[NR] Northern Region Principality Name & Device Poll Now Open!

[Jennifer Smith]

Greetings unto the populace of the northern region of Ansteorra!

As you may well now know, there are ten names and ten devices that have
been proposed for the new principality. Those names and devices are
viewable here: http://bit.do/principality

Those names and devices are now available for Ranked Choice Voting! Please
read the FAQs below, and the URL for the poll will be at the bottom.

Herein are Answers to some Questions that have arisen:

* Are these the final choices?
Yes.

* I like name/device X – but with this one minor change. Can we change it?

Not at this time, with the exception of clarifying what type of star is
desired (see below).

* I like the design with stars – but not those stars!
Since the input from the populace asked for stars – but did not include
which star, a separate preference is being asked within the Ranked Choice
Voting poll. If – and only if – a design is selected that includes a star,
the preferred type of star will be used.

The choice of type of star is limited to five-pointed mullets, six-pointed
continental stars, and estoiles. The Ansteorran star now carries a Step
from Period Practice. As we would prefer to display good period style, it
is not considered an option

Please keep in mind, that the devices included on this polling are
currently clear of conflict. If a different star is chosen and it conflicts
with other devices, the present design will be retained.

* But I really dislike name/device X!
Fair enough – this is why ten choices are proposed, instead of a smaller
number. By ranking your choices in descending order of preference, you can
easily bury that one at the bottom of your list.

* How will we decide the winning name/device?
A Ranked Choice Voting poll will be conducted online and will run from
Friday, January 25 through the end of Sunday, February 24. This timeframe
includes the Winterkingdom and Provincial Games weekends where at least one
laptop will be available for the use of folks that may be without easy
Internet access. The URL is at the bottom of this message.

* What is this Ranked Choice Voting?
Ranked Choice Voting asks you to rank your choices in descending order
(i.e., from Most Favorite to Least Favorite). Once all the Most Favorite
votes are counted -- and if there is no majority winner, then the choice
with the fewest Most Favorite votes is eliminated, and the second choice of
those folks are distributed to the remaining choices. This process is
repeated until there is a majority winner. Here is a good video that
explains the process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHRPMJmzBBw

* But I really do not care for name/device X!
Hopefully, everyone will be able to live with the name or device of even
their Least Favorite. However, a "None of the Below" choice is included as
part of the Ranked Choice Voting items. In other words, if you are
reasonably content with six of the items but simply cannot support any of
the remaining four, once you reach that point in your selection, drag the
"None of the Below" box into the list and your vote will be ignored for the
rest.

WARNING: If your choices ranked above "None of the Below" are eliminated,
then please be aware that your vote will be considered "exhausted", and you
will not have any vote for the remaining items.

* When can you use the “None of the Below” choice?
The “None of the Below” choice can be evoked at any point in the selection.
It can even be used as the first choice – and will serve as a “None are
Acceptable” vote. However, this is meant to be a consensus result; the
final choice will be the most acceptable – but not necessarily everyone’s
favorite. Please consider that this effort is for the progress of the
community at-large.

* Who can vote?
Anyone who lives in the current northern region of Ansteorra may
participate in the Ranked Choice Voting poll. The boundaries of the
northern region are set by the Kingdom Seneschal, and include the entire
State of Oklahoma, the northern Texas Panhandle, and the Wichita Falls
greater metro area. If you are unsure, please check with the local
seneschal for the group.

Only one vote per person is allowed. If you later change your mind about
how you voted, feel free to vote again, but email jds at randomgang.com with
your name so that we can eliminate your prior vote more easily.

* Where can I find the poll?
The Ranked Choice Voting poll can be found at https://poll.ansteorra.org.

Please share this message and the site with your less-Internet-connected
friends. Groups are particularly encouraged to bring a laptop with 'net
access to your next Populace meeting or other large gathering, to ensure
everyone gets an opportunity to vote. Laptops will be available at
WinterKingdom and Provincial Games.

Voting closes on February 24, which should provide plenty of time for
everyone to vote.