Article archive / February 1, 2014
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 6. Source pages: 1, 6.
Due to an error in the color of the ballots, the election for a five-year position on the state psychology board is being delayed, current ballots destroyed, and new ballots being sent to licensed psychologists around the state.
“There is to be a do-over of the election,” said Dr. John Fanning, Louisiana Psychological Association (LPA) President. LPA helps conduct the elections in conjunction with the state psychology board.
The error, that ballots were printed on plain white paper rather than shaded paper, would make it easy for someone to send in duplicates.
“We do not have any evidence of any voting impropriety having taken place,” said Fanning, “but we want the election to be unambiguously above-board.”
The election is considered to be an important one for many in the psychology community, because of conflicts over issues due to Act 251. Some in the community are concerned about the percentage representation of medical psychologists, who make up only about 5 percent of the licensed psychologists in the state. Currently 3 of the 5 members are medical psychologists.
Running for the 5-year position are Dr. Robin Chapman, a newcomer to the state and health psychologist, Dr. Joe Comaty, a medical psychologist, and Dr. Connie Patterson, a Tulane professor and school psychologist. The election represents an ongoing tug-a-war between psychologists and medical psychologists for control of the board.
The ballots, sent out the first time around Christmas, were due in January. However, now licensed psychologists will be receiving another ballot, for the same election and same candidates, probably sometime in the next few weeks.
Fanning told the Times that a board member expressed concern that it might be possible for someone to simply make copies of the ballots and vote more than once. Fanning said a few other psychologists also voiced the same concern. “The Executive Council decided it would be best to re-vote the election,” said Fanning.
“Dr. Gros and I had a phone conference with two of the board members to discuss this,” Fanning said. “We were subsequently advised that the board would like to discuss the election at its January 24, 2014 meeting.”
LPA sent a member to attend but the police closed the Interstate and she was caught in traffic and missed the meeting. “I inquired about any feedback the board might have for us,” said Fanning, “and was told we would receive notification from Kelly Parker, which we have not yet received.”
The Times asked Executive Director Parker about the matter and she declined to comment, suggesting contacting LPA.
“The new ballots are ready to go out,” Fanning said. “We have not yet announced this to the membership simply because we want to make sure everything is nailed down procedurally, including our communication with the board.”
“We very definitely do not want any further complications in the electoral process, and do not want there to be confusion or misunderstanding on the part of the psychologists of the state about what we’re doing and why. We are ready to send the ballots out when we receive communication from the board regarding details of the notification process.”
Fanning noted that the LPA Executive Council regrets having to repeat the balloting process, and takes full responsibility for the error.
The Times submitted a Records request to LPA regarding communications about the election.
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