Research, Contemplate, Vote.
In case you didn't hear, there is a campaign going on that impacts the PASS Organization and the SQL Community. If you were a PASS member before June 1, 2012, you should have received a ballot link via email. Polls close at 3pm PT on Friday, Oct 12, 2012.
I am fortunate to know all 5 candidates for this year's election and count them among my friends. The problem that I have is that I only have 3 votes to cast. At this point, I have decided on 2 of my 3 votes. Since I have invested a lot into PASS over the years, this is not a decision that I take lightly. I have read through all of the campaign materials and kept reading replies to questions on the forums. There have been many well thought out responses and I have changed my mind several times. I will probably wait until Friday to cast my votes. However, this problem of mine means it is another sign of strength for PASS as these five brave individuals step up to the plate to lead the organization.
And the winner is.....
Polls close Oct 12, but the announcement won't occur until Oct 17. Why the delay? Aren't we in the age of instant answers? There are several reasons why there is a delay. The process isn't full-proof. I don't believe there has been an issue with the voting process, but I know that there is the possiblity of an error occurring which may force the polls to remain open. I can think of several instances in years past when submitting abstracts for sessions that caused the deadline to be extended there. That isn't the only reason. The candidates should be informed before anyone else knows so that they can prepare a blog post or whatever. This is usually done in a personal manner and it takes time to connect with each candidate - yes sometimes it takes days to connect.
Closing Thoughts
If you have already voted, you are safe - you didn't make any bad choices. :-) In the past, I have been able to predict who will win just by looking at the ballot. I have made my own prediction on who I think will win, but this is the toughest year yet. I am at least guaranteed of selecting at least one winner! Go Vote!