I have always hated abstention voting except in the case of conflict of interest. I have been unable to find in Robert's Rules of Order abstention as a voting method, perhaps somebody else has a source. However it does say, "No one can vote on a question affecting himself." This would verify the argument that voting on your pay raise is improper.
In Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary we have the following definition for abstain: to refrain deliberately and often with an effort of self-denial from an action or practice. And since it isn't counted as a vote as Brian and Robert's Rules seem to illuminate, it makes for a curious argument that perhaps the representatives who vote as such are not really voting at all. In fact they had no vote on the issue. This is particularly important for representatives who support alternative voting methods to help increase the voices of minority populations and so firmly believe in the right to vote. It has to be hard to say to supporters, "Get out and vote for me" and then when you get there you don't vote for those who voted for you. Also I've always felt that organizations who were highly dysfunctional used abstention to avoid facing up to the truth - or as I like to say sometimes, "conflict avoidance." Perhaps that is the case here too. So, IMHO, unless there is a conflict of interest, abstention voting is really a non-vote and should be viewed as such. Essentially, those people did not exercise their right to vote. For too long the media has put attention on those who abstain - thinking it is strategic or highlighting their efforts as if they have something important to say - or a signal to future actions. And in fact, we've been doing the same thing on this list. Highlighting those who abstained and giving them more attention just propagates the action. I say, they didn't vote. Therefore, they shouldn't have a say in what should happen and we shouldn't pay any attention to them on the issue. Thus, the outcome is that the vote passed by a whopping margin. R u s s e l l W. P e t e r s o n Saint Michael, Minnesota [EMAIL PROTECTED] ____________________________________ "You can only fly if you stretch your wings." _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
