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Frequently Asked Questions, 2020 Annual Conference

The Annual Conference Session

What will be covered during the plenary session?
During the Annual Conference Session, the essential business to keep the Conference operational in the year ahead will be presented. This includes the proposed 2021 budget and a few other items.

When will the Board of Ordained Ministry report be available to the clergy?
A link to the report will be emailed to the clergy.

Will the plenary session and ordination service be recorded and available at a later date?
Yes.

How do I access the Annual Conference session?
The Annual Conference session will begin at 9 a.m. via Zoom. Guests will access it via livestream on our website: www.la-umc.org/livestream

Will there be any time that members see each other on the video?
Attendees will not have their video shown unless they are a panelist for a specific presentation or session.

Are we using Robert Rules of Order to pose questions?
Yes, we will follow parliamentary procedure. We will send Rules of the Session to your inbox soon.

Will we be given a pdf "cheat-sheet" that we can use during the session?
Yes. There will be a great cheat sheet online. It is coming soon.

SUBMIT A QUESTION

Secure Online Voting

Is our voter ID the same as the unique voting number we received?
Yes.

What constitutes an invalid ballot?
If a voter submits a ballot with an invalid ID or votes on a motion on which their voting category is not eligible to vote, their ballot is invalid.

If someone enters an invalid ID, does it prevent them from submitting their vote?
If a voter enters an invalid ID that is outside the working range of the system, they will receive an “Invalid Voter ID” error. If an invalid ID is submitted inside the working range of the system, the ballot is submitted but will be automatically invalidated upon tabulation.

How would a person know they have an invalid vote?
If an invalid voter ID is submitted, you should receive an “Invalid Voter ID” error message and your vote will not be submitted. You can vote again, so please double-check that you type your voter ID correctly.

If I start my ballot but do not successfully submit it, is it invalid?
Only submitted ballots can be marked invalid. If not submitted, it is not counted at all and cannot be considered valid or invalid.

Can I vote before the “please vote now” screen appears?
The ballot does not open to accepting submissions until the vote is officially called, but you can vote before the “please vote now” message appears if the ballot is open.

What do I do if I need more time to vote?
Use the Q&A feature to indicate your request to the conference staff. The bishop may choose to allow more time for voting or use the Raise Hand feature to indicate who needs more time.

I already submitted my vote, but I need to change it.
You can submit your vote as many times as you need to. Only the last submission with your voter ID will be counted. If you submit your vote again, it will erase your first selection and replace it.

Are votes confidential? Does my voter ID mean the Conference knows how I vote?
The unique voter IDs are privately assigned and distributed by the voting system administrator and select conference staff. Voter IDs are recorded with each ballot submission and used for validation purposes to ensure only the ballots cast by valid voters are counted. Records of the votes are maintained for post-session audit, but no voter information is made available outside of the voting system to ensure the security of each ballot cast.

If we lose internet connectivity during a voting period, what will happen?
The voting system is not usually taxing on internet connections or devices. If possible, you could use a mobile device for the voting system so that mobile data could work in the case of an Internet outage on your WIFI network.

Q&A and Raise Hand Features

How do I open the Q&A feature?
In your toolbar, there should be three buttons, Q&A, Raise Hand, and Chat. To access the Q&A feature, please click on the Q&A button on the toolbar at the bottom of your Zoom Webinar window.

How do I enter my question?
You may type your question into the Q&A box on your screen. You will have to hit “Enter” or click “Send” to have your question saved in the Webinar. These questions can be seen by everyone who is participating in this call.

To make a motion, do I need to raise my hand? What is the difference between raising the hand and asking a Q &A? When should we use the “raise your hand” feature?
Submit your question, motion, point of order, or statement, etc. in the Q&A first; if called upon, you will then raise your hand. You only raise your hand when you are called upon after submitting something in the Q&A feature.

How do I know if my hand is raised?
If the hand on your toolbar, at the bottom of your Zoom Webinar screen, is blue, then your hand is raised. To lower your hand, click on the Blue Hand. To raise your hand, click on the Grey Hand.

Will we see all answers to others’ questions?
Attendees can see questions that have been answered along with the provided answers, but not all questions submitted. We will ensure that all questions get an answer via typed response. Some of these questions will be answered privately, others publicly, and still others by the presiding elder.

Why has my question not been answered?
Similar to an in-person conference the bishop has the discretion to choose who they would like to recognize. This does not mean that you’ve said something wrong or disrespectful. Answering questions has always been at the discretion of the bishop.

Why does my question only show up as “My Question,” and not with my name?
Zoom automatically labels your questions as “My Question” to make them easy to find and keep track of answers sent back to you. All submitted questions are entered with the attendee’s name, so leadership can see your name.

Will the Q&A anonymous feature be disabled during the Annual Conference Session?
Yes. This helps us know who to recognize for motions/amendments/questions and such.

Who will be tracking the Q&A? submissions?
A team of trained Louisiana Conference moderators.

From the Zoom Webinar FAQ page

My video/camera isn't working.
Read tips on troubleshooting a camera that won't start or show video.

There is an echo in my meeting.
Echo can be caused by many things, such as a participant connected to the meeting audio on multiple devices or two participants joined in from the same local. Learn about common causes of audio echo.

My audio isn't working on my mobile device.
Read tips on troubleshooting audio that isn't working on your iOS or Android device.

What if my computer doesn’t have a microphone?
If you wish to speak, you will need a microphone. You do not need a microphone to listen and vote in the business session, only to speak.

How do I reset my password?
You can reset your password at https://zoom.us/forgotpassword. Read step by step instructions on how to fix common password issues.

What role do I have on my Zoom account?
You can find your role on your Account Profile page of the Zoom web portal. Learn more about the Account Profile page.

Why can’t I hear the people on screen?
You will want to ensure that the volume on your computer, tablet, or phone is turned up.

I’m an attendee; can anyone see me?
No. Webinar attendees cannot be seen by panelists or by fellow attendees, even if you have your video camera enabled.

I can’t see the full screen.
If you are using a mobile device such as an iPad or other tablet, double-tap the Zoom window. It should zoom out for you to see the entire window.