ALL PONDMEISTERS MUST EXERCISE THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE
We recently completed our electoral primaries for our vote on Why do you own a pond? See the Pond vote; election primaries thread for details and results.
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To understand the thrust of this election, let's borrow a brief summary from our primary election:

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The final candidates are now prepared for voter selection. The voting booths are about to open. Let's lay out the ground rules:

• You are already registered to vote if you own a pond or are seriously contemplating owning a pond.
• A single ballot cast shall consist of your top 5 reasons to own a pond, starting with the most important and descending.
• Each pond you own entitles you to one ballot (consisting of your top 5 reasons). For instance, if you own 3 ponds, the voter is entitled to cast 3 ballots; each with a top 5 list. Please keep multiple ballots separated within the post for ease of tally.
• Make your selections from the available candidates within the Candidate List below. ALWAYS ENTER THE CANDIDATE NUMBER. The precinct captains also like to see the candidate reason following their number, but it is not mandatory (ie; 9 - swimming hole).
• Should the voter be unable to locate his candidate reason within any of the broader categories within the Candidate List, it is acceptable to write in his own candidate. This write-in candidate shall be described as Other (instead of a Candidate Number from the Candidate List), and the voter shall add their own candidate reason (ie; Other - skinny dipping).

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SAMPLE BALLOT

Pond #1
13 irrigate crops
18 erosion control
1 quality private fishery
10 study aquaculture
5 wildlife for hunting

Pond #2
2 enhance land value
11 water livestock
18 erosion control
23 water for fire fighting
Other; racing radio control boats
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OK, there ya go. Enter the booth, pull the curtain, and cast your vote for Why you own a pond.
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CANDIDATE LIST
1) Quality private fishery
2) To enhance land value
3) Ornamental landscaping
4) Provide affordable and convenient water frontage real estate
5) To attract wildlife for hunting
6) To attract wildlife for viewing and/or preservation
7) Fish hatchery (commercial)
8) Grow-out pond (to raise young fish for transfer)
9) Swimming hole
10) To study aquaculture
11) To study all of nature and/or biology
12) To water livestock
13) To irrigate crops
14) To provide powered water sports (ie; skiing, jetski)
15) To provide non-powered water sports (ie; canoeing, rowing)
16) To provide escape, peace, and relaxation (therapeutic or otherwise)
17) Reduce local insect population (fish eat bugs)
18) Erosion control
19) To create and enjoy the sounds of moving water (ie; waterfall)
20) A family or personal challenge of actually building it
21) A family or personal challenge to maintain a complex ecosystem
22) To provide safe, fresh fish as food
23) Water source for fire fighting
24) A fun place to gather with family and friends

My vote
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4 - affordable water frontage
16 - to provide escape, peace, and relaxation
6 - to attract wildlife for preservation
24 - fun place to gather with family/friends
1 - quality private fishery

Other) It's been a dream of mine since I was a kid.
16) To provide escape, peace, and relaxation (therapeutic or otherwise)
24) A fun place to gather with family and friends
1) Quality private fishery
3) Ornamental landscaping

Pond 1
16) To provide escape, peace, and relaxation (therapeutic or otherwise)
24) A fun place to gather with family and friends
9) Swimming hole
21) A family or personal challenge to maintain a complex ecosystem
11) To study all of nature and/or biology

Pond 2
1) Quality private fishery
10) To study aquaculture
16) To provide escape, peace, and relaxation (therapeutic or otherwise)
8) Grow-out pond (to raise young fish for transfer)
24) A fun place to gather with family and friends

Pond 3
1) Quality private fishery
2) To enhance land value
16) To provide escape, peace, and relaxation (therapeutic or otherwise)
20) A family or personal challenge of actually building it
21) A family or personal challenge to maintain a complex ecosystem

I will wait to vote the 2 oxbow lakes and the small unmanaged pond.

5) To attract wildlife for hunting
1) Quality private fishery
10) To study aquaculture
24) A fun place to gather with family and friends
21) A family or personal challenge to maintain a complex ecosystem

until yesterday my only vote was 16 but i got an ofer from a local seafood co for all the 4 to 8 oz cc i can grow so now it will have to be 16 and 22

MY VOTE! Pond Under Construction.
1) Quality private fishery
2) To enhance land value
6) To attract wildlife for viewing and/or preservation
16) To provide escape, peace, and relaxation (therapeutic or otherwise)
24) A fun place to gather with family and friends

I vote yes.
Gail votes yes.
We have total agreement.

22) To provide safe, fresh fish as food
23) Water source for fire fighting
13) To irrigate crops
24) A fun place to gather with family and friends
6) To attract wildlife for viewing and/or preservation

Pond #1
16 Escape, peace, and relaxation
22 Fresh fish for food
12 To water livestock
15 Non-powered water sports
23 Water source for fire fighting

Pond #2 (It's built, it's just not filled yet. Does it get a vote?)
20 Challenge of building
21 Challenge of maintaining
16 Escape, peace, and relaxation
22 Fresh fish for food
12 Water for livestock

1) # 1 - quality private fishery
2) # 23 - water for fire fighting
3) # 6 - general wildlife attractant
4) # 2 - enhance property value
5) #16 - place to sit and ponder

13.5 acre (we call it a lake)pond.
1
5
9
15
24

16) To provide escape, peace, and relaxation
1) Quality private fishery
24) A fun place to gather with family and friends
2) To enhance land value
3) Ornamental landscaping

16
20
21
24
4

JHAP's vote in more or less the order....

6) To attract wildlife for viewing and/or preservation (being a city boy I really like this benefit).
9) Swimming hole (fun except for the darn biting snails)
1) Quality private fishery (will enjoy this more after some additional fly fishing lessons from DIED)
4) Provide affordable and convenient water frontage real estate (one in which no other property owner can block your view or access).
23) Water source for fire fighting (DIED taught me the value of this).

This was another effect, so far I'm not sure if it's a positive or negative..
21) A family or personal challenge to maintain a complex ecosystem

JWHAP'S (jeff's wife has a pond's) reason...
To keep JHAP's mind and imagination somewhat occupied so that he doesn't create more chaos around the household than one relatively sane person can cope with. So far it's not working out that well.

16 Escape,peace,relaxation.
1 Quality private fishery
24 Fun place to gather
10 To study aquaculture
8 Grow out pond

Built my pond in 1984,still can"t get enough of it!

1) Quality private fishery
2) To enhance land value
16) To provide escape, peace, and relaxation (therapeutic or otherwise)
4) Provide affordable and convenient water frontage real estate
9) Swimming hole

16 Escape.

5 Attract wildlife for hunting.

24 Place to gather with family.


Sorry, no other reasons.

6 Attract wildlife for viewing
16 Provide peace and relaxation
24 A fun place to gather
22 Provide safe fresh fish for food
2 Enhance land value

First ballot, for my bigger recreational pond named "Big Oliver".


21) A family or personal challenge to maintain a complex ecosystem

1) Quality private fishery

24) A fun place to gather with family and friends

16) To provide escape, peace, and relaxation (therapeutic or otherwise)

10) To study aquaculture

16, 1, 24 ,2, 6

24 - Family/friends
16 - Relaxation
15 - Boating
9 - Swimming/playing
13 - Irrigation

1.

2.

16.

24.

And, just for the heck of it

9
1
2
3
24

There are so many reasons from the list like 1 and 24 ...etc for me but you missed the most important one that is not on your list. Thus I will add it here:

25. Because I do not have the money or land to own a Lake!!!