This year, I have the honor of serving as the Board of Trustees’ liaison to the Lay Leadership Development Committee (LLDC). This gives me the opportunity to see the committee members – Perry Bieder, Lydia Morris Fettig, and Julie Grimes – in action at their meetings, and learn in-depth about the important work they are doing for WES. 

This month, Julie Grimes will be completing her term on the LLDC, so the committee is preparing for the election that will give the membership the opportunity to select a new representative to join the LLDC at the fall membership meeting on Sunday, October 27th. Over the past year, the LLDC has been looking at how to switch WES elections over to an electronic voting system, and we are going to use such a system this month to fill the opening on the LLDC.

In the coming weeks, each member of WES who has provided a unique email address will receive an email that includes a link for voting in the LLDC election. This will be an uncontested election, with Adam Briskin-Limehouse as the only candidate (though write-ins and abstentions will be possible), so it will serve as a simple test case for the new system. To vote, members will just click on the link in the email. Using their link, each voter can only vote once, and voting choices will be anonymous. Votes can be cast via a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

For those members of WES who have not provided an email address for the membership directory, or for those families for whom more than one member uses the same email address, they can request that the LLDC provide them with an individualized access key. They can then go to the ElectionBuddy.com website, click on the black “Vote” button at the top of the webpage, enter their access key, and cast their vote. 

Members of the LLDC will also be available to assist with voting between and after platforms on Sunday, October 20th and Sunday, October 27th. On those days, LLDC members will have a laptop and the list of access keys; this will give members an opportunity to cast their votes in person at WES.
Voting will open when the emails go out to members, and close at 1 pm on Sunday, October 27th, when the fall membership meeting begins. The election results will be available immediately when voting closes, and will be announced at the meeting.

The LLDC hopes that using an electronic voting system will make voting simpler and more convenient for members, while maintaining the integrity of elections at WES. Please join me in thanking Julie, Lydia, and Perry for all their work on this effort. If you have any questions, please send them to lldc@ethicalsociety.org.