Re: Pay to vote

[Corun MacAnndra <corun@access.digex.net>]

Poster: Corun MacAnndra <corun@access.digex.net>

Niall wrote:
> 
> 	Unto the Merry rose, does Niall Dolphin send greetings!
> 
> I would like to know what people would think about a kingdom policy of pay
> to vote. 
> When the various baronies take a vote for their next Baron and Baroness,
> some of them offer a part of the official polling to go to non-members to
> get their opinions.

I do not know of any instance where this has happened. In my expereince
the polling letters for a Baron and Baroness go only to those paid members
whose mailing labels can be acquired from Milpitas.

> More then once in the SCA has a polling
> been given and every signature ( including children and pets ) had been
> utilized to influence an appointment or a decision.

Again I do not know of any instance where this has happened. Please provide
proof, publicly, of these allegations.

> A pay to vote policy as
> far as I could tell would give a better idea to the crown of what the opinion
> is of the more active members of a group,

No, it wouldn't. Your logic here is flawed, or else you have said something
other than what you mean. According to your accusations above, groups are
now polling the active members, and many are non-paying players. To poll
only paid members (as is now done), would, by your arguments, not provide
the Crown the opinion of the whole group.

> or it would increase in membership
> because it would make people get off their behinds. As far as thoes people
> who consider themsleves too poor for a membership... an associate membership
> is not that expensive, and even at my poorest in college did I manage to pay.

It might, and it might not get more people to pay. It's a crap shoot.
Personally I don't thik you can force anyone into this regardless of your
methods, and might even chase some folks away.

> This was even before requirements for a membership for fighting.

Which was rescinded some time ago.

In reality, the reason we go to Milpitas for mailing labels for pollings
is that most groups don't have a complete listing of the names and addresses
of all the people in their area and relying on corporate records makes
this easy.

I'm curious, and so must needs ask. Just what is the reason you have
posted this, IMO inflammatory, missive? It sounds like a recent polling
in your neighborhood didn't go the way you'd have liked and you're on
an ax grinding mission. This is only an observation though. I eagerly
await the proof of your accusations though.

In service,
Corun MacAnndra
by the will of the People of Storvik and the Grace of Their Majesties
Baron Storvik

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