vote counting

[Ron Wickersham]

with regard to the choices on the ballot and how votes will be counted:

i just happened to be at my machine when the ballots arrived so voted
within minutes of receiving the two ballots, but understood that i could
re-vote before the voting period ends.

the choices on the ballot include boxes for the individual candidate's
names plus a box for none of the above.

i guess it's clear if you decline to support any candidates that none of
the above is appropriate.  the instructions of course state to vote for
four choices.  but it is not clear if one is choosing to vote for less
than four if one should also check the none of the above box.  at the
time the ballot was sent not all the candidates had posted responses to
the questions posted to the list.   so i voted for two candidates at that
time and also checked the box for none of the above.

i'm wondering how the vote counting will handle this.   would my vote
as now cast be rejected and the two candidates i checked be ignored since
the none of the above box is also checked, or is the vote for none of the
above considered a -1 vote for the candidates i did not select?

or will there even be an accounting at all for those who check the none
of the above box?  if the none of the above box being checked has exactly
the same result as sending in a ballot with zero boxes checked, then why
would there even be a separate box for none of the above?

does anyone reading the list know how the votes are actually counted?

-ron