|
St
Nicholas at Wade Village Referendum
Referendum date - 12th March 2005
Results
Process of voting
The issue
Calendar of recent
events
Background information
CAA airport Licence
s106 Second Schedule
Night flights
are not essential SASIG report
s106 Questionnaire
or download the PDF from TDC's website
106 Agreement Questionnaire
Review
of Section 106 Agreement
Preamble
11.7% of the electorate of St Nicholas have signed a document
agreeing to the basic principle of the questions listed below.
It is not whether you are for or against the issue (in this case it is the
airport), it is whether decisions should be made effecting the village without
first asking the residents.
Introduction
The first stage of a new concept of public opinion gathering,
it is not a survey, you will be able to vote on each of three questions.
Referendums are not new, the new aspect is that it will be run entirely by the
people of the village, every part will be under scrutiny of the people of the
village plus two auditors from outside the village and the press.
The process can be repeated for other issues, the requirements are -
- Signatures of 10% of the village registered electors
- Funding for the referendum costs which will include
publishing costs.
This is not as difficult as it may seem if you have an issue
that is popular, if it is not popular then you should consider re-wording
it, or dropping the issue.
Principles
- No person or authority should speak on behalf of people
that they have not asked.
- A vote is the property of the individual.
- A vote should not be numbered to enable tracing the voter
preferences
- It is the public's vote, therefore the public should be able to see their
vote at every point in the process. (‘see’ does/should not imply read)
- The process should be validated by the public, respected persons and the
media
Democracy, like justice, should be seen to be done.
-------------------------------
The Three Questions
Question 1.
Do you agree/support the village doing a
poll/referendum of issues that concern the residents of the village?
Question 2.
Do you agree that the authorities should ask the most
affected people before agreeing to support concessions to companies, which could
adversely affect the general public?
Question 3.
Do you agree that Thanet District Council Cabinet
should have asked the people under the flight path of Manston Airport before
agreeing to permit incoming flights between the hours of 23:00 (11pm) and 01:00
(1am) contrary to existing planning agreements?
- Only people who are on the Electoral Register can vote.
- Voters will need two means of identification to get ballot card/s (the checker-in may
know you but the Auditor/s will not.
1. Driving Licence, Passport,
Pension-Book, Student Card and
2. a current Utility Bill or a Credit/Rent Bill
showing your current address.
- The voter will then be issued with three ballot cards
marked Q1, Q2, Q3.
- Ballot card/s should be marked to leave the voters answer
displayed (see ballot card).
- If a voter chooses to abstain they should cross out both
the YES and NO.
- If there is more than one question a separate Ballot Box should be used
for each question.
- After marking the ballot slip it should be folded on the
thick line between the YES and the NO and inserted in to the ballot box
marked for that question.
Counting
- Each Ballot Box should be
1. sorted in to YES, NO, ABSTAIN, then
2. counted in turn, Q1, then Q2 etc.
- The result of each box marked up on a board for everyone to see.
- Result/s to be sent to organisations/authorities implicated in the
referendum and local media with a copy of the auditor’s comments on the
validity of the process.
Ballot card.
If the answer is YES, cross out the NO.
After marking the ballot slip it should be folded
on the thick line between the YES and the NO and inserted in to the ballot box
marked for that question.
Schematic Drawing of the potential layout in the
Village Hall for voting.
Schematic Drawing of the potential layout in the
Village Hall for the counting.
| 