Ultima Codex:Elections

This is a proposed policy for the Ultima Codex please discuss it in the talk page.
The only regularly scheduled elections are to fill bureaucrat seats, with a term length of 12 months. The process here is an advisory election based on approval voting mixed with disapproval voting. Any special elections or elections with deviations from these rules should first have an explicit community consensus.

Stage 0: Preparation

An election subpage should be created (by anyone) at Ultima Codex:Elections/<Date>_<election type>, e.g. "Ultima Codex:Elections/2007-06 bureaucrat election". This subpage should be added to the list at the bottom, and should contain the following information before any stages start:

• The number and types of positions to be filled.
• Starting and ending term dates for each position.
• The rules used in the election (generally a link back to this page and explanations of any deviations).
• A list of stages, with start and end dates/times for each.
• A section titled "List of candidates" (initially empty). This list is to be kept in alphabetical order.

All dates/times should be given in UTC (and interpreted as UTC if left ambiguous). Whenever a stage end date is changed to arrive sooner (through consensus), it should generally be set at least 3 days later than the time of that decision.

Stage 1: Nominating candidates

Any registered user may be nominated as a candidate by creating a candidate subpage at Ultima Codex:Elections/<election subpage>/<candidate name> and adding a link to the list on the election subpage. Self-nominations are allowed. The form and updating of this page is mostly up to the candidate, and might contain a candidate statement, Q&A, etc. General discussion should go on its talk page.

These are not allowed (and should be removed):

• IP accounts running as candidates
• New candidates after this stage

Candidates who are nominated by another user are urged (but not required) to indicate a clear acceptance or declination before stage 2.

This stage should normally be set to last 7 days.

Stage 2: Discussion

Users are encouraged to ask questions of the candidates regarding their candidacy and suitability and the candidates are expected to answer these queries in a timely fashion. Users on both sides are expected to give convincing arguments as to the suitability of a candidate and to debate the relative merits of various candidates. These reasons and arguments may be used as a means of persuading other users to change their position. In addition, these discussions play an important role in determining elections with very close vote tallies. While informed criticisms (preferably backed up by links to evidence) are welcomed, unwarranted personal attacks are not. Candidates are allowed to campaign for themselves during this stage.

At the end of this stage, a summary of the discussion should be compiled to quickly identify all major points for consideration.

This stage should normally be set to last 3 days.

Stage 3: Voting

Regular editors under a registered account may add one approval vote or one disapproval vote for each candidate by signing their name in the appropriate section on candidate subpages, subject to the conditions listed below:

• A user cannot vote twice for the same candidate.
• A user must have made more than 100 edits (excluding the User namespace and the respective talk namespace) before this stage begins.
• Anonymous votes (i.e. IP votes) are not accepted.
• Proxy votes (i.e. helping another to cast a vote) are not accepted.
• Votes from sockpuppet accounts are not accepted.
• Votes cast before or after this stage are not accepted.
• Voting eligibility cannot be transferred or exchanged.

These are explicitly allowed:

• A candidate may vote for himself or herself (if eligible to vote).
• A user may change or withdraw their votes during this stage (but not after).
• A user need not vote for all candidates.

To support a candidate, sign your support onto that candidate's subpage. Supporters are encouraged to give a reason for their vote on the talk page, to lend credence or weight to their decision. Similarly, to oppose a candidate, sign your opposition on that candidate's subpage. An explanation for the disapproval on the talk page is also encouraged. Although this stage, unlike Stage 2, is not exclusively for discussion, discussion and campaigning, as outlined above, can and should continue during this stage. Any questions that were not addressed during Stage 2 can be addressed in continued discussion on the talk pages.

This stage should normally be set to last 11 days.

Stage 4: Deciding winners

Winners are decided upon by the results of the voting in stage 3. The candidate with the highest positive vote tally is considered the winner. If there are multiple terms to be filled, the longest term goes to the highest ranking winning candidate and so on down the line. A vote tally is defined as the difference between the amount of supporting votes (positive) and opposing votes (negative). If, at the end of stage 3, several candidates have an equal vote tally, a runoff vote is held between those candidates. In that vote, different from stage 3, each voter only has 1 vote. Stage 4 is expanded to 7 days to allow for voting.

If no candidate has a positive vote tally at the end of stage 3, a new election should be started immediately beginning from stage 0. Only if no new candidates enter the election, the positive vote balance requirement is lifted.

This stage should normally be set to last 1 day.

Vacated seats

If a bureaucrat seat is empty, the remaining bureaucrats may unanimously choose to fill the seat with one of the candidates from the most recent election. If so, the following process occurs:

• The bureaucrats decide on a time window for volunteering.
• Announcements are made on Ultima Codex talk:Community portal and the talk pages of all eligible candidates, stating that a decision has been made to fill the vacant bureaucrat seat, as well as stating the date and time for the end of the volunteering window, which must be at least 72 hours after the announcement has been made and all eligible candidates have been notified.
• Candidates from the most recent election who had positive vote balances may accept or decline the invitation. Candidates with neutral or negative vote balances are ineligible, as are any candidates who served as bureaucrats after the most recent election, but resigned or were removed through arbitration.
• If the highest ranking eligible candidate (or, in the event of a tie, all highest ranking eligible candidates) among those candidates who have not declined has already accepted, the volunteering window may be ended prematurely.
• At the end of the volunteering window, the highest ranking eligible volunteer becomes a bureaucrat, ties are resolved by the senior bureaucrat among the remaining bureaucrats.
• The new bureaucrat serves out the remainder of the original term.