Dear RA Delegates:
As the end of summer approaches, we are nearing the fall and the upcoming election season. For some of you, your thoughts may first turn to the upcoming provincial election or US presidential election, but it is also election time for us at Doctors of BC.
One of the most important responsibilities of the Representative Assembly is to elect Directors to the Association’s Board annually. I am excited to share that we are planning a session on this for the October 4th RA meeting.
In previous years this important duty has been given varying levels of prominence. Most recently, elections have been held electronically as a task independent of any RA meeting, with 72 of 102 RA Delegates voting in last year’s election.
I have heard from a number of you regarding ways in which this process could be made more robust, and am writing today seeking input on potential election enhancements that the RA could share with the Governance Committee, Board and staff as appropriate. At this juncture I would like to hear from you at speaker@doctorsofbc.ca regarding what information you would like to have to help you decide on how to cast your ballot. Example questions of what you might like to ponder include:
- If you haven’t voted in previous elections, why not? What would increase the likelihood of you voting this year?
- What information about the candidates do you need to make an informed vote?
- Would you be interested in watching pre-recorded video presentations by candidates?
- Would it be useful for the nomination form to include a few standard questions for candidates to answer, to allow RA Delegates the opportunity to compare answers?
In closing, I look forward to hearing from you regarding ways to enhance the sharing of candidate information, and thank you in advance for your feedback.
With best regards - and hoping you’re all having a good summer!
Dr Lloyd Oppel
Speaker of the Representative Assembly
