The 'Shroom talk:Issue 227/Poll Chairperson Election
Poll Chairperson Election
This page is where members of the community may post their campaigns and vote for candidates to oversee the Poll Committee for the next year. The rules for the election process may be viewed on the election rules article.
Voting opens on Saturday, February 28th, 2026 at 00:01 GMT. Please do not cast a vote before then.
Candidates and Voting[edit]
Sparks (talk) and GoldGal64 (talk)[edit]
Hi everyone! It's your local pony (and recently Deltarune) fan Sparks here to let you all know that I'm running for Poll Chairman! I was previously part of the fifteenth Poll Committee last year, and I enjoyed that experience, but now I want to lead the Committee! I've had experience in authoritative positions as a wiki administrator and The 'Shroom's Sub-Director, so I'm confident I can lead the team. I know I'll be the chairman, but think of this as a team effort! A very fun team effort. I'll do my best to make sure everyone has a great time on the Poll Committee! But I'm not running alone! By my side is a great and trustworthy friend of mine, GoldGal64! I'll let her introduce herself:
Hi everyone! I'm GoldGal64! You might know me from my section on fake news: The Ghostly Dossiere! I've never been part of a committee before, so this will be fun! Especially since I really do enjoy all of the polls that are on the wiki. I don't know if I'll have a whole lot of good ideas but who knows? Oh hold on... AH! One of my Ghosts escaped! I-I'll see you guys later!!
As for the banner, GoldGal has generously offered to create one once the Committee is all set! I've seen her artwork firsthand and I'm certain she'll cook up something incredible. We're thinking of doing something based on the upcoming The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, but that's not entirely set in stone yet. Whatever it is, it'll be awesome!
Here are the goals we wish to accomplish:
- Accessibility for newcomers: Are you looking to join a community-related team for the very first time? The Poll Committee is the perfect start for you! We will make sure you get settled in and comfortable to make your new experience a happy and memorable one.
- Punctual poll publishes: We want the polls to go up every other Sunday within 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM. (EST), but we can always adjust for other timezones if needed.
- Make sure all Poll Committee members have a good time! We'll do weekly check-ins and post motivational/goofy images during those check-ins. Mental health is important! As for our first one, you can't spell "poll" without several letters from "people"! People create the polls, and this is a collaborative effort!
- Give everyone a chance at creating polls: We want to make sure everyone who joins gets the opportunity to create at least one poll. Everyone has their own way of thinking, so who knows what ideas we'll come up with?
- Have one backup poll available at all times: To ensure we won't scramble to create a poll on short notice, we'll make sure the Poll Committee always has at least one backup poll available.
- More time for "Do you like (GAME NAME HERE)?" polls: To give everyone enough time to play a new game, we will implement a hard rule about making a "what do you think of (GAME NAME HERE)?" poll. The same goes for movies, videos, and specific game mechanics (like Bananzas). At least three months of waiting before these kinds of polls is good.
- Give everyone a chance to write Poll Committee Discussion and Awards Analysis: We want to give all members a chance to make at least one Poll Committee Discussion and one Awards Analysis for The 'Shroom! We understand that some people may not have enough time to make these, and that's OK! They can be short and sweet. GoldGal and I will support those who are inexperienced with these sections. In fact, the Poll Committee is a team! We always have each other's backs!
- A Discord account is not required! Everything Poll Committee-related will take place on the Mario Boards. Make sure you have a Mario Boards account if you want to be a part of the Poll Committee! Although, if everyone who joins the committee has already joined the Mario Wiki Discord server, then we can use the Poll channel within it! This is up to the committee to decide, but the Mario Boards will definitely be our main method of polls and communication.
This goes without saying, but because I'm involved, expect to see lots of ponies and Deltarune references! Of course, if they become too much, just let me know! I'll tone it down. My Twilight Sparkle plushie (and Ralsei plushie, once I get him) will become honorary Poll Committee members too! If any of you have companions, we can make them honorary members too! To any other people running: good luck and may the best campaign win! Let's make the 16th Poll Committee the best one yet!
Votes[edit]
- Ninja Squid (talk) - I have full confidence in Sparks to lead the Poll Committee with not only great enthusiasm but also effectiveness. He has gained significant leadership experience through the role of Sub-Director of The 'Shroom, and I would like to see him take full leadership responsibility for an entire committee. I also support this ticket because of the addition of GoldGal64, which would be her first experience in a leadership position, and I wish to encourage new blood wherever possible. Considering they both have shown great dedication and responsibility in this community, I am confident in saying that they will lead the Poll Committee effectively.
- Cloudwalker (talk) - I have great confidence that Sparks and Gold are able to do this, and I can vouch for them from personal experience.
- Koop (talk) - I have no doubt that these two will be great in this role, and I believe Gold has an admirable passion for wanting to make a name for herself within the community and I believe that this would be a great start for her.
