 31 ballots were rejected. Twenty-two ballots were thrown out because votes were cast for more than the two allowed candidates, five were mailed blank, two were in improper envelopes and two had multiple ballots in the envelope.
The 2015 report said it cost $7,462.34 to conduct the election. Of that, $4,715.06 went to printing and mailing, $1,309.78 was spent on “extra insert” and $1,437.50 was spent on “IT cost.”
To view Ocean Pines Association Elections Committee reports, visit www.oceanpines.org/forms-docs-cat/2015-election-committee.