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Rules and Procedure for Elections


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Rules and Procedure for Mod Elections

 

Election timeline

Nominations will run from Sunday to Friday (5 days)

Q&A will run from Friday to Monday (3 days)

Voting will run from Monday to Saturday (5 days)

 

Who can Vote

All members with 25 or more posts will be able to see the Mod Elections forum and vote in the election. If you have been a member for a while, but have less than 25 posts, feel free to contact an Admin to ask for access to the Mod Elections forum.

 

Voting

Moderator, Project Team and Declassification Team elections will be done as a vote of confidence (Yes/No/Abstain for each candidate), and the candidate with the highest Yes votes will be elected to the position for which they're running. In the event that there is a tie for Yes votes, the candidate with fewer No votes will win. In the event that the candidates are tied in both Yes votes and No votes, a runoff vote will be held where members will choose between the tied candidates so only one is elected. If no candidate gets more yes votes than no votes, the election will be considered to have no winner, and we will wait two weeks and start the election again, until a winner is found.

 

Nominations: who is eligible

Members can run for an elected position if they have been registered on the site for 6 months or more, and have 100 or more posts on the forums, outside of Just For Fun, AVEN Arcade and Welcome Lounge.

 

Members must be 16 years or older for any staff position.

 

T&S Mods also moderate our hidden forum, (h)AVEN.  Due to the nature of both T&S and (h)AVEN, candidates must be over the age of 16 and is able to read and emotionally moderate serious and challenging Topics.

 

Members may only run if they have no active Warnings and/or are not barred from elections for any other reasons communicated by the Admod Team.

 

All candidates must submit a bio to the Election Admin (Kelly) before the voting period starts, otherwise they will be disqualified.

 

Anybody previously Warned for Breaching Staff Only Content are not eligible to run in any Staff Elections.

 

Before the final voting stage, staff reserves the right to conduct a review of the candidate's disciplinary history. They may be withheld from running for an Admod position if a member:

  • is being openly hateful against the team and/or other members
  • not being trustworthy in the sense of private communication (potential breaching, having stated similar things before)
  • long warning history for similar things (not showing any learning effect or remorse)
  • other similar behavior on or off AVEN

 

Eligibility of Former Team Members


If either a Moderator or Administrator is warned, they are automatically relieved of their position. In the event a staff member is found to be irresponsible and is removed from their position, they will be barred from running in any election for the same time period as if they had received their first active warning, starting from the day they are removed from their position.
 

In the event that a Moderator, Project Team member or Declassification Team member resigns from their respective position, regardless of their reason for leaving, they can run in an election three months after stepping down or on the second election cycle, whichever occurs earlier. In the event that an Administrator resigns from their respective position, regardless of their reason for leaving, they can run in any Moderator election three months or on the second election cycle after stepping down from their Administration position, whichever occurs earlier. A vacated position is defined as an unoccupied AVEN role, created by the resignation of an Administrator, Moderator, PT member or DT member. Furthermore, the position will not be considered filled if roles are shuffled around before an election.

 

Nominations: how to run

Members run by putting their name forward in the official nomination thread.

 

The Election Admin will create one nomination thread with all forums that are available. Members only need to nominate themselves for one forum to moderate. If there is more than one moderator position open at the same time, members may only run in one, but once a candidate has won their election to become a moderator, they have an option to add more forums (up to two more, maximum) to moderate.

 

All members, including Admods, can encourage others to run by posting in the pinned thread in Site Comments titled "Have you ever considered running for Mod/PT? **The Encouragement Thread". Members encouraged to run won't be considered candidates in the next election, unless they put themselves forward in the official nomination thread (not the encouragement one).

 

The encouragement thread will be closed during the election period to respect campaigning rules and restrictions. -The thread will be specifically for encouragement, no antagonizing will be allowed.

 

Campaigning rules and restrictions

The rules are as follows:

 

No person may campaign in a thread unrelated to the election or in the main chatroom.

 

Only candidates may campaign for themselves using avatars, signatures, their profiles, and/or their statuses.

