YES

One Member/One Vote is a mechanism for ranchers who are members of NCBA to vote on “contentious issues” without having the huge expense of traveling to the annual convention. A contentious issue would be any issue that came before the Stakeholder’s Congress that receives at least 33 1/3 % of the vote but less than 75%.

Vote by mail could be done through the use of the Beef Business Bulletin (NCBA newsletter) to implement the “One Member/One Vote” vote-by-mail process. 

•  Each member of NCBA has an ID number that is printed on the label of the BBB for mailing purposes.  This label could become a “peel off” label that would be affixed to the return mail ballot envelope. This would authenticate each returning ballot.

• The cost of inserting a ballot and voting issues in the BBB would be quite minimal.

•  An independent vote counting agency would count the ballots.

•  The physical ballot would resemble the “IBM 80 column” computer punch cards.

•  The ballot would have “easy to remove” punches (chads) for convenience.

•  Within one month after the Stakeholder’s Congress all campaigning (for & against the issue) and voting through the vote-by-mail process would be accomplished.

•  A simple majority of ballots is required to pass the issue of the vote.

More than one issue could be voted on at once.

As a fifth generation rancher from Jordan Valley, Ore., and being the President of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, it has been quite an honor to personally represent cattlemen’s viewpoints to the NCBA, Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton,  Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman and to the President of the United States George W. Bush.