IAPT Ballot: hold it!!!

[Nick Turland]

Dear Taxacomers,

Vicki Funk has asked us to protest against Partricia Holmgren's absence
from the IAPT ballot paper by not voting for any of the officers or
council and returning the paper to Copenhagen requesting a new ballot.

Hold on there!! If you are considering doing that, then you would
effectively invalidate your ballot paper. If enough people did this, the
present Secretary would likely be elected President by default, and quite
possibly the third individual listed for Vice-President into that post too
(because those protesting would very likely have voted for other
individuals in those posts).

Please do vote for the officers and council. You CAN help change the IAPT
by voting for individuals who genuinely support openness and democracy. If
you disagree with there being only one candidate for Secretary-Treasurer,
then by all means attach a letter of protest (simply not voting for the
single candidate will make no difference). However, PLEASE don't
invalidate your ballot paper and lose your (albeit small) influence on the
future of our organization!

A colleague made the point that if the sort of strategy being suggested
worked then "the Vietnam war would have ended in 1968, Nixon would have
never been elected and marijuana would be legal."

Nick Turland
Flora of China Project, Missouri Botanical Garden,
P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166-0299, U.S.A.
E-mail: nturland at lehmann.mobot.org
Phone: +1 314 577 0269  Fax: +1 314 577 9438