 

Members are not allowed to post baseless and harmful accusations and/or rumours on any candidates in the election thread, in the chatroom, or any other part of the forums. This is covered by our rules against slander/libel and personal attacks in the Terms of Service, which protect all members.

 

Should a member contravene this rule, their post(s) in that thread will be removed, and Admods will discuss disciplinary action. This includes nudging, warning, temporary chatbans, and/or a temporary removal from the Announcements and/or Mod Elections forum depending on the severity of the infraction. If a member is removed from seeing the Mod Election forum this will also remove their ability to vote for their favored candidate [still in discussion in Admods after discussing in Site].

 

The aim of these changes is to hold all candidate campaigning to the Q&A threads and to keep the main focus of elections on candidates' bios and responses to questions. We hope that these new rules create a more level playing field by giving members the chance to get to know all candidates through direct forum interaction.

 

As a reminder to all those involved in the election process (both members and candidates): the Q&A portion of the election is a good way to get to know the candidates. It's important to keep in mind however, that the candidates should answer as many or as few questions as they like. Candidates are not required to answer questions, particularly if any should make them uncomfortable. Please PM an admod if you have any questions or concerns.

 

Campaign Resource

Some suggestions for the bio requirement have been added as a campaign resource. These guidelines are basic. Candidates are not required to use these suggestions, but might find them useful if they are unsure what to include in the bio or are experiencing writer's block. Candidates may feel free to be creative with the bio and do whatever they feel is best for their campaign.

 

What you might want to include in a bio:

  • Your motivation for running
  • Why you're interested in this forum/position
  • Specific skills you have for the job
  • Any current or previous experience you have
  • Something about yourself

Average length: 4-6 short paragraphs

 

Rules and Procedure for Admin Elections

 

Timing of elections

Elections will begin with nominations as and when required and will last for four days.

The Q&A will follow and run for another four days. No questions will be allowed after this time in the Q&A thread but may be asked via PM.

Afterwards, voting will begin and last for four days.

 

Who can Vote

All elected staff can vote in these elections.

 

Voting

Administrator elections will be done as a vote of confidence (Yes/No/Abstain for each candidate), and the candidate with the highest Yes votes will be elected to the position for which they're running. In the event that there is a tie for Yes votes, the candidate with fewer No votes will win. In the event that the candidates are tied in both Yes votes and No votes, a run-off vote will be held where staff members will choose between the tied candidates so that only one is elected. If no candidate gets more Yes votes than No votes, the election will be considered to have no winner and we start the election again, until a winner is found.

 

Nominations: who is eligible

As of our policy "Admin positions", only elected and currently sitting Moderators can run for an Administrator position.  As of our Policy "Experience requirements for Admin nominations" Moderators must have 6 months currently as a sitting Mod and a total of 12 months experience in any elected staff position, meaning that experience as a Declassification Team Member or a Project Team Member counts towards this 12 month total. Ideally, an Administrator would be already registered on the site for 6 months or more, and have 100 or more posts on the forums - outside of Just For Fun, AVEN Arcade and Welcome Lounge - before taking on any elected staff position.

 

Administrators must maintain a clean warning and nudge record that doesn't disqualify an elected staff member from staff groups for their entire period of eligibility.

 

All candidates must submit a bio to the election Admin (Kelly) before the voting period starts, otherwise they will be disqualified.

 

Eligibility of Former Team Members

If an Administrator is warned, they are automatically relieved of their position. In the event a staff member is found to be irresponsible and is removed from their position, they will be barred from running in any staff position for the same time period as if they had received their first active warning, starting from the day they are removed from their position.

 

In the event that an Administrator resigns or shuffles into a Moderator position from their respective position, regardless of their reason for leaving, they cannot run in an Administrator election for their respective (Reports/E-Mail/Accounts/Elections/LoA/Policy/Project/Chat) Admin role until their vacated position is filled. In the event that an Administrator resigns without shuffling to a Moderator position, regardless of their reason for leaving, they cannot run in a Moderator election until a new Moderator is elected to the vacated position left from the outgoing Administrator. A vacated position is defined as an unoccupied AVEN role, created by the resignation of an Administrator, Moderator, PT member or DT member. Furthermore, the position will not be considered filled if roles are shuffled around before an election.

