NEWS and ARTICLES - The Votes for TWHBEA BOD Are In - CONGRATULATIONS to Our Sound Candidates!

After our amazing landslide with the PAST Act poll, TWHBEA votes for the Board of Directors have also been counted.  Here are the results from the Cook & County letter to TWHBEA, available to read here. The new representative is in bold. The folks who are sound are in green text.  The number in parentheses is the number of seats available.

We mailed 5,226 ballots and postage-paid return envelopes.  The U.S. Postal Service returned (34) thirty-four of our mailings as “undeliverable as addressed” and of these we were able to re-mail (13) thirteen. We received 1,861 of our numbered reply envelopes by return mail representing (35.61%). Sixty-nine (69) of the returned ballots abstained from voting. The abstentions include persons not voting at all and persons voting for fewer than the total available (i.e., ballot read vote for 3 and person voted for only 1 = 2 abstained). Fifty-two (52) were disqualified and not counted due to candidate ineligibility or noncompliance with ballot instructions.

Alabama – Mailed 451 Received 137 = 30.44%
Alberta – Mailed 78 Received 7 = 8.97%
Arizona – Mailed 49 Received 22 = 44.90%
Colorado – Mailed 55 Received 21 = 38.18%
Georgia – Mailed 237 Received 73 = 30.93%
Germany – Mailed 85 Received 36 = 42.35%
Indiana – Mailed 125 Received 8 = 6.4%
Israel – Mailed 21 Received 0 = 0%
Kansas – Mailed 29 Received 5 = 17.24%
Kentucky - Mailed 701 Received 202 = 28.86%
Minnesota – Mailed 45 Received 20 = 44.44%

Mississippi – Mailed 268 Received 122 = 46.0%
Missouri – Mailed 224 Received 94 = 42.0%
Ohio – Mailed 276 Received 137 = 49.64%
Region 1 – Mailed 44 Received 13 = 29.55%
Region 2 – Mailed 51 Received 5 = 10.0%
Region 4 – Mailed 44 Received 14 = 31.82%
Region 5 – Mailed 36 Received 1 = 2.78%
Tennessee – Mailed 1,490 Received 640 = 42.95%
Texas – Mailed 328 Received 110 = 33.64%
Utah – Mailed 31 Received 11 = 35.48%
Virginia – Mailed 236 Received 64 = 27.23%
Washington – Mailed 127 Received 42 = 33.07%
West Virginia – Mailed 132 Received 55 = 41.98%

Wisconsin – Mailed 63 Received 22 = 34.92%

Alabama (1)
Ford Gates - 124
Alternate:
Roger Hand - 2
Steve Beam - 1
Tom Warren - 1

Alberta (2)
3 Year Term - Bill Adams - 4
1 Year Term - Marg Kovaluk -2
Alternate:
Nicole Hirsekorn - 1

Arizona (1)
Dr. Pamela Reband - 19
Alternate:
Curt Rosemann - 3

Colorado (1)
Rick Evans - 10
Alternate:
Nicole Tolle - 8
Polly Jean Blanchard - 3

Georgia (2)
Loyd Hall Black, Jr - 45 (retired as the President just recently)
Susan Paul - 44
Alternate:
JoEllen Finerfrock - 22
Donald Godbee - 13
Kathy Zeis - 3

Germany (1)
Denise Bader-Keyser - 31 (originally indicated sound; however, she pushed to have Pat Stout eliminated from TWHBEA)
Alternate:
Gerrit Band - 3

Indiana (1)
Clinton Edward Brown - 1
Michael D. Chestnut - 1
Patricia Lee - 1
(3 Way Tie)

Kansas (1)
Julie Keller - 2
Alternate:
Elsie Darrah - 1

Kentucky (3)
Spencer Benedict - 123
Gene Smokey Carswell - 114
Carrie Benedict - 98
Alternate:
Linda Starnes - 65
Kim Bennett - 53
Lloyd Cassidy - 49
Melanie Lawrence - 38
Paul Rosevear - 13

Minnesota (1)
Cynthia Endres - 11
Alternate:
None

Mississippi (1)
Ashley Wadsworth - 105
Alternate:
Karla Nichols Massey - 16
Rick Carter - 1

Missouri (1)
Debbie Hennemann - 46
Alternate:
Caroline Hoffman - 43
Jim Huffman - 1
Ann Hardin - 1

Ohio (1)
Joyce Moyer - 73
Alternate:
Jack Kwok - 64

Tennessee (1)
Stephen B Smith - 292
David W Williams - 260
Alternate:
Larry Lowman - 149
Dee Dee Miller - 127
Rollie Beard - 114
David Pruett - 113
John Allred - 75
Carol Peaches Searles - 52
Nathanael Jackson - 20

Texas (1)
Everett Butch Allen - 50
Alternate:
Dorothy Dodie Speece - 31

Utah (1)
Becca Pennington - 6
Alternate:
Gordon D. Hirschi - 5

Virginia (1)
Pamela McKinney - 42
Alternate:
Margaret Hershberger - 11

Washington (1)
Linda Arnold - 29
Alternate:
Kimberly J. Widner - 12

West Virginia (1)
Charles W. (Bill) Wright - 37
Alternate:
Dr. Angela Cook-Huffman - 11
Jeff Tanner - 6
Harrolyn Groves - 1

Wisconsin (1)
Mick Salm - 20
Alternate:
None

Israel (1)
None

Region 1 - Netherlands (1)
Suyin Oldenburg - 6
Alternate:
Sandra Van Den Hof - 4

Region 2 - NE, NM, ND, SD, NV (1)
None

Region 4 (1)
Julie Dillon - 8 
Alternate:
Loren Stevens - 6

Region 5 - AK, BC, HI (1)
None

Note that the 26% of the membership voted on the PAST Act, and 35% of the membership voted on the BOD.  So there wasn't really that big of a difference as far as the active voting membership is concerned.

I really want to point out how the power of the people truly works.  The Arizona folks pulled out all the stops to get our sound horse candidate as the representative.  The representative sent letters, and members contacted other members and got them to vote.  The sound horse won in a landslide: 19-3.  So it really is possible to make a serious change.  I think every TWHBEA member who wants the PAST Act to be passed is going to work just as hard to make sure TWHBEA makes the change too.

Roy Exum commented on Pat Stout's poll (click below).
Roy Exum: Landslide Horse Poll Pleases Stout

And The Chattanoogan also reported on the poll as breaking news (click below).
63% In Poll Back Bill To Curb Soring Of Tennessee Walking Horses

We're also up to 184 Congresspersons who are sponsoring the PAST Act, with 217 needed for it to hit the floor.  So don't forget to contact your local Congresspersons, and be sure to contact the Representatives that I listed in this post, either via fax or by a call.  Remember, Rob Cornelius is wrong: he DOES NOT represent the entire TWHBEA membership!

In other good news, a very large show in Belfast went on last weekend, and the attendance was nearly non-existance, even without the USDA able to be there due to the government shutdown.  Very few horses in the ring, and the stands were near empty, probably only with those who continue to sore their horses and their families present.  This used to be a very large show with a large audience.  It is clear that the Big Lick world is dying, so we must keep up the pressure!

THANK YOU SO MUCH to all of the folks who voted for the sound horse candidates and who voted YES in Pat's poll.  We are making a difference here, everyone!  We truly are!