Electronic Voting

PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION BELOW CAREFULLY. 

 

Electronic Voting FAQs:

Please carefully read our informational guide to voting electronically for our Contract Ratification. We’ve provided as much information as possible to avoid any confusion about the electronic voting process. The Motion Picture Contract Ratification Voting will OPEN on Wednesday, September 26^th  at 8am and CLOSE on Wednesday October 10^th at 1pm. Should you have any questions, or should you want to update or check on your contact information on file, please call the Union Hall at: (818)762-4239 or email: unionhall@ibew40.org

1. I did not receive a text message or an email with my ballot. What do I do?

Ballots will be sent via email and text message around 8:00AM on Wednesday, September 26th. If you do not have a mobile phone number, or email on file, a postcard with your individual voting key will be mailed to you.

If you did not receive your ballot on Wednesday September 26th via email or text message, please contact the Local 40 office at:

•  (818)762-4239 or email: unionhall@ibew40.org
• Remember that you MUST be a Member in good-standing (not on withdrawal or suspended) as well as have the ability to work under this contract in order to vote. 

2. How can I best prepare to receive my ballot by email to ensure it doesn’t end up in my junk mail or is treated like spam? 

To help ensure emails are delivered successfully, Members should be on the lookout for an email:

• “From” IBEW Local 40
• With a subject line that states “Vote now: IBEW Local 40 - Motion Picture Contract Ratification”
• That has invitations@app.electionbuddy.com as the sending email address.

Members should also take a minute to add invitations@app.electionbuddy.com to their contact list. This teaches your email program that you are expecting an email from us, and will decrease the chances that a spam filter will catch it.

3. I did not receive a text message or an email with my ballot, how do I get my ballot?

Please contact the Union Hall at (818)762-4239 to obtain your ballot.  Please remember, in order to be eligible to vote in our Ratification vote, you must be a Member in good-standing, not retired, suspended or on withdrawal. Should you have questions regarding your eligibility, please contact the Union Hall at (818)762-4239.  

4. I click on my ballot link provided to vote and my password (last 4 of my SSN) is reading incorrect. What do I do?

Please contact the Union Hall at (818)762-4239 to ensure we have your correct information on file.

5. I click on the ballot link provided to vote and after entering in my password (last 4 of SSN) it says I have already voted, but I haven’t. What do I do?

Please contact the Union Hall at (818)762-4239, or at unionhall@ibew40.org

6. I do not have access to a smartphone or a computer and cannot cast my vote. What do I do?

You can also vote anywhere where you have access to a computer such as a public library. If you cannot access your public library, contact us to schedule a time to use a computer at the Local 40 office. No Local 40 Staff will be present if you decide to vote at the Local. Be sure to have your email, text message or postcard with your individual access key, as you will need it to vote. Members will only be allowed to vote one at a time to ensure the confidentiality of each Members vote.

7. What is the password I am expected to enter in order to access my ballot?

In order to protect vote security, personal unique voting keys are created and used only once. Election Buddy will be requiring you to input the last 4 of your SSN linked to your unique voter key to ensure your vote is protected and fulfilled by you.

8. What is the Election Company we are using for our Electronic Voting?

The Election Company we are utilizing for our electronic contract ratification vote is called ElectionBuddy. “ElectionBuddy is about voting processes for Member-based organizations. Our Staff strives to simplify and secure elections and votes for voters, Members and Election Administrators.”

Source: ElectionBuddy Website: www.electionbuddy.com

9. How did we come about selecting ElectionBuddy to manage our Contract Ratification Vote?

We were referred to the platform by other Local Unions that have been using the ElectionBuddy system for their contract campaigns over the years. Local 40 has received permission from the International Office to use ElectionBuddy and the electronic voting process for our upcoming contract ratification vote, as the company is certified by the Department of Labor. We may be using this method of voting for our upcoming Ratification votes of our other Agreements. In addition, the local unions within the Basic Crafts Locals are using the same system to vote their Memberships.

See list of other organizations that have trusted ElectionBuddy to manage their elections: https://electionbuddy.com/customers/overview

10. Is ElectionBuddy Secure?

Fairness and independent observation of an online election system is enhanced using technology. Proper audits start with proper security. ElectionBuddy uses 256KB encryption used by banks and credit card companies, and follows stringent election security guidelines for election processes, such as the United States Department of Labor Office of Labor-Management Standards for elections. They also follow PCI standards for secure storage of information. Vote audits are always conducted to protect voter anonymity; none but you and the election company will ever know the voting choice you made.

11. How much involvement will the staff of Local 40 have in overseeing and managing the Contract Ratification Vote?

IBEW Local 40 will be utilizing ElectionBuddy’s “Dedciated Assistance” option for our Contract Ratification Vote. What this means is that ElectionBuddy will be overseeing every aspect of the voting process, and will be the one assisting our Local 40 Staff should they run into any issues during the vote. Local 40 is providing, and overseeing the list of eligible voters. Remember, a Member must be in good-standing (i.e.: not be suspended or on withdrawal) in order to vote. We have ensured there will be Local 40 staff available for assistance for the duration of our Contract Ratification Vote.

• Remember Local 40’s Office Hours are:

Monday – Friday 8am-5pm,  and CLOSED from 12pm-1pm for Lunch

 

12. What is the timeframe in which I will be able to vote in the Contract Ratification?

We will be leaving the polls open for two weeks, from Wednesday, September 26^th at 8am until Wednesday October 10^th, at 1pm giving our Members plenty of time to cast their vote. 

13. How will the votes be tabulated and when will the results of the Contract Ratification be announced?

Results are automatically tabulated. Results will be announced to the Membership as soon as we receive the official results from ElectionBuddy. All votes will remain anonymous even after the results are revealed and Local 40 will not know how individual Members voted. Your anonymity is protected throughout this process.   You will also be able to ensure your vote was properly included in the results.

14. Will we be able to review the results of the Contract Ratification Votes after the voting has closed?

Local 40 will be sending out an email with the results from the Contract Ratification. Make sure you have updated your email with the office to receive emails from IBEW Local 40. To verify your contact information,  visit : www.ibew40.org and LOGIN

15. Why did Local 40 decide to utilize electronic voting for our Contract Ratification?

The decision to utilize an electronic voting method was to ensure our Members had enough time to thoroughly review the proposed Summary of Key Changes and still be able to vote in a timely manner. We believe this method will simplify the voting process while also adding extra security checks and balances that are DOL compliant, and monitored by a third party, ElectionBuddy. All voter ballots and results are observable and audit-able to verify votes are correctly cast and to avoid any election fraud.