poll: should we.....

[franksolich]

In an attempt to make this year's contest for Top DUmmies as captivating and suspenseful as possible, I'm trying to refine some rules.

In the past, one could either vote openly, posting one's votes in the official voting thread, or one could vote privately, via personal-message.

The problem with this was that primitives lurking here got a pretty good idea if they were going to win or not simply by reading the voting thread.

I don't think the primitives need to know this stuff until the awards are handed out.

Would you be in favor of making all voting be via secret ballot?

I dunno how AprilRazz or Alpha Mare or Ballygrl or Karin or vesta111 or Gina or Flame or Celtic Rose or whoever it was (I really don't remember, other than that it was a good-looking femme), who volunteered to count the votes this year, feels about this, and so I may be treading on thin ice here.

But I thought I'd throw this out anyway, for input.

This would not mean there wouldn't be a "ballot thread;" it would mean simply that one couldn't vote on that thread.  One could however campaign for one's favorite primitives, for the illumination of undecided voters.  I suppose one could reveal how one voted, on that thread, but those wouldn't be the votes themselves.

As the person who writes the awards, I think that I write better ones when a top DUmmie's a surprise to me, the name given to me about an hour or so before an award's due to be announced.  Last year, I knew all the winners as soon as the votes were counted, and I think the awards turned out less literary, than they'd been if I'd been surprised.

[Skul]

Yes. The more discombobulation we can heap on the primitives, the better.

[BannedFromDU]

      Yes, of course. Splendid idea.

[Ralph Wiggum]

The first couple of years that I ran the balloting, I ONLY used votes that came via private message or e-mail.

I honestly prefer that method, mostly because it adds suspense.  Not that I minded at all seeing the public ballots the way that Frank has run things.

[BannedFromDU]

The first couple of years that I ran the balloting, I ONLY used votes that came via private message or e-mail.

I honestly prefer that method, mostly because it adds suspense.  Not that I minded at all seeing the public ballots the way that Frank has run things.

     There is also a tendency for previous ballots to bias new ones: if one DUmmy is running away with a category, there is less incentive to vote on a dark horse, or a dark DUmmy, as the case may be ().

[BattleHymn]

I voted yes, on the grounds that there is still going to be a "ballot" thread. 

Sometimes, I forget about something hilarious a primitive has done, and the good people here have jogged my memory. 

[Ralph Wiggum]

I voted yes, on the grounds that there is still going to be a "ballot" thread. 

Sometimes, I forget about something hilarious a primitive has done, and the good people here have jogged my memory. 

That's the purpose of the discussion & nomination threads.  Helps remind people of some of the crazy crap that has been posted in the past year.

[franksolich]

I voted yes, on the grounds that there is still going to be a "ballot" thread. 

Sometimes, I forget about something hilarious a primitive has done, and the good people here have jogged my memory. 

Both the nomination and the ballot threads have in the past garnered lots and lots of views and comments, although lately their numbers been put deep in the shade by antics of the brain-damaged primitive.....as has just about any and every topic in the DUmpster.

(Which is all good, of course.)

There's no reason why what was usually called the "official ballot thread" can't be now dubbed the "official campaign thread," in that one can use it to promote one's favorite primitives.

And remember, once one's voted (voting lasts about ten days), one has the option to change one's votes up until the polls close, so the "undecideds" never really diminish until near the end.  A campaign thread could end up a pretty lively, robust thread.

I really think all voting should be private, because I'm really uncomfortable with the primitives knowing so much about what we know about the primitives.  I don't think they should have the opportunity to figure out if they're going to win something or not, and to let the winners be a surprise to them.

[Dori]

Both the nomination and the ballot threads have in the past garnered lots and lots of views and comments, although lately their numbers been put deep in the shade by antics of the brain-damaged primitive.....as has just about any and every topic in the DUmpster.

(Which is all good, of course.)

Regardless of how the votes turn out, the brain damaged one deserves a special award/mention of some kind.

[franksolich]

Regardless of how the votes turn out, the brain damaged one deserves a special award/mention of some kind.

I'm sure he's a lock on the Steven Dawes award, the "Steve," given to the primitive who proved himself his own worst enemy.  And he'll probably be in the top ten too, but where is anybody's guess.

[Aristotelian]

A secret ballot does seem a good idea - it will help to keep them all on their toes, some of them might be inclined to slack off if they know they're doing badly and don't have a chance...whereas we want to encourage them all to give of their best and throw lots of entertaining lunacy in our direction.