 

Nominations: how to run

Moderator members run by putting their name forward in the official nomination thread. There is only one Administrator position run at a time.

 

Campaigning rules and restrictions

As Administrator elections are done in the Admods Only Forum, there's no campaigning in any capacity.

 

Elected staff members are not allowed to post baseless and harmful accusations and/or rumours about any candidates in the election thread or anywhere else inside or outside the Admods Only Forum. This is covered by our rules against slander/libel and personal attacks in the Terms of Service, which protect all members.

 

Should an elected staff member contravene this rule, their post(s) in that thread will be removed, and existing Administrators and BoD will discuss disciplinary action. This includes nudging, warning or temporary chat bans and could lead to that elected staff member being removed from their duties. If an elected staff member is removed, a regular nomination and election cycle will start to replace them, respective of that vacated role.

 

The aim of these changes is to hold all Administrators to account and thoroughly make sure the new Administrator is able and trustworthy to fulfil the many complex tasks and duties, as well as having access to powerful Administrator Control Panel settings that can ultimately seriously damage AVEN Forums.

 

The Q&A portion of the Administrator election runs differently from Moderator/Declass/Project Team Q&A, as staff already know the member and they are usually very active as a regular member. It's important to keep in mind however, that the candidates should answer as many or as few questions as they like, these questions are usually specific to that role, general Admin tasks and to find a demonstrable level of leadership. Candidates are not required to answer questions, particularly if any should make them uncomfortable. Any elected staff member can privately PM a prospective Administrator questions to answer.

 

Campaign Resource

Some suggestions for the bio requirement have been added as a campaign resource. These guidelines are basic. Candidates are not required to use these suggestions, but might find them useful if they are unsure what to include in the bio or are experiencing writer's block. Candidates may feel free to be creative with the bio and do whatever they feel is best for their campaign.

 

What you might want to include in a bio:

  • Your motivation for running
  • Why you're interested in this Administrator role and general Administration
  • Specific skills you have for the position
  • Any current or previous experience you have, any existing elected staff position experiences past and present and off-AVEN
  • Something about yourself that elected staff don't know about you.

Average length: 4-6 short paragraphs

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Updated with changes announced here.

 

Old version:

 

Quote

How to Vote

When voting period starts, members can vote for one of the candidates running, or choose a None of these option if they feel that none of the candidates running are the best to represent AVEN at that time. If the None of these option gets the majority vote, as a general rule elections will be restarted after one month. [This can be subject to change and will be considered on a case by case basis].

New version:

 

Quote

Voting

Moderator and Project Team elections will be done as a vote of confidence (Yes/No/Abstain for each candidate), and the candidate with the highest Yes votes will be elected to the position for which they're running. In the event that there is a tie for Yes votes, the candidate with fewer No votes will win. In the event that the candidates are tied in both Yes votes and No votes, a runoff vote will be held where members will choose between the tied candidates so only one is elected. If no candidate gets more yes votes than no votes, the election will be considered to have no winner, and we will wait two weeks and start the election again, until a winner is found.

 

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Janus the Fox

Updated to include our Administration Election Procedures - Announced here

Quote

Rules and Procedure for Admin Elections

 

Timing of elections

Elections will begin with nominations as and when required and will last for four days.

The Q&A will follow and run for another four days. No questions will be allowed after this time in the Q&A thread but may be asked via PM.

Afterwards, voting will begin and last for four days.

 

Who can Vote

All elected staff can vote in these elections.

 

Voting

Administrator elections will be done as a vote of confidence (Yes/No/Abstain for each candidate), and the candidate with the highest Yes votes will be elected to the position for which they're running. In the event that there is a tie for Yes votes, the candidate with fewer No votes will win. In the event that the candidates are tied in both Yes votes and No votes, a run-off vote will be held where staff members will choose between the tied candidates so that only one is elected. If no candidate gets more Yes votes than No votes, the election will be considered to have no winner and we start the election again, until a winner is found.

