The 'Shroom:Issue LXIII/Poll Chairperson Election

Poll Committee Chairperson Election

Sunday, 23 May 2010, a proposal concerning several changes in our current Main Page was accepted by the community and passed. This proposal can be viewed here.

One point this proposal addressed was the creation of a Poll committee, a selected group of users to create and select polls to feature on the Main Page. The members of this committee are meant to be selected by a person in charge of the committee, the Poll Committee Chairperson, who shall be elected by the community. The second annual Poll Committee Chairperson Election is taking place here.

What does the Chairperson do?
As the person in charge of the Poll Committee, the Chairperson holds several responsibilities. The essential obligations of the Chairperson are listed below.

The Poll Committee Chairperson...
 * ...needs to select six users who will, together with the Chairperson, form the Poll Committee. These six users should be trusted members of the community.
 * ...needs to select one of these six users to be their surrogate. The surrogate will replace the Chairperson in case they are not able to hold their position anymore.
 * ...should suggest, discuss, and vote on polls in a sub-forum exclusively for the Poll Committee. These polls should be appropriate and not be detrimental for the Mario Wiki's reputation. A forum account is required for the position of the Chairperson, as well as for every other member of the committee.
 * ...should be active. They should be able to cast a vote every two weeks. If a decision cannot be made, the Chairperson holds the right to abstain from voting (the committee needs to be informed of this abstain however). Repeated failure to cast a vote or abstain might result in a loss of the chair position.
 * ...holds the right to suggest the dismissal of a certain committee member if said member does not uphold their responsibilities properly. A vote among all committee members will then commence. If three other members agree with the suggestion, the member in question will be dismissed. The Chairperson then has to select another user to take their place.
 * ...will keep their position for one year, provided that nothing out of the ordinary happens. After that period, a new Chairperson will be elected. The old Chairperson holds the right to attend this election as a candidate once again and thus has the chance to be elected for another year.

If you think you might be a suitable candidate for this position, you can enter this election as a candidate.

How do I become a Chairperson?
To become the Poll Committee's Chairperson, you need to be elected by the Mario Wiki Community. For this matter, you can campaign in the election below. You can join the election as a candidate at any time, except if the election reaches Overtime. If you are interested, follow these steps to nominate yourself:

===Your Name=== Your reason why you should become the Chairperson

Votes

 * You can enter the election by filling out this form and posting it below. New campaigns go to the bottom of the page.
 * In the past two Poll Chairperson elections, listing the Vice-Chairperson pick as the runningmate in a campaign has been the standard procedure. However, it should be noted that in this election, listing a runningmate is not a requirement to be a candidate and it is only optional that a runningmate be listed.
 * You can only nominate yourself. Entering someone other than you in this election will not be tolerated.
 * Make sure your campaign has reasonable grammar, so people can understand what you are trying to say.
 * After your campaign is set, people might add their votes to the Vote section of your campaign. As a user of the Mario Wiki, you have a vote as well, and you are allowed to vote for yourself.
 * If you have the most votes by the end of the election, you will become the new Chairperson. If there is a tie by the end of the election, it will continue between the candidates with the highest amounts of votes for one week. This procedure is called Overtime. If there is still a tie by the end of the new deadline, the election will once again be extended by one week. Overtime continues until one candidate has the highest amount of votes.
 * Please take this matter seriously! Joke campaigns and profanity will be removed without warning. Additional steps might be taken against violators of this rule.

How do I vote here?
You can vote by going to the Vote section of a campaign and add this form to it. Remember to replace “Name” with your actual user name. # Alternatively, a user may cast an anonymous vote by using the form below. Note that people may see who voted anonymously when viewing the page history. You can only vote for one person at a time. If the election reaches Overtime and your candidate gets eliminated, you can cast another vote for the remaining candidates if you like.
 * 1) X

Debates

 * Sunday, July 8th 20:00 (EDT)

If there are still questions left, feel free to ask one of Mario Wiki's admins.

