>>>With respect to voting somebody else's ballot because they
cannot be bothered, or because they have no opinion,
Quite often there are local elections where I do not know all the people
who are running. My husband is very good about reading the paper and finding
out the stances of the different candidates on various issues. He and I have
very much the same views on the issues. He makes a list for me of the people
he thinks we want to vote for. He does not *tell* me to vote for them, but he
knows he and I think the same and lets me know who thinks along those lines. I
appreciate him doing my research for me and take the list.
The same would go for say...Bonnie having me choose her candidates. She
doesn't know Randy Eiland from Kim Feuss, but she does know about issues like
FEI vs. AERC style rides, interest in encouraging 100's, etc.. She has an
opinion on the *issues*; that's the sort of thing we talk about
around the dinner table. She trusts me to know who thinks like we do (or at
least try to figure it out). I certainly don't believe that's any
less responsible way to vote than to have someone who is new to the
sport, has no idea really what they believe and votes by name recognition
alone. If you feel the need to toss my kid's votes because
they're "uninformed" when they have lived the sport for so long and been
in the middle of managing, competing, AERC business and everything else...well
you're setting the bar pretty high for who can cast a ballot.
As for the age thing. Hey, the ballot showed up. They have her birthday.
I always took it that 16 was the age of responsibility with AERC. Tear
it up, toss it, use it for a coaster. Use it to jot down ways to keep members
instead of running them off with fairly rediculous petty discussions. I'm
starting to regret wasting a stamp myself. If my name was on that ballot I'd
be hoping to goodness I didn't get elected right now!