 

Nominations: who is eligible

As of our policy "Admin positions", only elected and currently sitting Moderators can run for an Administrator position.  As of our Policy "Experience requirements for Admin nominations" Moderators must have 6 months currently as a sitting Mod and a total of 12 months experience in any elected staff position, meaning that experience as a Declassification Team Member or a Project Team Member counts towards this 12 month total. Ideally, an Administrator would be already registered on the site for 6 months or more, and have 100 or more posts on the forums - outside of Just For Fun, AVEN Arcade and Welcome Lounge - before taking on any elected staff position.

 

Administrators must maintain a clean warning and nudge record that doesn't disqualify an elected staff member from staff groups for their entire period of eligibility.

 

All candidates must submit a bio to the election Admin (Kelly) before the voting period starts, otherwise they will be disqualified.

 

Eligibility of Former Team Members

If an Administrator is warned, they are automatically relieved of their position. In the event a staff member is found to be irresponsible and is removed from their position, they will be barred from running in any staff position for the same time period as if they had received their first active warning, starting from the day they are removed from their position.

 

In the event that an Administrator resigns or shuffles into a Moderator position from their respective position, regardless of their reason for leaving, they cannot run in an Administrator election for their respective (Reports/E-Mail/Accounts/Elections/LoA/Policy/Project/Chat) Admin role until their vacated position is filled. In the event that an Administrator resigns without shuffling to a Moderator position, regardless of their reason for leaving, they cannot run in a Moderator election until a new Moderator is elected to the vacated position left from the outgoing Administrator. A vacated position is defined as an unoccupied AVEN role, created by the resignation of an Administrator, Moderator, PT member or DT member. Furthermore, the position will not be considered filled if roles are shuffled around before an election.

 

Nominations: how to run

Moderator members run by putting their name forward in the official nomination thread. There is only one Administrator position run at a time.

 

Campaigning rules and restrictions

As Administrator elections are done in the Admods Only Forum, there's no campaigning in any capacity.

 

Elected staff members are not allowed to post baseless and harmful accusations and/or rumours about any candidates in the election thread or anywhere else inside or outside the Admods Only Forum. This is covered by our rules against slander/libel and personal attacks in the Terms of Service, which protect all members.

 

Should an elected staff member contravene this rule, their post(s) in that thread will be removed, and existing Administrators and BoD will discuss disciplinary action. This includes nudging, warning or temporary chat bans and could lead to that elected staff member being removed from their duties. If an elected staff member is removed, a regular nomination and election cycle will start to replace them, respective of that vacated role.

 

The aim of these changes is to hold all Administrators to account and thoroughly make sure the new Administrator is able and trustworthy to fulfil the many complex tasks and duties, as well as having access to powerful Administrator Control Panel settings that can ultimately seriously damage AVEN Forums.

 

The Q&A portion of the Administrator election runs differently from Moderator/Declass/Project Team Q&A, as staff already know the member and they are usually very active as a regular member. It's important to keep in mind however, that the candidates should answer as many or as few questions as they like, these questions are usually specific to that role, general Admin tasks and to find a demonstrable level of leadership. Candidates are not required to answer questions, particularly if any should make them uncomfortable. Any elected staff member can privately PM a prospective Administrator questions to answer.

 

Campaign Resource

Some suggestions for the bio requirement have been added as a campaign resource. These guidelines are basic. Candidates are not required to use these suggestions, but might find them useful if they are unsure what to include in the bio or are experiencing writer's block. Candidates may feel free to be creative with the bio and do whatever they feel is best for their campaign.

 

What you might want to include in a bio:

  • Your motivation for running
  • Why you're interested in this Administrator role and general Administration
  • Specific skills you have for the position
  • Any current or previous experience you have, any existing elected staff position experiences past and present and off-AVEN
  • Something about yourself that elected staff don't know about you.

Average length: 4-6 short paragraphs

 

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Updated the Eligibility section on new Staffing Age Eligibility.

Quote

Nominations: who is eligible

Members can run for an elected position if they have been registered on the site for 6 months or more, and have 100 or more posts on the forums, outside of Just For Fun, AVEN Arcade and Welcome Lounge.

