Dues Referendum 2014 - vote early, vote often

I know I'm dating myself is saying this, but I have always been a big fan of Walt Kelly's comic strip Pogo. The title of this post is a crib of the habitual election-year rallying cry of his characters. To be clear, we don't actually allow you to vote often, but if you are a life or regular member in good standing, you do get to vote, and it's important that you do.

If you'll pardon the digression, I thought I'd use this post to give you a bit of behind-the-scenes insight into the voting habits of our membership. I find them kind of fascinating, and perhaps you will, too.

First out of the gate are the early voters. These are people who, one way or another, have already made up their mind on the matter at hand, and vote within a day or two of the polls opening. Read the voting instructions; log in online, or pick up the phone and dial; make the selection; done! These voters account for about one-quarter of the returns.

Then we move into the long, dark doldrums of the mid-vote lull; voting tails off pretty rapidly by the end of the first week. It doesn't seem to matter how long that middle period is - one week or three - the mid-vote turnout is always about the same, another 25%.

Then, bam! Fully half of all members wait to cast their ballot until the last week, with roughly one-third hanging on until the very last minute. These are the people who fascinate me most. Well, second-most. Were they just having trouble making up their minds? Were they waiting until some voice or point arose that really touched them, one way or the other? Or were they, like many of us I suspect, thinking I'll vote tomorrow…well, tomorrow…well, tomorrow…What?!…the vote closes tomorrow?! Who knows. All we know is that there are always a lot of them, and we're glad they got in under the wire.

The members who really do fascinate me the most are the ones who don't bother to vote. Depending on the topic, voting return rates vary between 25% and 38%. Most of our sister associations would kill for return rates that high (yes, you read that correctly), but it still means that as many as three-quarters of members are not exercising their right to vote.

Why? Or, more correctly, why not?

This is your association, and your vote is your voice. Let it be heard! If you think the proposal should pass, please let us know by voting for it - our Staff Psychic is on vacation. If you think the proposal shouldn't pass, we need to hear that, too. (Obviously, we encourage you to vote in favour, but the decision is yours.) 

I mean, come on: this vote is all about finances. You have already paid for the opportunity to vote, don't waste your own money.

And for those who think that their vote doesn't matter one way or another, let me tell you something. The only vote that doesn't matter is the one you don't cast.

Vote! Vote early, vote often once.

PS: Someday, I would love to be able to mention, in casual conversation with one of our sister organisations, that we had a 50% turnout for our last vote. (I'll ensure emergency medical personnel are standing by, just in case.) I can't make that kind of turnout happen, but you can.