The Bencher election voting period begins tomorrow on April 19 and will run through to
April 28 at 5:00pm. This is the most pivotal Bencher election the LSO has seen in decades. The Good Governance Coalition and the Full Stop slate have put forward dramatically different visions for the Law Society. There are also independent candidates who are worth your consideration. Make your voice count:
Be informed
Vote
How to get informed:
1. Bencher election Voting Guides are now available. Voting Guides contain:
Biographical information and election statements of each candidate running for bencher
General information about the election process
Instructions on how to vote online.
2. The FOLA Bencher Election Dashboard contains the candidates answers to survey so that you can assess each candidates position on various topics.
3. Voting records of incumbent bencher candidates can be found here.
Click on the meeting date, the Agenda tab, and the Public Minutes sub-tab.
Examine how incumbents have actually voted on key issues over time.
Compare their stated values against their actions.
Have they fulfilled their obligations of fiduciaries to the LSO?
Have they sought to fulfill the core mandate of the LSO which is facilitating access to justice, maintaining professional standards and competence, and the other duties set out in s. 4.2 of the Law Society Act.
How to vote:
1. When: Voting will occur from April 19 to 28, 2023. The Voting systems shut down promptly at 5PM on the 28th of April. Have your say. Vote. Don't leave it to the last minute!
2. How: You can vote online or by phone.
Online voting:
Go to the election website through the link provided by Computershare.
Enter your control number to access the voting site.
Once logged into the system, the list of candidates will be displayed.
Select 20 candidates from inside Toronto.
Select 20 candidates from outside Toronto.
You don't need to cast all 20 votes. It is possible to submit a vote with no candidates selected.
Once you have selected your candidates, click the "submit" button to review your selection.
Once your vote is submitted, you will receive a confirmation message.
Voting by phone:
Call 1-866-301-0994 (toll-free) or 514-982-8712 if outside North America.
Enter or say your control number to access the voting system.
You will prompted to cast the ballots for outside of Toronto by saying or writing the 2-digit number code beside each person's name on the LSO Lawyer Voting Guide.
You will then be prompted to cast the ballots for inside Toronto (repeat the above).
The system will ask you to review your selection. Confirm it/change it as required.
You don't have your control number?
You can see your Control Number in your Law Society Portal if you click on “2023 Bencher Elections” on the left-hand side.
This same information should be emailed to you by Computershare.
Contact Computershare at 1-888-344-2805 (toll-free), Monday to Friday 8:30AM to 8PM EDT
Your vote is critical. By way of analogy and to quote my favorite orator, F. D. Roosevelt: "Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting". We are the future of our profession. It is in our hands.
Get your friends and your colleagues to vote on social media, email, etc.
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