User:ElectionNovember2016

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

The election is organised by an Election Committee comprising John Stephenson and Hayford Peirce. The auditor for the election is Pat Palmer.

Nominations for the vacant seat and proposals for referenda shall open at 00:01 UTC on Sunday, October 16th 2016 and close at midnight UTC on Saturday, October 29th 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 September 30th, 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 chose 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
If you registered to vote in the June 2016 election, you do not need to register again unless you wish to change the email address used to vote. If so, follow the procedure below, but also state clearly in your email which address you previously used. If you can't remember if you registered, wait for the election to commence to see if you receive a ballot.

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 begins at 00:01 UTC on Sunday, October 16th 2016 and closes 24 hours before the election ends, at midnight UTC on Friday, November 4th 2016. Early registrants will receive a notice that their email has been received.

Election
The nominations period begins at 00:01 UTC on Sunday, October 16th 2016.

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 begins at 00:01 UTC on Sunday, October 16th 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 11 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, referendum proposals and voter registrations at 00:01 UTC on Sunday, October 16th 2016;
 * Close the period for nominations, nomination acceptances and referendum proposals at midnight UTC on Saturday, October 29th 2016;
 * Begin accepting ballots from eligible voters from 00:01 UTC on Sunday, October 30th 2016;
 * Close voter registration period at midnight UTC on Friday, November 4th 2016;
 * Stop accepting ballots at midnight UTC on Saturday, November 5th 2016 (provisional results available immediately);
 * Ratify and officially publish the results by midnight UTC on Monday, November 7th 2016.

Referendum proposals
The election will include voting on the following referendum and possibly others. Citizens can support or oppose the question by indicating 'Yes' or 'No'. For referenda that propose to modify the Citizendium Charter, a two-thirds majority of valid votes is required under Article 37. Non-Charter referenda require a simple majority of valid votes to pass.

Referendum 1: New governance

 * Supported by the Citizendium Council in this motion
 * Proposed by John Stephenson via petition

This referendum proposes to modify the Charter.

The details of this referendum appear here; comments appear on the Talk page and the forum discussion.

Voting
Voting in the Election and Referenda runs from 00:01 UTC on Sunday, October 30th 2016 to midnight UTC on Saturday, November 5th 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!