 

Members may only run if they have no active Warnings and/or are not barred from elections for any other reasons communicated by the Admod Team.

 

All candidates must submit a bio to the Election Admin (Kelly) before the voting period starts, otherwise they will be disqualified.

To

Quote

Nominations: who is eligible

Members can run for an elected position if they have been registered on the site for 6 months or more, and have 100 or more posts on the forums, outside of Just For Fun, AVEN Arcade and Welcome Lounge.

 

Members must be 16 years or older for any staff position.

 

Members may only run if they have no active Warnings and/or are not barred from elections for any other reasons communicated by the Admod Team.

 

All candidates must submit a bio to the Election Admin (Kelly) before the voting period starts, otherwise they will be disqualified.

Announced here: - https://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/258190-new-election-age-limits/

 

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Janus the Fox

Updated Eligibility in line with new Breaching Rules

 

From:

Quote

Nominations: who is eligible

Members can run for an elected position if they have been registered on the site for 6 months or more, and have 100 or more posts on the forums, outside of Just For Fun, AVEN Arcade and Welcome Lounge.

 

Members must be 16 years or older for any staff position.

 

Members may only run if they have no active Warnings and/or are not barred from elections for any other reasons communicated by the Admod Team.

 

All candidates must submit a bio to the Election Admin (Kelly) before the voting period starts, otherwise they will be disqualified.

To:

Quote

Nominations: who is eligible

Members can run for an elected position if they have been registered on the site for 6 months or more, and have 100 or more posts on the forums, outside of Just For Fun, AVEN Arcade and Welcome Lounge.

 

Members must be 16 years or older for any staff position.

 

Members may only run if they have no active Warnings and/or are not barred from elections for any other reasons communicated by the Admod Team.

 

All candidates must submit a bio to the Election Admin (Kelly) before the voting period starts, otherwise they will be disqualified.

 

Anybody previously Warned for Breaching Staff Only Content are not eligible to run in any Staff Elections.

 

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Janus the Fox

Clarified who's eligible for T&S, giving mention to (h)AVEN where a T&S Mod also mods

 

From

Quote

Nominations: who is eligible

Members can run for an elected position if they have been registered on the site for 6 months or more, and have 100 or more posts on the forums, outside of Just For Fun, AVEN Arcade and Welcome Lounge.

 

Members must be 16 years or older for any staff position.

 

Members may only run if they have no active Warnings and/or are not barred from elections for any other reasons communicated by the Admod Team.

 

All candidates must submit a bio to the Election Admin (Kelly) before the voting period starts, otherwise they will be disqualified.

 

Anybody previously Warned for Breaching Staff Only Content are not eligible to run in any Staff Elections.

To

Quote

Nominations: who is eligible

Members can run for an elected position if they have been registered on the site for 6 months or more, and have 100 or more posts on the forums, outside of Just For Fun, AVEN Arcade and Welcome Lounge.

 

Members must be 16 years or older for any staff position.

 

T&S Mods also moderate our hidden forum, (h)AVEN.  Due to the nature of both T&S and (h)AVEN, candidates must be over the age of 16 and is able to read and emotionally moderate serious and challenging Topics.

 

Members may only run if they have no active Warnings and/or are not barred from elections for any other reasons communicated by the Admod Team.

 

All candidates must submit a bio to the Election Admin (Kelly) before the voting period starts, otherwise they will be disqualified.

 

Anybody previously Warned for Breaching Staff Only Content are not eligible to run in any Staff Elections.

 

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Janus the Fox

We have added the following "Nominations: who is eligible" rule:-

 

Before:-
 

Quote

Nominations: who is eligible

Members can run for an elected position if they have been registered on the site for 6 months or more, and have 100 or more posts on the forums, outside of Just For Fun, AVEN Arcade and Welcome Lounge.

 

Members must be 16 years or older for any staff position.

 

T&S Mods also moderate our hidden forum, (h)AVEN.  Due to the nature of both T&S and (h)AVEN, candidates must be over the age of 16 and is able to read and emotionally moderate serious and challenging Topics.

