From control@usenet.org.uk Fri Jun 13 23:27:37 BST 1997 Article: 698 of uk.net.news.announce Path: lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk!news.ox.ac.uk!easynet-uk!www.nntp.primenet.com!nntp.primenet.com!rill.news.pipex.net!pipex!server1.netnews.ja.net!io.salford.ac.uk!illuin.demon.co.uk!control Date: Mon, 09 Jun 1997 20:27:11 GMT Sender: Richard Letts Reply-To: control@usenet.org.uk Newsgroups: uk.net.news.config,uk.net.news.announce,uk.education.misc Followup-To: uk.net.news.config,uk.education.misc Message-ID: Approved: Richard Letts From: Iain Bowen Subject: RESULT: uk.education.home-education PASSES Lines: 343 Xref: lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk uk.net.news.config:20093 uk.net.news.announce:698 uk.education.misc:11305 Status: OR -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- EMBARGO: This result was embargoed until Sunday, 8th June due to votetaker absence from the UK. RESULT Creation of uk.education.home-education Voting closed 23:59:59 GMT, Tuesday 20th May 1997. This vote was conducted by a neutral third party member of UK-VOTING. UK-VOTING is a group of independent votetakers who count votes on CFV's in the uk hierarchy. The rules under which this vote was taken are posted regularly to uk.net.news.announce or can be found at the following URL: ftp://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/usenet/news-info/news.answers/uk/voting. Further information on UK-VOTING can be found at http://www.harlech.demon.co.uk For voting questions only contact voting@harlech.demon.co.uk (Iain Bowen). For questions about the new group contact the proposer at the address given below: ncf@borve.demon.co.uk (Dr. Neil C. Fernandez) Distribution: uk.net.news.announce, uk.net.news.config, alt.education, alt.education.home-school.christian, alt.education.home-school.disabilities, misc.education.home-school.christian, misc.education.home-school.misc, uk.education.misc And sent to the following mailing-lists: home-ed@world.std.com anarchy-list@cwi.nl Summary of Result: uk.education.home-education PASSES 38:26:27 Summary: uk.education.home-education Home Education of Children Not Enrolled at School. Rationale: The purpose of this newsgroup is to provide a forum for discussion for everyone involved or interested in home education in the UK: that is, the education of children who are not registered at any school. Although not everybody is aware of the fact that school is *not compulsory*, it is legally clear that parents have the responsibility to ensure that their children are educated, a responsibility which they do not have to delegate to schools. Currently around 8000 families exercise their right not to send their children to school, educating at least 13000 children, mostly at home. CHARTER: uk.education.home-education is for the discussion of issues and sharing of experiences relating to the home education of children in the UK who are not enrolled in the school system (also known as 'unschooling', 'home-schooling', or 'educating otherwise'). E.g. educational experiences of parents and children involved in home education; relations with local educational authorities; legal matters; educational resources and ideas and methods; announcements of coming events; home educating children with disabilities or learning difficulties; starting-up after nightmare experiences involving school (bullying by pupils or teachers, 'school phobia', etc.); and all sorts of discoveries, wants, requests, suggestions, announcements, gripes, tips, moans, letters of support, arguments, and so on and so forth. Advertising: Not permitted. Occasional genuine personal recommendations are acceptable by those without