[franksolich]

A secret ballot does seem a good idea - it will help to keep them all on their toes, some of them might be inclined to slack off if they know they're doing badly and don't have a chance...whereas we want to encourage them all to give of their best and throw lots of entertaining lunacy in our direction.

^^^that too.

[GOBUCKS]

It should be secret.

And the practice of giving everyone ten votes is bad. It's why we end up with outstanding lunatics nearly tied by borderline nuts.

There should be weighted voting, i.e., list DUmmies in order with first place getting ten points etc., or else limit each voter to maybe three votes.

There needs to be some way to avoid the logjammed fiasco of last year.

[Ralph Wiggum]

It should be secret.

And the practice of giving everyone ten votes is bad. It's why we end up with outstanding lunatics nearly tied by borderline nuts.

There should be weighted voting, i.e., list DUmmies in order with first place getting ten points etc., or else limit each voter to maybe three votes.

There needs to be some way to avoid the logjammed fiasco of last year.

That's what I required when I ran things at CU and the first year of the cave, before I passed the torch to Frank.  Again, no issues with the way Coach ran things, but I like the secret ballot and ranking the DUmmies/primitives/morons where they get descending points for 1st, 2nd, etc.

[freedumb2003b]

Both the nomination and the ballot threads have in the past garnered lots and lots of views and comments, although lately their numbers been put deep in the shade by antics of the brain-damaged primitive.....as has just about any and every topic in the DUmpster.

(Which is all good, of course.)

There's no reason why what was usually called the "official ballot thread" can't be now dubbed the "official campaign thread," in that one can use it to promote one's favorite primitives.

And remember, once one's voted (voting lasts about ten days), one has the option to change one's votes up until the polls close, so the "undecideds" never really diminish until near the end.  A campaign thread could end up a pretty lively, robust thread.

I really think all voting should be private, because I'm really uncomfortable with the primitives knowing so much about what we know about the primitives.  I don't think they should have the opportunity to figure out if they're going to win something or not, and to let the winners be a surprise to them.

I agree -- we can vet the candidates in public to remind us all of the jocularity provided, then vote privately. 

Not knowing the outcome AND the anticipation of surprises is definitely worth it!

[BattleHymn]

There should be weighted voting, i.e., list DUmmies in order with first place getting ten points etc., or else limit each voter to maybe three votes.

I think this is a really good idea, if it isn't too much trouble. 

[franksolich]

I think this is a really good idea, if it isn't too much trouble. 

Trust me, it's too much trouble.

It's a big whale of trouble.

[freedumb2003b]

Trust me, it's too much trouble.

It's a big whale of trouble.

Frank!

Your reputation is you laugh at trouble! You eat whale-sized trouble for breakfast and then call in Chuck Norris to shove it in his face!

Trouble?

Not for Franksolich!

[ChuckJ]

I like the secret ballot idea.

[BattleHymn]

Out of curiosity, about how many unique primitives and number of ballots get submitted in a typical DOTY race?  

[franksolich]

Out of curiosity, about how many unique primitives and number of ballots get submitted in a typical DOTY race?  

Proprietary information, which neither Mr. Wiggum or I are willing to share publicly (via personal message okay), because it's none of the lurking primitives' damned business.

I can say however that it varies considerably from year to year.

[Freeper]

Out of curiosity, about how many unique primitives and number of ballots get submitted in a typical DOTY race? 

We use Diebold so there is no paper trail and no way of knowing.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Trust me, it's too much trouble.

It's a big whale of trouble.

Actually, it isn't.  Chat with you later, but it is quite easy.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Out of curiosity, about how many unique primitives and number of ballots get submitted in a typical DOTY race?  

Hundreds.

Even DUmmies come over to register just to vote.

[franksolich]

Okay, the voting will be wholly secret ballot.

As previously mentioned in other threads here, only those members of conservativecave will be eligible to vote; the scattered votes we got from other places in the past weren't worth the trouble of tracking down.  Also, it's assumed that members of the DUmpster are more knowledgeable about the characteristics of individual primitives than are readers of the various many other sites that laugh at the antics on Skins's island.

The DUmpster and the DUmping Ground after all are the largest known repository of primitivia on the internet.

Instructions for nominations will be posted on the "official nominating thread;" nominations will be accepted from Thanksgiving Eve through Friday December 6.  All nominations must be public, so the primitives know who to thank if they win something.

The ballot and instructions for voting will be posted on the "official campaign thread;" votes will be accepted from Saturday morning of Pearl Harbor Day through Monday December 16.

Awards will be given out, in ascending order of importance, beginning Christmas Eve and every single day until the afternoon of New Year's Eve, as in the past.