PRESIDENT'S LETTER

Voting: A Good and Important Thing to Do!

Mike Thomashow

You receive an e-mail and see mention in the ASPB News that elections for ASPB leadership positions are approaching and that you are encouraged to vote. You make a mental note…and then move on to something more pressing. Some ASPB members get back to the issue and cast their ballot. But in a large majority of the cases, no vote is cast. The reasons are many and range from individuals forgetting about it, to thinking that their input is not needed or that their participation won’t make a difference. Others, often ASPB members nearer the beginning of their careers, might think that they don’t really know enough to express an opinion about who should hold leadership positions in the Society.

Well, as you have by this point figured out and are bracing yourself to read, I am writing this month to encourage the majority of you to change your perspective about voting in ASPB elections. A sign of a vibrant society is that the membership will take the time and effort necessary to participate in the business of the society. And in the case of voting, let’s be honest—we are talking about a rather minimal amount of time and effort. In cases where you know the candidate, voting is very simple; just click the appropriate button on the website (www.aspb.org/voting) or check the appropriate box on the paper ballot (but don’t forget to mail it in!). In those instances in which you don’t know the individuals running for a given position, a short biographical sketch is available online (www.aspb.org/voting); you can read it to get acquainted with the candidate and his or her contributions to date and ideas for the future. Indeed, taking a few minutes to read these biographical sketches will provide you with useful knowledge about fellow ASPB members who are willing to take time out of their already busy professional lives to work on your behalf. With the risk of sounding a bit preachy, I’d suggest that these individuals deserve a couple of minutes of our attention, given their obvious dedication to our professional Society.

So, there you have it. My simple message is to ask you to please take a few minutes out of your already overloaded schedules to participate in fundamental business of our Society: choosing the individuals who will lead us into the future. Voting is, indeed, a good and important thing to do!

Michael F. Thomashow
thomash6@msu.edu