User:Dan Nessett/Sandboxes/Sandbox 7

Citizendium is governed by rules set forth in its Charter. All Citizendium officials and councils derive their authority from this document, which specifies the powers granted to each. The charter also provides general guidance on matters such as the conduct of appeals and the frequency and nature of Citizendium elections. Following is a brief description of the instruments of governance established by the charter.

The Management Council

The Management Council is responsible for the technical, legal, financial and behavioral aspects of Citizendium. The charter provides specific details of these responsibilities and outlines how the Management Council should manage them. The Management Council issues rules in its areas of responsibility through motions passed and then noted on its Passed Motions page. The Management Council conducts its deliberations on several fora, including its Public Council Discussions board and its Community Input board. The Management Council also conducts some of its business on private boards when that is necessary to protect sensitive information.

The Editorial Council

The Editorial Council is responsible for wiki content. As for the Management Council, the charter provides general guidance on its powers and responsibilities. The Editorial Council issues rules in its areas of responsibility through motions passed and then noted on its Regulations Page.The Editorial Council conducts its business on the Editorial Council Wiki.

The Ombudsman

The Ombudsman's duties and responsibilities are specified in Article 39 of the charter. Specificially;

1. The role of the Ombudsman is a) to offer guidance on existing policy and its interpretation to help resolve disputes b) to advise the Councils and c) settle disputes, including imposing interim solutions pending relevant policy decisions. Throughout, the Ombudsman's guidance is expected to be in accord with the established principles and policies of Citizendium, and particularly with the Charter. The Ombudsman is available to mediate any dispute.
2. "The Ombudsman mediates a dispute when requested by all involved parties or when requested by the Chief Constable. Agreements worked out through mediation shall be binding but may be appealed.

The Managing Editor

The Managing Editor's duties and responsibilities are specified in Article 36 of the charter. Specificially, the Managing Editor has the following duties;

1. to ensure by means of executive decisions that the principles and policies of the Citizendium are effectively and coherently observed; such decisions shall be based on established policy where defined;
2. to make interim decisions on behalf of the Editorial and Management Councils when established policy does not provide guidance; these decisions shall be overridden by the establishment of relevant policy;
3. to represent the Citizendium in its relations with external bodies, such as the mass media, and academic or non-academic institutions.

Elections

Regularly scheduled elections are held twice a year. Roughly half of the Management Council seats are vacated on July 1 of every year. An election in June selects citizens to fill these seats. Roughly half of the Editorial Council seats are vacated on Jan 1 of every year. An election in December of the previous year selects citizens to fill these seats. All open seats on both councils are filled in regularly scheduled elections. In addition, if one or more council seats becomes vacant within (roughly) 90 days after a regularly scheduled election, a special election is executed to fill those seats.

The results of past Citizendium elections are noted on the Elections page