2008 Elections
Procedure for online voting at AAPM.ORG.
Prior to the vote, AAPM HQ will send an email to all voting members giving them the ability to opt-out of the electronic vote via their online profile. Members will be given at least 2 weeks to respond to this. There will be a notice in the newsletter or a mailing announcing the procedure for allowing members to opt-out.
Voting AAPM members with an email address that is not marked "BAD", and who have not opted-out of online voting, will be sent an email with a URL that will take them to the electronic ballot.
All Voting AAPM members without an email address or with a "BAD" email address, and those who have opted-out of online voting, will be sent a paper ballot.
Electronic Ballot
The electronic ballot will be very similar to paper ballots used in the past:
There will need to be one write-in space for each possible vote. The web page will ensure that only the correct number of candidates per section is selected prior to submitting a final vote. Once a voter submits their vote, a confirmation screen will show all of the information they just entered. The voter will then be prompted to press "Finalize my vote" and their vote will be recorded in the AAPM database.
All users will be authenticated with their AAPM username and password prior to voting. While no record of whom or what issue a voter voted for, a record that a voter has already voted will be created once their vote is "finalized". If a voter attempts to post a blank vote (one where no options have been chosen), they will be told that no data was received and be directed to fill out the form again.
Paper Ballots
All paper ballots will be counted.
To ensure the integrity of the vote, all members who are sent a paper ballot will be ineligible to vote online. If a member attempts to use the online voting system, it will not allow them to vote and instruct them to use the paper ballot.
When Paper Ballots are received at headquarters, the name on the outside of the envelope will be entered into the online system to ensure that they have not already voted and record that a paper ballot was received. Their sealed envelope will then be delivered to office services where the ballot will be separated from the envelope. At no time will staff be able to connect a member to their vote.
The ballots will be returned to headquarters where the votes will be entered into the system anonymously.
The final counts will be available to the secretary.