Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The great polling experiment

Today is the last day of the LCMS online presidential vote. I hope full statistics will be available afterward - not just the percentage of votes each of the three candidates received, but also (at least) how many total votes were cast, how many were eligible to vote, and the break down of pastoral and lay votes. Regional breakdowns would be nice, too. Even with minimal statistics released this election should give us the clearest picture yet of what the LCMS really looks like "on the ground."

While the announcement of the winner is not set to occur until July 6, we should know a little something the day after tomorrow, as the information I received as a voter told me that Election-America.com will contact me on June 27 if a runoff is required.

As they say in Chi-town: vote early, vote often!

+HRC

9 comments:

  1. In your estimation is it worth a million dollars? That's the price I heard quoted.

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    1. Ask me after the results come in :)

      I will say this for the new system - I do think it is more conducive to our theology of what a Synod is: a collection of congregations and their pastors. And for good or bad, it seems to have cut down on the volume of advocacy. I've received not even a tenth of the correspondence I received as a delegate in 2007.

      As for cost - I assume it came out of the convention assessment, so I guess it's a wash: if this costs more, something else would have to be trimmed from the convention. But that's an assumption - maybe this is more money than we would have spent otherwise. Then again, your cost estimate is also hearsay :)

      +HRC

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    2. "CMS" if you actually did "hear" that it is a bunch of

      bull-O-knee

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    3. It was quoted by a district official.

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    4. The passive voice is always an interesting way to make assertions.

      *If* "it was quoted" by a "district official" that "district official" is passing along:

      BULL - OH - KNEE

      : )

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  2. I tried to vote more than once and thankfully the system didn't let me.

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    1. Are you trying hard enough? It's not the Chicago way to give up so soon!

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  3. Chris, on a more serious note.

    These are the kind of silly rumors that actually do get picked up and spread around.

    I contacted Ray Hartwig and just put it to him, "Did the Synod election process cost $1,000,000 or is that baloney?" His answer was, "Pass the mustard, it is very good on baloney."

    No, it absolutely did NOT cost a million bucks, that's really crazy.

    So, I'd suggest/recommend you contact the "district official" to let him know and encourage him to contact Ray Hartwig if he still actually thinks it cost one million bucks.

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  4. One more comment...I asked why it is that we didn't simply give the vote to every active senior/sole parish pastor and to every congregation. Answer? The thinking was that the lay delegate to a district convention would be more "informed."

    Given how some people think that by boycotting their district convention they are somehow "sending a message" ... the only message they are sending now is, "I'm a really stupid person, for not only do I remove myself from any possibility of influencing anything on the district level, I also give up my opportunity to vote for the Synodical president."

    :)

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