a financial interest in the resource they are bringing to people's attention. Binaries and HTML: No binaries. Pointers to interesting websites are encouraged. Moderated: This group will not be moderated. END CHARTER - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The count There were 119 ballots received from individual accounts, of which 91 were deemed valid. FIRST COUNT (Quota = 47) uk.education.not-at-school 26 ELIMINATED uk.education.home-education 38 Do not create group 27 The newsgroup also passed the hurdle here of the sum of the votes for the creation of a newsgroup being 12 greater than the votes for non-creation. SECOND COUNT (Elimination of uk.education.not-at-school) (quota becomes 46) uk.education.home-education 38 + 25 = 63 ELECTED Do not create group 27 Non-Transferable 1 - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- FINAL VOTING ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The following list of addresses is copyright 1997 by the Revolutionary Penguin Press(1985). Use for any purpose other than verifying the vote for this newsgroup is prohibited. ablank(at)univenture.com Andrew Blank 1 2 adickson(at)POST.Almac.Co.UK Alastair Dickson 2 1 3 amethyst(at)jadzia.demon.co.uk "Amethyst" 2 3 1 andy_meek(at)msn.com Andrew Meek 2 1 3 asturne(at)ibm.net Alec Turner 1 2 3 austen(at)tentacle.demon.co.uk Austen Jackson 1 2 3 aw1(at)stade.co.uk Adrian Wontroba 2 1 Alexander.Black(at)westgroup.com Alexander Black 2 1 Andrew(at)ringo.demon.co.uk Elna Hadlington-Smith 2 1 3 Andy(at)cavebears.demon.co.uk A. Bayliss 1 2 3 Annchgo(at)aol.com Anne Wasserman 2 1 3 beckel(at)juno.com Amy Beckel 1 2 3 bill.muskett(at)which.net Bill Musket 2 1 3 bkelly(at)odo.elan.af.mil Brent Kelly 2 1 bray(at)iupui.edu Bruce Ray 1 bry(at)mnsinc.com Brian Carling 2 1 carts(at)radef.nrl.navy.mil Marty Carts 2 1 catesa(at)coredcs.com Art Cates 1 2 ccx061(at)coventry.ac.uk Wendy Taylor 1 2 chl(at)clw.cs.man.ac.uk Charles Lindsey 3 2 1 cllv13(at)ccsun.strath.ac.uk I.M. Mackay 2 1 3 CDAdair(at)aol.com Dainne Adair 2 1 Cinn.Lund(at)btinternet.com Norman Lund 2 1 3 Claire.Speed(at)mailhost.mcc.ac.uk Claire Speed 1 darren(at)meldrum.co.uk Darren Meldrum 1 dhanson(at)hal-pc.org David Hanson 2 1 3 dweller(at)ramtops.demon.co.uk Doug Weller 1 ellen(at)tictac.demon.co.uk Ellen Mizzell 3 2 1 figgins(at)dnai.com Scott Figgins 1 2 3 graeme(at)agcomp.demon.co.uk Graeme Hendry 3 2 1 heather(at)anarki.net Heather Anderson 1 2 hilde(at)borve.demon.co.uk Hilde Fernandez 1 2 Hunsberger_jon(at)msn.com Jonthan Hunsburger 1 2 3 ian(at)johnrich.demon.co.uk Ian Peattie 1 idaniel(at)jesus.ox.ac.uk Illtud Daniel 2 1 Ian(at)pogona.demon.co.uk Ian Donaldson 2 1 3 jajones(at)ermine.ox.ac.uk Jonathan Jones 1 jennifer(at)throw.com Jennifer Kurkoski 1 2 jjf(at)dsbc.icl.co.uk J.J. Farrell 1 jon(at)serf.org Jon Harley 1 2 jonathan(at)mirror.demon.co.uk Jonathan Allan 2 1 3 js(at)rocket.demon.co.uk James Sears 1 J.Massheder(at)ed.ac.uk Jonathan Massheder 1 2 JosUndrhl(at)aol.com Jos Underhill 1 2 3 kate(at)jbaassoc.demon.co.uk Kate Alexander 3 2 1 keith(at)cowtown.demon.co.uk Keith Willoughby 3 1 2 kevin(at)quipu.waterloo-rdp.on.ca Kevin Schoedel 1 2 maxine(at)iii.co.uk Maxine Lehmann 1 mayalld(at)it.postoffice.co.uk Dave Mayall 3 2 1 mbm(at)mort.demon.co.uk Malcolm Mladenovic 1 michael(at)cavrdg.demon.co.uk Michael Parry 2 1 mishlowe(at)indirect.com Michelle Lowe 1 2 3 mrowland(at)ffutures.demon.co.uk Marcus Rowland 3 2 1 M.P.Radford(at)exeter.ac.uk Martin Radford 2 1 Mike(at)lhome.demon.co.uk Michael Lightfoot 2 1 3 ncf(at)borve.demon.co.uk Neil Fernandez 1 2 3 nigel(at)ashton.demon.co.uk Nigel Ashton 1 2 NeilSGT(at)aol.com Neil Taylor 2 1 paul(at)pcserv.demon.co.uk Paul