Updated: RTM Member Moves to Overrule the Decision of the Moderator on CTCL Grant Vote, Citing “Operational glitch”

By: |
Print

Update: At 10:11pm Michael Spilo sent the following to the RTM Moderator Alexis Voulgaris, with a cc to Town Clerk Jackie Budkins, Town Attorney Barbara Schellenberg, Assistant Town Attorney Ahmad, Aamina, Republican Registrar of Voters Fred DeCaro III and Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo:

RE: Motion to overrule

Madam Moderator,

I believe it is out of order for you to have made a ruling of such import without convening the body.  That said, if your ruling is in order, then the motion to overrule is also in order.  As we now have a motion to overrule before us, the ruling cannot take effect until the body votes on the motion, and therefore Town Clerk may not certify the vote and accordingly the First Selectman and Registrar of Voters are not authorized to sign any agreements until the body has been convened to vote.

Respectfully,
Michael Spilo

Originally published at 6:58pm: Sent by Michael Spilo to entire RTM Thursday at 6:40pm following decision by Moderator Alexis Voulgaris on Tuesday’s item 10 vote on the $500,000 grant from CTCL

Folks,

  1. The membership was NOT able to verify that their votes were cast on Tuesday because the screens were illegible while the voting window was open
  2. As shown in the Meridia report, and confirmed to me by the COO of Merida, the “OK” indicator on the remote is NOT an indication that the vote was accepted by the server and the only such indication is the screen which was illegible
  3. I personally notified the Moderator that the screen was an issue early in the evening, well before the vote on item 10
  4. As soon as the more legible final tally screen for item 10 was shown several members protested that their vote had not been recorded.

In other words, this new system had an operational glitch that caused it to behave differently from the system on which we practiced and prevented voters from knowing whether their vote was cast during the voting window.  Whether it was a user error, a timing issue, a system glitch, or cosmic rays which caused their vote not to register doesn’t matter.  These voters had no way of knowing that such an event occurred.

The idea that a glitch should disenfranchise some voters seems wrong to me. 

I move to overrule the decision of the Chair.

Respectfully,

Michael Spilo