 

Members may only run if they have no active Warnings and/or are not barred from elections for any other reasons communicated by the Admod Team.

 

All candidates must submit a bio to the Election Admin (Kelly) before the voting period starts, otherwise they will be disqualified.

 

Anybody previously Warned for Breaching Staff Only Content are not eligible to run in any Staff Elections.

 

After:-

 

Quote

Nominations: who is eligible

Members can run for an elected position if they have been registered on the site for 6 months or more, and have 100 or more posts on the forums, outside of Just For Fun, AVEN Arcade and Welcome Lounge.

 

Members must be 16 years or older for any staff position.

 

T&S Mods also moderate our hidden forum, (h)AVEN.  Due to the nature of both T&S and (h)AVEN, candidates must be over the age of 16 and is able to read and emotionally moderate serious and challenging Topics.

 

Members may only run if they have no active Warnings and/or are not barred from elections for any other reasons communicated by the Admod Team.

 

All candidates must submit a bio to the Election Admin (Kelly) before the voting period starts, otherwise they will be disqualified.

 

Anybody previously Warned for Breaching Staff Only Content are not eligible to run in any Staff Elections.

 

Before the final voting stage, staff reserves the right to conduct a review of the candidate's disciplinary history. They may be withheld from running for an Admod position if a member:

  • is being openly hateful against the team and/or other members
  • not being trustworthy in the sense of private communication (potential breaching, having stated similar things before)
  • long warning history for similar things (not showing any learning effect or remorse)
  • other similar behavior on or off AVEN

As a team, we have felt that for the benefit and safety of the forum and its members, we now vet new members of staff.  The following Announcement will also be made:-

 

Announcement Thread: - https://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/265316-vetting-staff-nominations-candidates-policy/

 

Feedback Thread:- https://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/265318-feedback-for-vetting-staff-nominations-candidates-policy/

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Janus the Fox

From:-

Quote

Eligibility of Former Team Members

If either a Moderator or Administrator is warned, they are automatically relieved of their position. In the event a staff member is found to be irresponsible and is removed from their position, they will be barred from running in any election for the same time period as if they had received their first active warning, starting from the day they are removed from their position.

 

In the event that a Moderator, Project Team member or Declassification Team member resigns from their respective position, regardless of their reason for leaving, they cannot run in an election for their respective (individual) teams until their vacated position is filled. In the event that an Administrator resigns from their respective position, regardless of their reason for leaving, they cannot run in a Moderator election until a new Moderator is elected to the vacated position left from the election to replace the outgoing Administrator. A vacated position is defined as an unoccupied AVEN role, created by the resignation of an Administrator, Moderator, PT member or DT member. Furthermore, the position will not be considered filled if roles are shuffled around before an election.

 

To:-

Quote

Eligibility of Former Team Members

If either a Moderator or Administrator is warned, they are automatically relieved of their position. In the event a staff member is found to be irresponsible and is removed from their position, they will be barred from running in any election for the same time period as if they had received their first active warning, starting from the day they are removed from their position.

 

In the event that a Moderator, Project Team member or Declassification Team member resigns from their respective position, regardless of their reason for leaving, they can run in an election three months after stepping down or on the second election cycle, whichever occurs earlier. In the event that an Administrator resigns from their respective position, regardless of their reason for leaving, they can run in any Moderator election three months or on the second election cycle after stepping down from their Administration position, whichever occurs earlier. A vacated position is defined as an unoccupied AVEN role, created by the resignation of an Administrator, Moderator, PT member or DT member. Furthermore, the position will not be considered filled if roles are shuffled around before an election.

After discussions, we as a team have felt that the eligibility of former team members returning to be too restrictive in the current environment.  Therefore, we are allowing former team members to apply to elections sooner as previously stated, as long there's no outstanding warning points or have otherwise no other restrictions barring them from staff.  Either at the second election cycle or 3 months after the existing office that was vacated and not been filled by another candidate.

 

Announcement Thread:

 

Feedback Thread:

 

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