This coming Tuesday the Santa Barbara City Council is set to appoint an individual to fill the vacant seat on the Council. The voting process, was posted on the City's website late Thursday. Explaining the rules of Mah Jong would probably take less time, but here goes nothing:
The names of all 46 applicants will appear on a preliminary ballot. (So much for declaring six of them ineligible.) Each Councilmember may vote for up to five different persons. Those applicants receiving two or more votes will move on to the second round.
In the second round, by write-in, each Councilmember may vote for up to three different persons from the remaining list of candidates. The names of those candidates receiving one or more votes will be placed in a pool of applicants eligible for nomination in the next round.
(As the guy in the ShamWow commercial might ask at this point, "Are you following me camera guy?")
In the third, and final, round each Councilmember may nominate one person each from the list of applicants remaining. By roll-call each Councilmember votes for one, of what could be as many as six, nominees. The person who receives four or more votes is appointed. If no person receives four votes the process may be repeated starting at step two.
Hopefully, a winner will be declared sometime before the end of the year.
© 2010 by Craig Smith and www.craigsmithsblog.com
