User:John Stephenson/election

Notice to all Citizens
The Citizendium Council has called an election to fill 2 seats, the position of Managing Editor, and to allow referenda on how the project is run.

The election is organised by an Election Committee comprising John Stephenson and Russell D. Jones.

The period for nominations and referendum proposals is now open and closes at midnight UTC on May 28th, 2016.

Eligibility to nominate candidates, propose referenda and vote
You are eligible to vote in this election if you maintain an unblocked account on this main wiki, as long as it is in your own real name and was created at least 30 days before the election commences (i.e. on or before May 5th, 2016; see the elections procedure). You may nominate candidates and propose referenda if you maintain an unblocked account on this main wiki in your own real name.

Voting method
All elections and referenda will be held using BallotBin. This free site allows us to run an election in which all votes are anonymous at every stage. No-one, not even Election Committee members, will see how you choose to vote (but the site does tell the Committee whether you've voted). You don't need an account on BallotBin - all they will receive about you is your e-mail address. Furthermore, the Ballotbin account used for the election will be deleted 90 days after the results are officially announced. For more information, see BallotBin's Frequently Asked Questions for voters and their privacy statement.

Voter registration
To ensure that all ballots cast are from eligible voters only, Citizens have to register to vote via the main wiki, and can do so before or during the election (although ballots will only be sent out once the election has started). The registration period has now begun and closes 24 hours before the election ends, at midnight UTC on June 10th, 2016. Early registrants will receive a notice that their email has been received.

To register:


 * 1) Login to the Citizendium wiki and make sure that your e-mail address is one that you would like to use with BallotBin. If not, change it in your preferences and make sure you've confirmed the address. (You can change it back as soon as you've registered.)
 * 2) Go to this page (or click the "E-mail this user" link, bottom-left). Write anything in the box (because the software doesn't allow a blank message to be sent). You don't need to write a letter or make a declaration - the Election Committee just need to receive an email from your registered e-mail address. Click "Send".
 * 3) That's it! Your ballot will only be sent to the e-mail address on your account that was registered when you sent the message. If you don't receive a ballot within 24 hours once the election has started, contact an Election Committee member. (Check your spam folder.)

Election
The nominations period has now begun and closes at midnight UTC on Saturday, May 28th 2016.

Citizendium Council election
Any Citizen in good standing is eligible to fill a Citizendium Council seat. The elected officers will commence terms of office on July 1st, 2016. Citizens may nominate others or themselves to the seats (self-nominations must be seconded).

Two Citizendium Council seats are open for election. Both seats have terms ending on June 30th, 2018.

To nominate candidates, enter their names here.

Managing Editor election
Any Editor in good standing is eligible to fill the Managing Editor seat. Citizens may nominate others or themselves to the post (self-nominations must be seconded). The term ends on June 30th, 2018.

To nominate candidates, enter their names here.

Referenda
Citizens may propose referenda for voting in the election. The proposals period has now begun and runs until midnight UTC on Saturday, May 28th 2016. According to the Charter, referenda are proposed in one of two ways:


 * 1. Any Citizen may petition the Citizendium Council that contested rules or guidelines be submitted to a referendum. The Council must have jurisdiction over the contested matter. The Council may, by simple majority vote, submit the referendum to a vote of the citizenry at the next regular election.


 * 2. A referendum may be initiated by a group of Citizens corresponding in size to 20 percent of the number of voters in the previous election. The Citizendium Council must include a valid citizen-initiated referendum in the next regular election. Failure to do so will automatically pass the referendum which shall then become official policy and enforceable. This charter may not be amended by a failure of the Citizendium Council to submit a referendum to a vote.

'''To view the referenda being proposed, see the referenda proposal text. To propose a referendum, follow the referenda proposal instructions.'''

As 13 voters participated in the last election, 3 supporters are required for each referendum proposal.

Timetable
The timetable for the elections is as follows:


 * Begin accepting nominations and referenda at 00:01 UTC on Sunday, May 15th 2016;
 * Begin registration of voters on Ballotbin from Sunday, May 15th, 2016;
 * Close the period for nominations and referendum proposals at midnight UTC on Saturday, May 28th 2016;
 * Nominations and election statements are accepted, and referendum proposals may be supported or amended, until the Council or Managing Editor authorises the ballot (up to June 4th, 2016);
 * Have the ballot prepared and begin accepting ballots from eligible voters from 00:01 UTC on Sunday, June 5th 2016;
 * Close voter registration period at midnight UTC on Friday, June 10th 2016;
 * Stop accepting ballots at midnight UTC on Saturday, June 11th 2016 (provisional results available immediately);
 * Ratify and officially publish the results by midnight UTC on Monday, June 20th 2016.

Voting
Voting in the elections and referenda runs from 00:01 on June 5th, 2016 to midnight UTC on June 11th, 2016.

Voting instructions
Voting takes place using the BallotBin website. After registering to vote and once the election begins, you should receive an e-mail from BallotBin supplying you with a weblink to their site. This link allows you to vote and also view provisional results once the election is over. Keep the e-mail so that you can use the link to view provisional results. Do not share the link - it's unique to you and contains your e-mail address, but someone else would be able to use it to vote.

On the voting page, you can choose to leave any of the options blank; this will count as an abstention. Check your preferences carefully before clicking the button; it will ask you if you are sure. If you make a mistake, you can reload the page if you haven't clicked 'Click here to submit this ballot'.

That's it - you've just cast your ballot. Thank you for participating!