In order to ensure all party members are allowed a voice in the decision-making of the party, a ballot will be sent out 6 weeks prior to the Annual Convention which contains all resolutions that were properly submitted. All members have the opportunity to participate equally, regardless of attendance.
Resolutions will be listed on the ballot. Each eligible member will have the choice of green
, yellow
and red
. Green indicates that the member believes the motion should pass as written and requires no additional explanation or amendments. Red indicates that the motion is without merit and should fail without discussion. Yellow indicates that there is merit to the motion but that further information or discussion is warranted, including the opportunity to pass amendments.
Resolutions that receive 75% or more red will fail outright and not be discussed at Convention. Those receiving at least 75% green will pass and become part of party policy with no discussion. All other resolutions will be put on the agenda to be discussed at the meeting.
Resolutions submitted by a member in good standing, by post or email, and received by the party secretary, Mike Wright, by February 28, 2012, will be included on the Bonser ballot.
Mike Wright can be contacted at:
resolutionin the subject line
All members in good standing of the Green Party of Saskatchewan can vote.
Members attending the convention can join/renew at convention and submit Bonser ballots at that point. Members not able to attend should submit ballots at least five days prior to the Convention, i.e. by April 23, so that they are received by the Secretary before the day of the Annual Convention. Membership forms, fees and donations may be included with the Bonser ballot.
A committee of two members will be appointed by the executive to oversee opening and counting at Convention.
A package will be mailed out six weeks before the convention to all current and lapsed members. (To request a package please contact the Secretary at secretary@saskgreen.ca )
Please refer to the following Bylaws for more information on the resolutions process. Full text can be viewed at saskgreen.ca/policy/constitution_and_bylaws
5.4 ... meetings
may be interpreted as including asynchronous participation such as mail-in ballots or post-meeting mail-in ratifications ....
10.1 Participation in Annual Convention will consist of in-person attendance at the meeting ... and asynchronous participation via mail-in ballots ....
10.7 ... resolutions shall be sent to the Provincial Secretary at least two months prior to the date of the Annual Convention. The Provincial Secretary shall ensure that copies of all resolutions ... are made available to all members at least six weeks prior to the opening of the Convention.
10.9 The Resolutions and Bylaws Committee shall prepare a Bonser
ballot listing all resolutions ... and mail it at least thirty (30) days prior to the Annual Convention to everyone who is a member in good standing of the Party, or has had their membership lapse within the last year....
10.9.1 The Bonser ballot will show the following choices for each resolution:
a) red, indicating opposition to the resolution;
b) yellow, meaning I wish to learn more about this resolution
or I do not like this resolution’s present wording, but I think the concept has merit
c) green, indicating support of the resolution;
10.9.2 Included with the ballot will be:
a) a separate envelope, into which the recipient will place the secret ballot...;
b) a membership renewal form, with the individual’s name pre-printed, which will be returned with the sealed ballot envelope. The form must be completed if the individual would not otherwise be a member in good standing on the date set for Convention.
10.9.3 Members attending Convention, including those who join at Convention, who have not mailed in a ballot, may receive a ballot at Convention, which must be filled in and sealed and returned to the Ballot Committee ....
10.10 Resolutions for which adequate notice has not been given may only be considered if this is acceptable to a two-thirds majority of those attending the Convention.
10.11 Voting on resolutions for which prior notice has been given will take place as follows:
a)Bonser
ballot results will be announced by the Ballot Committee, using the colour-coded categories defined in Article 10.9.1.
b)If 75% or more of the votes are green, the resolution is accepted, without further discussion at Convention, and without subsequent ratification.
c)If 75% of the votes are red, the resolution will fail, without further discussion at Convention, and without subsequent ratification.
d)If neither green nor red has 75% of the votes, the resolution will be discussed and voted on at Convention.
10.12 The Executive shall mail out a secret ratification ballot to all persons who were members in good standing at the time of the Annual Convention, for all policy resolutions passed at Convention, excluding those passed by a 75% green vote on the Bonser ballots.... If 50% plus one of the ratification votes support the resolution, it is deemed to be accepted....
All members of the party can vote for the members of the executive regardless of attendance at the AGM. Nominations must be received by February 28, 2012, two months prior to the Annual Convention.
Nominations will only be received from the floor if no valid nominations for a particular position were received by the February 28 deadline, or if None of the Above
receives the majority of votes.
For a person to be nominated for a position on the provincial executive, three members in good standing must send a letter (e-mail or post) supporting the nomination, to be received by the Party President, Tobi-Dawne Smith, two months prior to the Annual Convention.
All three nominators must print their names legibly in addition to signing the form. The signed form should then be posted, FAX’d, or scanned and emailed.
Please use the nomination form enclosed, or available at saskgreen.ca/GPS/docs/2012/GPS_2012_Exec_Nomination_Form.pdf
Tobi-Dawne can be reached at:
Executive Nominationin the subject line
Attention: Vicki Strelioff. (Vicki will deliver to Tobi-Dawne.)
meetthe nominees?
Since many of the votes will be cast by mail-in ballots, it is important that candidates for Executive office provide a brief statement about themselves, (a.k.a. a bio
), which can be posted on the website and mailed out to members with the ballots. If possible, please include a bio with the nomination. Otherwise, the bio must be received by March 6, one week after nominations close, in order to be mailed out with the ballots. Bios can and should include links or references to appropriate sources of additional information about the nominee.
All members in good standing of the Green Party of Saskatchewan can vote.
Members attending the convention can join/renew at convention and vote at the convention. Ballots from members not able to attend must be received before the date of the convention. These can be mailed or hand-delivered. Membership forms, fees and donations may be included with the ballot.
As at past Annual Conventions, a committee will be struck at Convention to count ballots and ensure secrecy.
A package will be mailed out 6 weeks before the convention to all current and lapsed members. This package will include nominees’ names and biographies, along with a ballot. (To request a package please contact the Secretary at secretary@saskgreen.ca )
Please refer to the following Bylaws for more information on the nominations and election process. Full text can be viewed at saskgreen.ca/policy/constitution_and_bylaws
8.0 Provincial Executive Officers
8.2 All Provincial Executive officers shall be elected by combination of secret mail in ballot and vote....
8.2.1 Any member not in attendance at the Annual Convention may mail in their ballot, or have their ballot hand delivered to the Convention.
8.2.2 Any mailed in ballot must be received by the Party President prior to the Annual Convention.
8.2.3 Ballots must be sent out 6 weeks prior to the Annual Convention along with the list of candidates.
8.3 The nomination of the Provincial executive officers will be as follows:
8.3.1 All candidates for any provincial executive position must be nominated in writing by 3 members in good standing.
8.3.2 All nominations must be received by the Party President 2 months prior to the date of the election.
8.3.3 If no candidate in nominated 2 months prior to the election, the position may be filled by nominations from the floor during the AGM.
8.3.4 If only one candidate is nominated for a position and None of the Above
receives the majority of votes, new candidates may be nominated from the floor and a second election will occur.
8.3.5 All candidates must be presented to the general membership at least 6 weeks before the election.
4.4 Candidates must be members in good standing of the Green Party of Saskatchewan.
We are now seeking nominations for the party executive. Members of the executive influence the direction of the party throughout the year. This is your chance to create change, to inspire political action, and make a difference.
All executive positions are up for election: at this year’s Convention.
Duties and responsibilities of the Executive officers are given in Bylaw 8.4.