- Someone1234 (talk)
- Hooded Pitohui (talk) - Redboot's enthusiasm is wonderful to see, it really is. They've brought many strong new ideas to the table, and I admire that. I know firsthand that MightyMario is a steadied hand who would do everything in his power to assist Redboot. Sparks has infectious enthusiasm and I believe in his ability to build upon the regular communication between PC members we've seen in PaperPlumm's term. These are two strong tickets that have both shown a willingness to accept feedback and incorporate ideas from their opponents. What tilts my vote is the presence of GoldGal. She has shown a lot of interest in getting deeper in the community as of late, and, as a newer face, I'd really like to see her have a chance to step into the role alongside a partner and advisor like Sparks. It's a good sign to me that they'll embrace getting newer users onto the committee. I will be watching to see that this ticket incorporates the ideas, if not members, of their opponent's ticket!
- Roserade (talk) - Sparks is a committed and reliable figure of leadership for this community, and GoldGal is a fresh face who is clearly enthused about the people here. I'm excited by the opportunities this provides for the both of them. I would like them to really consider some of the ideas proposed by the other ticket; the Poll Committee could do with more community responsiveness, and the idea to run a feedback poll on the fifth Monday of the month is a strong one.
RedbootBA (talk) and MightyMario (talk)[edit]
Hey everyone! I'm Redboot, I have a bachelors degree in English with a minor in creative writing, I'm a novelist, and I've been in the community for the last 13 years. I've been on the 7th, 10th, and 14th Poll Committees so I've had plenty of experience there, and I've also been the vice president of my college's chapter of Sigma Tau Delta (the international English honor society) since 2024 so I'm well-rounded in leadership positions. I want to bring my creative energy into the Poll Committee, but I'll get more into what that entails later. For now, I'd like to let my running mate and good friend MightyMario introduce himself!
Hi! I'm MightyMario and I've been with the Poll Committees for about two years now. I was chairperson of the Fourteenth Poll Committee and currently a member of the Fifteenth Poll Committee, so I'm happy to be Vice-chair to a great friend who also has experience within the Poll Committee! We're proud to be members of the Mario Wiki, and we're excited to create new and fun ideas for polls in the coming year!
So, what would the committee look like under our leadership? I'm glad I asked, because I have plenty of ideas!
- I have several artist friends that I would be willing to commission out of my own pocket in order to get a banner for this term. In a time full of genAI slop, please support real artists!
- Our committee would include five additional members in order to get a quorum on each poll nomination without overloading the committee. A nomination would be accepted with four votes but edits on polls would be allowed until 24 hours before each poll is put up.
- We want creativity out of your poll ideas! There's room for the "What do you think of [newly released thing]" polls on occasion but my favorite polls are the ones that touch on different aspects of Mario history or hypothetical situations we might see from Nintendo.
- Polls would be updated on the first and third Mondays of the month, as close to noon CT as possible, as I'm currently the most free on Mondays. This schedule is subject to change with my own real life schedule, as I'm currently (as of the time of writing) am waiting to hear back on my application to be a TA come the fall semester. But why the first and third specifically? What about months with five Mondays? About that...
- During months with five Mondays, we would run polls asking the community for feedback specifically related to the Poll Committee. For example, On June 29, we would put up a poll asking "What kinds of polls do you want to see more of from the Poll Committee?" This poll would run until July 6 when the next normal poll would be put up. As someone who's been in many a workshop in my time in college, I believe feedback is extremely important, and this provides a way for everyone in the community, not just members of the Poll Committee, to participate!
- "Poll Committee Discussion" and "Awards Analysis" would be split up between writers every month similarly to how it is currently, but I want everyone to have roughly equal chances to write them. I'm an aspiring creative writing professor and I think this is a great chance for all of our members to get some creative writing experience! I know plenty of our community members are already writers for the 'Shroom, but a little more experience can never hurt, right?
- As a member of our committee, I want you to have the flexibility to take breaks when you need to! Sometimes life is busy, sometimes the universe drops a weight on you, and sometimes you just need some time away. I've been there too, and I understand! If you ever need a break for whatever reason, all you would have to do is communicate with me and I'm more than willing to let you have as much time as you need (within reason, of course).
I think that's all there is for me to say right now! I hope I've proven my credibility to you and I hope you believe in my ability to lead the 16th Poll Committee! Thank you so much for your time and consideration, and good luck to all involved!
Votes[edit]
- Fun With Despair (talk) - I'm gonna throw my hat in with these guys. While I was initially iffy on the idea of the anonymous applications, they've shown a willingness to listen to community feedback and remove that from their campaign. I'm always happy to see new blood in the leadership area, and I think that with his Poll Committee experience (including a run as PC Chair), MightyMario will be a strong guide for RedBoot in the role. I am also very interested in seeing the more creative poll ideas that these two are pushing for, and I think their idea for gathering community input on future polls is rather novel - the kind of innovation I like to see. Whether it shakes out remains to be seen, but the PC needs some fresh ideas, and these two seem willing to experiment.
Comments[edit]
Placeholder comment.
| The 'Shroom: Issue 227 | |
|---|---|
| Staff sections | Staff Notes • The 'Shroom Spotlight • Poochy's Picks • Poll Chairperson Election • Credits |
| Features | Fake News • Fun Stuff • Palette Swap • Pipe Plaza • Critic Corner • Strategy Wing |
