[Pnp-wg] Proxy question

[Steve Greenfield]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phil Huckelberry" <phil@mcleancountygreens.org>
To: <pnp-wg@gp-us.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 2:56 PM
Subject: Re: [Pnp-wg] Proxy question

But I've brought
> this point up time and time again and I've almost never gotten
> acknowledgment that proxy abuse is a problem.

Proxy abuse can always be a problem. I'm not sure if we're not seeing an
acknowledgment of the problem or if we're just having people concerned that
the cure is worse than the disease.

In NY we've got new steps for proxy limitation on our next State Committee
agenda. We need proxies because of the size of our state (just try to think
of one place in NY where a delegate from both Buffalo and Montauk can get to
in less than a day's drive) and the length of the meeting (8 hours) make
attendance difficult for most. There are around 75 of us and there is no
budget that can cover this. We already try to limit proxy abuse by having a
signed affidavit attesting to whether the proxy is being provided with or
without specific instructions. In other words, the person carrying the proxy
can be "bound" if that is what the delegate wants to do. We don't put
proposals on the agenda after a closing date about a month before the actual
face-to-face meeting, so everyone has time to study the proposals and give
instructions if they see fit, or they may just sign over their votes to
someone they trust to cast a good vote. The choice belongs to each committee
member who is unable to attend. But the system needs improvement, and we're
working on it.

Right now many of us feel that by limiting the number of proxies any one
person can carry we can further reduce whatever proxy abuse may or may not
still be happening. But the total elimination of proxies could lead to
failure to achieve quorum, and that would be a much bigger problem. A recent
meeting, already delayed a week due to a big snowstorm, was at risk of
having this happen. If some proxying were not permitted, 40 people who had
driven overnight to Albany from as far as Buffalo or the East End of Long
Island would have had to turn around and drive home having accomplished
nothing. We also have a situation where some people have to leave before the
meeting is over because of the length of the drive home. I'm recommending
that these people be able to sign over proxies with instructions as they
leave the meeting, because at least they made their best effort to come to
the meeting and prepare to vote on the proposals.

Anyway, all of this is a roundabout way of saying that proxy abuse can
indeed be a problem, but there are ways to mitigate the problems without
causing the additional problems associated with canceling them completely.

Steve G.