Carpenter 1 pb10003(at)cus.cam.ac.uk Paul Bolchover 3 2 1 peol0005(at)student.gu.se Per Olesson 1 2 3 peter(at)wppltd.demon.co.uk Peter Parry 2 3 1 phil(at)vision25.demon.co.uk Phil Hunt 1 pkerr(at)voicenet.com Pamela Kerr 1 2 3 preeve1(at)po-box.mcgill.ca Paul Reeve 2 1 pseyfrth(at)sushi.st.usm.edu Phyllis Seyfarth 2 1 pyoung(at)pcnet.com Patricia Sendroff 2 1 qs01(at)dial.pipex.com Malcolm Muckle 1 2 rab(at)Unify.Com Ruthann Biel 2 1 richard(at)illuin.demon.co.uk Richard Letts 1 2 robbie(at)arakeen.demon.co.uk Robert Irvine[3] 3 3 1 rogerv(at)btinternet.com Roger Venison 2 1 3 R.E.Horne(at)shu.ac.uk Ralph Horne 1 R.H.Harris(at)canterbury.ac.uk Richard Harris 2 1 Rodenamjona(at)btinternet.com Robert J Field 2 1 3 sclark1(at)ix.netcom.com Sharon Clark 1 2 simon(at)star-one.org.uk Simon Gray 1 slewin(at)zetnet.co.uk Steve Lewin 1 smw(at)stade1.demon.co.uk Sue Wontroba 1 2 3 stephen.gower(at)st-catherines.oxford.ac.uk Stephen Gower 3 2 1 swfb(at)bokop.win-uk.net S.W.F. Borthwick 2 1 swilbur(at)wcnet.org Shawn Wilbur 1 2 3 SDeuchars(at)aol.com Shena Deuchars 2 1 3 taemmer(at)infinet.com Angela West Emmer 1 2 3 tdawson(at)mail.vt.edu Tina Dawson 2 1 3 tfl(at)psp.co.uk Thomas Lee[3] 3 3 1 tigger(at)sylvan.com Grace Sylvan 2 1 training(at)bcceddts.demon.co.uk Andy Mabbett 1 wendrie(at)zevmac.demon.co.uk Wendrie Heywood 1 2 3 xdz79(at)dial.pipex.com Jan Jurczak-George 2 1 3 yelah(at)yelah.pp.se Per-Olof Sten 1 2 3 Votes in Error - ------------- 100546.1111(at)CompuServe.COM See below[8][9] arque(at)zetnet.co.uk No real name or "handle" given[6] chasm(at)zetnet.co.uk Invalid Voting Method[4] dburk(at)lexis-nexismail.com No real name or "handle" given[6] e_o(at)mail.netlink.co.uk See below[8][9] fireflies(at)easynet.co.uk See below[7][8][9] ja-ri(at)juno.com Invalid References Header[1] jkcrook(at)msn.com Unclear identification of voter[2] John.Mercer(at)btinternet.com No Ballot[0] keaton(at)mcs.nl No real name or "handle" given[6] mgt(at)tuppambr.demon.co.uk See below[8] mike(at)oit.net Invalid References Header[1] m_moy(at)juno.com Invalid References Header[1] pvanburen(at)arcadis.be See below[2][5] pmoore(at)ccs.carleton.ca No Ballot[0] skater1(at)deakin.edu.au No Ballot[0] sl(at)enterprise.net See below[8] tbrennan(at)netcomuk.co.uk See below[8][9] [0] As has been mentioned many times before, a voting statement does not suffice, especially as in some of these cases the voting statment is ambiguous, for example, an email simply saying "YES". [1] The References: header where present should reference either a CFV message-id or a message-id sent out of harlech.demon.co.uk in response to a CFV Request. Anything else is deemed to be a passed ballot. This could be due to a mailer not implementing RFC822 correctly, get a new mailer. [2] These cases are where a From: line identifies an account used by multiple people but no single real name or "handle" has been put in the real name field on the ballot. [3] Vote valid for first preference, then invalid for transfers. [4] Whilst a single "X" is valid for AV votes, other indications and multiple X or YES/NO votes are not valid [5] Acknowledgement bounced, user unknown. [6] These are cases where the voter has failed to identify themselves by anything but the email account. "handles" are permitted in the voting rather than "real names", but they must be verifiable. [7] Normally, I wouldn't point this out. There was multiple voting from this account, as with the standard practice for this each ballot has been replaced by the subsequent ballot from this address as they arrived in time order. In all three ballots came from this address. Also see [9]. [8] When I send out a ballot, I keep a list of whom I