It is currently , 27 (EST/EDT) This election ends July 21st 20:00 (EST/EDT)

Crocodile Dippy / Master Crash
I was really hoping to do this next year, but no one is running this year, so you've all forced my hand! Don't want to labour introductions, so credentials:


 * Former MarioWiki Sysop (resigned)
 * Former MarioWiki Chat Operator (demoted)
 * The 'Shroom Affiliates Manager
 * Former Userpedia Bureaucrat (resigned)
 * Userpedia Forum Global Moderator
 * Xephyr Board Head Honcho

I honestly thought I'd done more than that in my five years in this community. I'm a wee bit disappointed now. But bugger that noise, all that basically amounts to is me knowing how the Wiki and forums work, being capable of communicating effectively, and capable of managing projects efficiently and in a timely manner. Don't need to read too much, so just some small things I want to note;


 *  (I shall call him Reizy) will be my vice-chairman. He is a very calm, friendly and well-respected member of our community, and is currently a Chatroom Operator, MarioWiki Forum Global Moderator, Userpedia Bureaucrat, and former Userpedia Forum Global Moderator. He's got the experience, the friendly face, and the social skills, so I'm sure he'd make a fine vice-chairman.
 * No, I'm not hand-picking the rest of the committee out of random. That's not fair at all. If you're interested in joining, send me an application on the forum (because you will need a forum account to be in the committee), and I will decide the other five committee members from there. I'm not just looking for experience – as it would nice to get the newer blokes some basic training on the Wiki – but also your dedication and personality. A good nature and eagerness to learn and contribute to the Wiki efficiently can carry you a long way.
 * As harsh as this may sound, I don't tolerate negligence. Sometimes things just come up that take priority over the committee, and I understand that; but if you're consistently failing to do your duties as a committee member without notice I will have to take action (I'll give fair warning, don't worry; I'm not a scary monster that boots you for one strike). I know it's my job to keep the committee up to speed and organised, but there's really only so much I can do for you if you aren't willing to put the effort in. Sorry, but that's just how it works.
 * I won't be interfering with committee votes unless there's a tie that needs breaking. Simple as that.

Thanks, and have fun.

Oh yeah, I should probably have some sort of base for the application. I guess it's three-fold: 1) your skill set; 2) why you want to be a committee member; and 3) what your plans for the future are. Optionally, you can also add a fun fact to help you stand out; nothing too personal, tho. I don't want to know about that sort of thing, and any sane person wouldn't want me to know about it.

Tucayo / Edofenrir
Well, HI! I am Tucayo, longtime SMW member (but I haven't been here as long as DP has, I give him that). You have probably seen me around, but in case you haven't, let me present you my credentials.


 * Former Super Mario Wiki Patroller and SysOp (resigned)
 * Former #mwchat operator (resigned)
 * Former 'Shroom Director, Sub-Director, Fun Stuff Director and Social Networking Manager.
 * Current 'Shroom Statistics Manager (I deal with 'Shroom polls!) as well as longtime collaborator.
 * Former Userpedia SysOp (resigned)
 * Former Local Moderator in the Marioboards (demoted)
 * Former NIWA forums Global Moderator and SMW Representative

As you can see, I have experience all around the community. Experience I have gained in over four years of hard work. And, as DP said, projects like this are a great way to gain experience and to get to know the SMW. That is why, I will also look for a diverse committee. Responsibility is what I'll be looking for in the committee members, should I win. I know how to work in team and I know how to lead one, so I would be a fit choice for the job.

Even if teams like this need new faces, they also need experience. That is why, if I win, my vice-chairman will be Edofenrir, who is currently part of the Poll Commitee. Edofenrir is a respected member of the SMW, with experience on the wiki, forum, 'Shroom and Poll Commitee. He currently moderates child boards related to The 'Shroom, and is the distinguished Sub-Director of our beloved newsletter. As for the rest of the Commitee; given the case I win, I shall invite my fellow candidates to be part of the team. The three remaining spots will go to those interested in taking part. If you are interested just drop a line in my talk page telling me what's your favorite Woody Allen movie and why.

Toad85 / TBA
Hello, it's Toad85 again. Unlike the first two candidates, I'm a relatively new user, and I have few, if any even count, credentials. I am a decent coder, I'm adequately creative, and I'm a good writer. I don't have a running mate just yet.

However, I plan on using this election as a stepping stone to eventually becoming a very contributory member of the Super Mario Wiki community. Even if I fail to win, which is the most likely outcome, I will still gain experience and grow as a member in the community.

If I win, I probably won't do much to enhance or change the job itself; mostly I'll be working on how to actually perform it in the first place. I might flesh out my role as chairperson if I'm elected, but for now it's just kind of a "get it done and do it well" kind of campaign.

Anyway, good luck Dippy and Tucayo, and vote for me. :)