Just One Vote!
by Jim Cherry, AMA Executive Director
Soon all current AMA members will be receiving their
2009 membership renewal notices and 2009 election
ballots. In a cost-saving effort, the renewal
notices and election ballots will be mailed
together. The ballot will be a postage-paid post
card to encourage members to participate in the
elections.
This year, the Executive Vice President’s (EVP’s)
modified job description, which you can find on page
159 of the October 2008
MA,
will go into effect. This new direction for the post
takes it from being the AMA’s financial advisor to
assisting the AMA president, Executive Council, and
executive director. This change will be challenging,
and your vote will help determine who will fill this
most important volunteer position.
Members in Districts II and III are having elections
for the position of District Vice President (VP).
Districts VII and XI are also scheduled for VP
elections, but the incumbents are running unopposed.
Ballots will be mailed to all members to vote for
the EVP position and to those who live in districts
that are having VP elections.
Please note that the post-card ballots are to be
returned to a different address than the dues
renewals. Please don’t include your ballot in your
dues-renewal envelope.
AMA elections have not been a membership priority.
If you don’t think your vote counts, look what one
vote has done in the past.
• In 1916,
one vote
won Woodrow Wilson the presidency by carrying
California.
• The purchase of Alaska from Russia was ratified in
1867 by just
one vote.
• One of the most important and least-cited
single-vote decisions took place shortly after the
American Revolution. In 1776,
one vote
gave America the English language instead of the
German language.
• In 1923,
one vote
gave Adolf Hitler leadership of the Nazi party.
Don’t know who to vote for? Campaign statements will
be included with the ballots. Become informed, but
most of all,
vote!
Do you know of someone who is thinking about joining
the AMA? If that person does so after September 15,
2008, he or she will receive the membership for the
balance of 2008 and all of 2009 for one $58 fee.
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