2011/5/9 Kirill Lokshin
<kirill.lokshin@gmail.com>
2011/5/9 David Itkin
<dhitkin@hotmail.com>
- Full year dues cover the full fiscal year. If I pay $10.00 by June 30th of a 200x, my membership runs from July 1 201x to June 30, 201y.
- Dues through June 30, 200y remain $10.00 until around Thanksgiving.
- From Thanksgiving through Tax Day, I can pay half-year dues that run from the day I pay $5.00 through June 30, 200y. As a courtesy, if I pay between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, I'm considered a member from the day I pay through June 30, 200y
- After Tax Day, we start accepting dues for 200y - 200z. If I pay $10.00 after Tax day, I'm paying for July 1, 200y - June 30, 200z. As a courtesy, I'm considered a member from the day I pay, but I can't vote in the end-of-year elections.
Doesn't this approach cause confusion at the time of the elections, since you effectively wind up with both voting and non-voting members?
Observing how Wikimedia UK works over here, they allow people to pay membership directly before the AGM, which allows the individuals to vote on all of the activities. It was very good to have some fresh new members of the chapter voicing their opinions and voting on many of their membership voting issues.
I think anyone who has made dues should be able to vote, even if they are new to the organization. Innevitably, if we create some sort of mini-conference before the annual meeting we will draw increasingly more crowds of people who are interested in the movement and furthering the movement, and are already invested in the purpose of Wiki Society DC, just haven't observed the politiking that will inevitably go on in the background. Sometimes having fresh perspectives taking things on face value is beneficial to moving an organization forward. I would be strongly opposed to denying someone voting rights if they have joined, no matter when they have joined.
Alex Stinson
User:Sadads