Greetings COBA Members,
After the course of our work with AAA to have the election ballots created and mailed as per our COBA Bylaws, by May 31, 2024, which was done, the election committee was made aware of circumstances that required ballots to be amended, to be sure that this election is fair, and no members are disenfranchised. In some instances, members who had properly submitted petitions as a candidate for delegate per our bylaws information was NOT provided to the Election Committee in time for the May 31st mailing, and in other instances some officers were mailed an incorrect ballot. As we became aware of these oversights by the party responsible as per the bylaws to handle the delegate petitions, and of the errors in the membership list, we took steps to correct these issues. In full transparency, below is a summary of what the changes are.
After the initial mailing of ballots on May 31, 2024, the following changes were made:
- BHPW Ballot – Michelle Rodriguez properly submitted her petition to the Financial Secretary, the Financial Secretary failed to submit her petition to the balloting company until after the ballot was finalized, so Michelle Rodriguez was required to be added as a candidate for Delegate on the ballot.
- BXDC/BXCTS Ballot – Shyiera Daniels properly submitted her petition to the Financial Secretary, the Financial Secretary failed to submit her petition to the balloting company until after the ballot was finalized, so Shyiera Daniels was required to be added as a candidate for Delegate on the ballot.
- GRVC Ballot – Barry Lee properly submitted his petition to the Financial Secretary, the Financial Secretary failed to submit his petition to the balloting company until after the ballot was finalized, so Barry Lee was required to be added as a candidate for Delegate on the ballot.
- Tran. Div Ballot – Up to Two (2) votes for Delegates can be cast instead of up to Three (3) votes.
If you are in one of the above commands you will receive a revised ballot printed on GREEN paper. Return only the GREEN ballot. The PINK ballot that was previously received should be discarded. In the event both the GREEN and PINK ballots are submitted, the GREEN ballot will be counted and the PINK ballot will be set aside and not counted.
In summary, if you receive a GREEN Ballot and a PINK Ballot, return only the GREEN Ballot. Please use the reply envelope that accompanied the GREEN Ballot.
Further, due to errors on the membership list we are aware that officers in the following commands were mailed an incorrect ballot type: CIB, EHPW, ESU, NIC/WF, and OBCC. The appropriate ballot for your command has been re-mailed to those who were affected. The correct ballot for your command is PINK and the ballot in the initial mailing is PINK. If you received a ballot type that is not the same as
your command it should be discarded. Only the ballot that lists your command should be returned.
To summarize, if you receive TWO PINK ballots, return only the PINK ballot for your command. Please use the reply envelope that accompanied the ballot for your command.
As a reminder, in order to be counted, ballots must be received in the American Arbitration Association post office box via U.S. mail by no later than 11:00 A.M. Thursday, June 20, 2024.
The Election Committee remains committed to an accurate and transparent process and appreciates your understanding.