have sent them to. Votes arriving on ballots that have purportedly been sent by me to a account that I have not sent them to are invalid. [9] One person has attempted to vote a number of times from a number of different accounts (using passed on ballots as well, sigh). This also had the effect of cancelling legitimate ballots from this account under [7]. The addresses affected by this will be banned from any future ballots held by me. This also included in two of the cases, some dabbling in header forgery, so I am not terribly inspired to accept it was an accident. Votetakers Comments - ------------------- I am not entirely happy with this result, there are a number of things about this balloting process which have not been kosher. The three things that have been raised on uk.net.news.config are dealt with below. 1) Groups on CFV - A number of people regard the non-appearance of their favoured group names on a CFV as some sort of vote fraud. In my opinion, it is not vote-fraud - the problem is that whilst the taxonomic mavens on unnc frequently produce some very good names for groups, does not mean that the proponents have to take these on board. It is a long USENET tradition within voting that the proponent owns the CFV and they may go ahead with the name if they insist enough (see rec.music.white-power amongst others). I do not believe that this absence has stopped anyone from voting, indeed I suspect it has put the turnout up. Whilst keeping the selection of groups down to the ones that you favour might be economical with the actualite on presentation to the electorate, it is not the end of the world as people know it. 2) CFV distribution - due to an error on *MY* part (and I take full responsibility for this), the first CFV was not distributed to uk.education.misc, the second was. I did toy with the idea of a third CFV posted only to uk.education.misc, but due to the latest great news blip, any replies came out too late. Considering the large amount of brouhaha which spilled over on uk.education.misc during the CFV period, I would be surprised if the omission of the first CFV has made any changes to the turnout. 3) The Education Otherwise web-pages - the CFV was put up on these web pages including a mailto: link, this was despite the explicit comments in the votes rubric about this. However, the site is not especially active and the site owner has offered the site logs without any requests from me. Given the short period of time that it was on there, I again do not think that there was much, if any, effect on the voting. As for the rest of it, I can say that I am 100% happy with the results - there was obviously some ballot passing going on and there are few tools that can be used to detect this. Those which can be used, have been. However, I am reasonably happy that this ballot has produced the result which a ballot with no passing of CFV's around would have produced. There are some other issues, however, these lie outside my remit as a votetaker and it is not appropriate for me to comment on them within this forum. Oh yes, before the flamewars start, remember it's only fscking Network News. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.3i Charset: noconv iQCVAwUBM5SL80JsJ6V0lh4dAQFccQP/aRB/zRP3py5M6GBhrQVuk914MxRVvDoV hgCCK00mCJOAVK01HsTPDcdyy0MwSkUcuoKU1Q5kNkDnp7P8988xCgQ4dQMyfrIt 5ckxZ2dXiQtGe6aQYdAWWLdVESCENH10vxvwNM0npprNvoLGFQ/PzN2+nlOwvf46 4V6l9WbZNms= =GJC3 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- Iain D. Bowen - Volunteer Votetaker, UK-VOTING. voting(at)harlech.demon.co.uk please use alaric(at)harlech.demon.co.uk for personal mail. UK-VOTING web pages are at http://www.harlech.demon.co.uk/ukvoting.htm