Shire Election Procedures (Rev. 11/7/2022)
A. Process and Timeline
B. Requirements for Getting and Holding an Office
C. Eligibility for Voting
D. About Deputies
A. Process and Timeline
1. Shire officers, with the exception of Exchequer, are elected for a term of two years. By Kingdom policy, the Exchequer is elected for an initial two-year term, which may be followed, if necessary, by a maximum of two one-year terms; and the Seneschal is limited to four years in office. Terms start at the start of the calendar year.
2. At the end of the term, other candidates may apply, or the incumbent may be confirmed for another term. (Some offices, such as Seneschal, have term limits imposed by the corresponding Kingdom Officer’s Policies.)
3. By Kingdom Law, a Shire is required to have a Seneschal, an Exchequer, and at least one of the following three offices: Herald, Knight Marshal, or Minister of Arts and Sciences. If a shire wishes to conduct official fighting activities, it must have a Knight Marshal or borrow one from a neighboring group. In addition, if the shire does not have a Chatelaine, another officer must be designated to submit those reports. Other offices are optional and need not be filled at the Shire level.
4. In Year A (Starting their term in January of an Odd year) we elect: Seneschal, Knight Marshal, MoAS, Fencing Marshal, Herald (Pursuivant), Archivist. Note – If the current Exchequer is starting a fourth year in office, a Year A election will happen for that as well (necessary by Kingdom policy.)
5. In Year B (Starting their term in January of an Even year) we elect: Exchequer, Web Minister, Chatelaine, Archery Marshal, Chancellor Minor, Minister of Lists.
6. Election-related communications will be posted on the Freehold email list and on the Freehold Facebook page, as equally as possible.
7. At a summer moot or business meeting, the Seneschal will announce which offices will be up for election at the end of the year, and will remind the populace that some offices have prerequisites that the candidates should meet before running for office. (It will be up to the candidate to do the necessary research.) If the announcement hasn’t happened by August 1, the Seneschal will send out a notice to this effect, to the email list and the Facebook group.
8. In October, the Seneschal will post a general advance reminder that elections are upcoming in November and December.
9. In early November, the Seneschal will announce which offices are up for election, and will announce that the candidates have two weeks to notify the seneschal and the current officer of their interest.
10. In mid-November, the Seneschal will publicize the list of candidates for each office (if any). Candidates for contested offices will have until the end of November to write a message to the populace, outlining their vision for the office, if they wish. In the event that there is only one candidate for an office, the populace will be notified. Unless there is any reason why that person would not be considered qualified, the office will be filled by the single volunteer.
11. Voting is done in December according to a process that will be announced and described by the Seneschal. Voting may be done at a moot (in which case absentee ballots must be allowed for), or by email, or via an online ballot form to be filled out on the shire’s website. If email voting is to take place, the seneschal will designate a vote-counter.
12. Shire officers will be responsible for knowing the election timeline and making sure that the deadlines are posted in a timely fashion. Should a delay occur for any reason, it will not invalidate that cycle of elections.
13. If an office (other than the seneschal’s or the exchequer’s) becomes vacant before their term is over, the seneschal will call for candidates and schedule an election, as soon as feasible, to finish out the original term. Kingdom Officer policies may dictate a different procedure, and if so, then that procedure will be followed.
14. If the seneschal’s office or exchequer’s office becomes vacant before their term is over, the corresponding emergency deputy will step up and finish out the term.
B. Requirements for Getting and Holding an Office
1. Shire officers must be paid SCA members during the time they hold office, and should live within the territory of the Freehold. Candidates do not need to be paid members to run for office. However, all officers must be paid members during their term, per SCA policy. (Volunteers have offered to provide assistance for any officer who is elected but is financially unable to obtain a paid membership.)
2. Some offices require prior training, authorizations, background checks or other certifications. A candidate who is running for an office that has such prerequisites, should meet them before the election takes place.
3. Newly elected officers have, as their first duty, the obligation to get in touch with, and make themselves known to, their Kingdom and Regional superior. Usually a new officer must submit proof of membership and full contact details. The corresponding Kingdom Officer Policies will have full details about warranting and reporting requirements.
4. Shire officers are expected to do the things they were elected to do. That includes understanding what the Kingdom Officer requires of local officers. (That information can be found in the Kingdom Officer Policies on the EK website.) Officers should also read the monthly Kingdom Officer updates and notices in Pikestaff.
5. Shire officers must get an official East Kingdom email address (GMail), and use it for any correspondence related to their office. The shire webminister will assist with this process.
C. Eligibility for Voting
To be eligible to vote in elections or any other matter not covered by Kingdom Polling, the voter must reside in a zip code claimed by Mountain Freehold. SCA paid membership is not required to vote. Youth who have attained the age of reason and who understand and care about the matter to be voted on, may vote. In case of any questions, the seneschal (or deputy seneschal, or another officer, if advisable to preserve impartiality) may choose to consult with the youth in question before admitting their vote. (Because children mature at different ages, we are not using a specific age limit.)
D. About Deputies
1. Officers may have a deputy, or several. In some cases they must have a deputy (refer to the Policies of that particular Kingdom Office). Deputies are not elected.
2. There are three types of deputies:
a) Emergency deputies, who are aware of the requirements of the office, and who can finish out the term in case of an emergency. The Seneschal and Exchequer are required to have these deputies, and the deputies must be SCA members. Other offices may have emergency deputies too.
b) Deputies in training, who may eventually succeed the officer if confirmed by election. SCA membership is usually not necessary while serving as a deputy in training, unless the policies of that office require it.
c) Deputies for special projects. Technically, autocrats serve temporarily as “special deputies” of the Seneschal. Autocrats need to have SCA membership and be 18 years or older.