#DunesVotes!

Election Dates

It's that time again! As was announced recently, the weekend of February 21-22 will be Dunes Council Elections, for the 4th Session of the 3rd Cycle of Dunian Councils.

Want to run for Council?

If you are a resident of the Dunes and an active player, and you want to help the growth and flourishing of our beloved Sand Dunes, we want to hear from you!

Instructions:

Reply to this post and include the following information, by Friday 8pm eastern:

• Start with this as the first line: **Council Candidate**
• (in-game) Name
• Plot address (check the map)
• Real-life timezone (helpful for knowing when people are on)
• Are you able to use Skype for Council chat (no mic required)? Important!
• Council position (one of the following, see the Dunes Council wiki page for descriptions)
  • Council Chair
  • Vice Chair
  • Master of Diplomacy
  • Master of Events
  • General Council (4 positions)
• Candidate statement (why you think you're a good candidate, what you hope to bring to the position, what you would want to accomplish during your term in office, your vision for the future of the Dunes, that kind of thing)
• Bonus: If you are able to make it to Council meetings on Saturdays at 4pm, that will really help

IMPORTANT ! ! !

It is important to be aware that all Council positions will require a certain amount of time. If you do not think you can offer much time due to real-life restrictions, consider waiting for a later Council term when you have more time! This is particularly true of the Council Chair and Master of Events positions.

Timeline

• Sunday (Feb 15) through Friday
  • People who want to run for Council comment in this post
  • Residents of the Dunes read all the comments and, ideally, try to meet the candidates in-game to get to know them or ask questions
  • Election officials are chosen from outside the district to ensure that everything is handled fairly
• Friday
  • The ballot is created on Google forms
• Friday night or Saturday morning
  • The official "go vote now!" post will be made on this subreddit with the link and instructions
• Saturday and Sunday (Feb 21-22)
  • Everyone votes!
• Monday
  • Election officials collect and confirm the voting results
  • Results are posted on this subreddit (hopefully Monday, but depends on election officials' schedules!)

Questions?

Submit a comment and we'll update this post, or reply to you there!

Answers!

Q: Will the elections replace the Council meeting?
A: We'll see as the week goes. It would be good to continue addressing current/recent business and events, but if it makes sense to cancel it, we will..

Q: How will the voting be measured? Will Dunians be able to choose their top 3 candidates per position?
A: A fairly simple voting model will probably be used, purely for the sake of simplicity (both for voters and for administrators). If there's an easy, clear way to allow a preference-based vote, and if there are enough candidates to warrant it, we will do that.

Q: And is there a minimum votes for the candidates to be elected?
A: If voter turnout is low, we'll do the best we can. As we recognized at the start of this Council, we would rather there be people to work on building the district and its culture, than wait for there to be enough people to justify it. A bit of a "chicken and the egg" problem in a land like Dong Dank... people move to (and stay active) where there's activity and other people to hang out and do things with. That said, if there are any major surprises in voting results, or a heavily split vote between two candidates, then we would determine a way to respond. Perhaps a debate and a follow-up vote, for example.

Q: Can I run for more than one Council position?
A: No, each candidate can only declare for one position, and can only be elected for a maximum of one position.

Q: Can you be elected with out nominating yourself?
A: Currently, no. It would be complicated to manage write-in votes because one of the things we depend on is whether candidates will be around enough and interested enough to stay involved and committed to their Council responsibilities.
However, if you would like to nominate someone, you may do so here, but then it is up to them to respond with a candidacy statement.