Elections for at-large representatives

[John Messing <jmessing@law-on-line.com>]

Dear All:

By my reckoning, our next meeting of the SC should take place on January
10, 2007. The holidays are upon us, which is a bad time to ask people to
vote on anything. 

Subject to timely objection, I propose we open the nominations now, hold
them open to the close of business on Dec. 29th, after which they will
be closed once and for all, and vote commencing on January 3, closing
on the evening of the 8th, thus giving any new members at least two
days before the Januuary SC meeting.

I think it will be suitable to leave the current nominees on the list of
nominated candidates. Each can withdraw if he likes, but it will save
work for those who are already on the ticket and intend to remain on
it. Any communication nominating or self-nominating an additional
candidate should be copied to the SC list. All further communications
between either the Chair or Secretary in their respective roles and any
nominee should also be posted to the list. This will ensure transparency
of the nomination process.

I plan to explain to the Member Section that we are initiating a new
voting method that was worked out this year with OASIS. We encountered
a few rough spots in this first implementation, including discovery that
the list of eligible voters obtained from OASIS staff was
incomplete and would have excluded approximately a quarter of our
electorate from voting had the election gone forward as planned. We are
informally preparing guidelines so the experience should not be repeated
in future years.

These difficulties have highlighted a need for me to devote my energies
to working closely as Chair with the Secretary in the conduct and
administration of the new elections. I will therefore be withdrawing as
a candidate for an at-large post and will remain as the eNotary TC
representative until the next TC election for that post and as the Chair
for the current term. This will avoid any inconsistency or appearance of
impropriety from jointly administering the election while remaining a
candidate.

Your thoughts are sincerely requested and welcomed, but please be aware
that it will be desirable to have the nominations re-opened by the
close of business (5 PM EST, 2 PM PST) today if possible, and I intend
to request Roger to do so unless there is urgent business with regard
to this proposal still pending at that time.

Thank you.

John Messing
Chair, LegalXML Member Section