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A PRIMER ON PACIFICA’S LOCAL STATION
ELECTIONS
By David Greene
Pacifica National Elections Coordinator
July 2003
The reorganization of the five-station Pacifica Radio network
is centered on listener elections, with the expectation that
elections of the Local Station Board (LSB) Delegates and Pacifica
National Board (PNB) Directors will ensure accountable and
representative governance.
Each station has a local election coordinator who is convening
an election committee to help implement the elections. The
actual schedule of elections, which should take about three
months, won’t be certain until bylaws are finally approved.
Listener-sponsor elections and staff elections will take place
at the same time.
Successful elections will rely on:
- clear and fair rules & policies;
- effective community outreach and education;
- active engagement of the station;
- high turnout of informed voters; and
- skilled and diverse candidates who are committed to Pacifica’s
mission.
THE RULES
These elections will use a system of proportional representation
called Choice Voting.
Proportional representation (PR) simply means that a given
percentage of the vote will win approximately the same percentage
of seats. In the case of the listener representatives, with
18 seats on the station board, each seat will be elected by
about 1/18th of the voters. Put another way, a group of like-minded
voters no larger than 1/18th of all voters should be able
to elect their preferred representative to one of the seats.
This system guarantees that a diversity of groups of like-minded
voters can support their preferred candidate(s) and win their
fair share of the 18 seats.
Nevertheless it is possible that the gender and ethnic makeup
of a Pacifica station’s LSB might not match the demographics
of a Pacifica station’s signal area. As mentioned in
the bylaws discussion, a mechanism may be included to add
seats to the LSB to bring the board composition more in line
with regional demographics.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND EDUCATION
Elections will include over a month of campaigning to inform
voters about the candidates and the election process, including:
- on-air equal-time appearances and broadcast recorded
statements,
- local “candidates’ nights” meetings,
- on-line information through the station’s website,
and
- printed ballot materials (with up to 500-word statements
from each candidate) which will be mailed to every voter.
Some candidates may even provide email addresses for direct
correspondence.
 ROLE
OF THE STATION
The elections will rely on the irreplaceable resource of
the airwaves: station on-air personalities and recorded messages
will remind listeners about upcoming deadlines and events;
some campaign events will be broadcast, and the station will
pay for all election expenses.
ROLE OF THE VOTERS
Listener-sponsor voters must qualify as a:
- subscriber (contribute at least $25 to a Pacifica station
in the past year), or
- volunteer (spend at least 3 hours supporting a Pacifica
station in the past year).
The deadline to qualify will be announced once the schedule
is established, but will be at least one month before the
ballots are mailed. Couples who have given at least $50 and
have given their local Pacifica station both names should
receive two ballots.
To be valid, 10 percent of eligible voters must cast a vote.
Voters will receive a mailed paper ballot and will have approximately
30 days to evaluate the candidates, then complete and return
the ballot. Online voting should also be an option.
With at least 18 listener representatives being elected,
there may 40 or more candidates! To vote, first decide which
candidates you do -- and do not -- support. Then rank those
whom you do support in order of preference – 1st choice,
2nd choice, etc. You may rank two or more candidates the same,
but your single vote will then be divided among all candidates
with the same rank. Do not rank those that you do not support.
Every vote is important – just 264 votes would win
a seat in a 5,000-vote election!
CANDIDATES
To run for the board, you must
- be a qualified voter,
- submit a nomination petition signed by at least 15 other
qualified voters, and
- participate in at least part of the campaign.
A lack of diverse candidates would severely jeopardize the
ability of the election to result in a diverse board.
For more information on bylaws or elections, see your local
station web site or www.pacifica.org.
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