SABRE Elections Working Procedures 2007-2017
Nominations
Nominations normally open two weeks before the date of the AGM, and close eight days before the date of the AGM. This may be varied at the discretion of the President, provided that the overall period allowed for nominations is not less than five days.
Nominations will be accepted from any Active Member of SABRE who was an Active Member the day before the opening of nominations, with the exception of the President in post during the election process.
To stand, a prospective candidate must submit the following information to the President:
- SABRE Screen Name;
- First name (if not obvious from SABRE screen name);
- Surname (optional);
- The post(s) the prospective candidate wishes to stand for;
- Length of time as Discussion Group Member (approximately);
- Reason for standing.
The section called "Reason for standing" should state the reasons why the prospective candidate feels they are suitable for the post, and their future plans. Around four sentences is considered sufficient. The President reserves the right to edit for length. If the President uses that right, then he/she must advise the prospective candidate, and invite a resubmission. This resubmission must be submitted to the President prior to the closing of nominations. If no resubmission is forthcoming, then the President may edit as required.
Campaigning is permitted, provided it takes place only on the canvassing section of SABRE Admin. Anyone posting campaign messages in any other SABRE forum, or found to be canvassing in any other way (for example, by email) will be disqualified from the election, and any votes that they receive will be distributed according to preferences stated.
Voting
Voting normally opens one week before the date of the AGM, and closes one day before the date of the AGM. This may be varied at the discretion of the President, provided that the overall period allowed for voting is not less than five days.
Votes will be accepted from any Active Member of SABRE, who was a Active Member the day before the opening of nominations. This is to prevent people 'loading' the membership. Votes may only be cast during the allocated time period. Voting is by the system known as Single Transferable Vote.
In addition to the human candidates standing for a position, a candidate called RON will be available in all elections. RON stands for 'Re-Open Nominations'. Active Members are encouraged to vote for RON if they believe none of the candidates deserve or are able to do the job. Active Members should not vote for RON if they have no preference in an election.
In order to vote, a member must include the following information, sent in confidence to the President:
- SABRE Screen Name;
- The name(s) of the Presidential candidate(s) the member wishes to vote for, each with a number indicating a preference (1,2,3 etc. in order);
- The name(s) of the Site Manager candidate(s) the member wishes to vote for, each with a number indicating a preference;
- The name(s) of the Assistant Site Manager candidate(s) the member wishes to vote for, each with a number indicating a preference;
A member's vote must be acknowledged; this is generally done automatically by the site's Private Messaging system. No other communication is allowed. Only one vote is allowed from any Active Member.
Counting
The count will occur using the Single Transferable Vote system as defined by the Electoral Reform Society.
In the case of a tied vote, the President has the casting vote. If the tie is between human candidates, the President may vote for whomever they choose. If the tie is between a human candidate and RON, the casting vote must be cast in favour of RON.
The Site Manager election will be counted and a result declared before the counting of the Assistant Site Manager election. If the winning Site Manager candidate has also stood for Assistant Site Manager, then their votes in the Assistant Site Manager election will be transferred according to preference in the counting process.
If RON wins, they will immediately resign, and a new election will be run for the post or posts that RON won. In the meantime, the status quo remains where possible. If it is not, the President will ask someone to temporarily hold the position until new elections can take place.
Announcement of results
If the President is able to attend the AGM, the results will be announced at the AGM. In all circumstances, the announcement of the results will be posted to the Discussion Group no later than 24 hours after the conclusion of the AGM. The newly elected Officers will assume office as soon as the results are announced.
By-elections
Procedures as for main elections except: in the case of a Presidential by-election, all references to "the President" should be replaced by "the Secretary".
The periods for nominations and voting are at the discretion of the President (or the Secretary for a Presidential by-election), provided that neither period lasts for less than five days.
The results will be posted to the Discussion Group no later than 48 hours after the conclusion of voting.