[Northkeep] July 27 - Baronial Polling Specifics (LONG)

[Darin Herndon]

To the populace of the Barony of Northkeep,

On July 27th, at the normal monthly Populace Meeting (as has been previously announced and published many times by Their Excellencies), I will be conducting the populace opinion poll concerning your next Baron and Baroness.  I apologize for the long email in advance but let me lay out some specifics.

First, let me be absolutely clear that the populace does not elect a Baron and Baroness.  The Kingdom of Ansteorra's Seneschal Handbook notes (Appendix A, Page 30):
"Baronial pollings are not a democratic vote and do not necessarily determine who will be chosen for a position. Rather, pollings provide a way for the Crown to hear and consider the opinions of the populace on the matter of Baronial succession. The Crown considers many factors when choosing new landed nobility, including the results of the polling."  Your ranking of the candidates will be a critical part of all that the Crown considers in selecting the next Baron and Baroness.

Second, let me also be absolutely clear that the results of the polling will not be disclosed or announced.  Like references given to a potential employer, the contents are confidential and not shared to the pool of candidates being considered.  The Seneschal's Handbook also notes on this topic (Page 31):
"The results of the baronial polling will not be made public. This is the norm for opinion polls conducted in Ansteorra. The results of the polling will be known only by the Kingdom Seneschal, the Crown, and the Coronet. The results will not be shared with anyone else: not the candidates, not the current local landed nobility, not the populace, no one. If anyone hints that they know the numbers, they are not from this plane of existence."

Third, let me again be absolutely clear that this polling will only be for the candidates who submitted their letters of intent to the Crown by the deadline.  No write-in candidates will be considered and writing in another set of names will invalidate your entire ballot.  You must rank all of the candidates in your order of preference and you must rank all of the candidates.  You cannot rank first (give a "1") to one set of candidates and leave the others blank.  You cannot "Tie" candidates.  You must rank them all to the best of your opinion and knowledge of the candidates.  Also, the ballot is only for ranking the candidates; no commentary or opinions can be added to your ballot.

Since you cannot place written opinions or commentary on the ballot, some of you may wonder how your specific opinions on strengths of different candidates can be considered.  You must send those written opinions directly to the Crown.  Email is acceptable for this and the Crown can be reached at "Crown at ansteorra.org".  If you do not have email, or prefer to write a physical letter, you should mail it directly to the Crown at the address listed for them in the Black Star.  Do not copy the Kingdom or Regional Seneschal on any opinion or commentary emails or letters that you send.

So, with those items being stated, let's get down to the practical steps of the polling:

~Who can fill out an opinion poll form?
Everyone: members and non-members, residents and non-residents. If you are a member, bring your membership card (or other proof of membership) with you to the polling on July 27, 2009.  Do not presume that the Regional Seneschal will have correct proof of your membership on-site; the burden of proving membership is on the individual voter.  Children will be allowed to submit opinion ballots as well.  Children must be capable of performing their balloting with no adult present with them and must be able to discern their own opinion of all candidates.  Children 12 and under will be required to note their ages on the ballot forms.

~What is the ballot and how will the balloting be conducted?
Each person will, after having their membership checked, receive a physical paper ballot.  The ballots are color coded for members and non-members.  The person will rank each of the candidates listed on the ballot with a "1" signifying the voters first preferred choice, a "2" signifying the second preferred choice, etc.  The bottom of the ballot includes certain information that is required (remember that the ballots are confidential to the Crown, Coronet, Kingdom Seneschal, and myself as the polling designee).  You must sign the ballot.  When complete, the ballot will be folded and placed by the voter into a container provided by me.

~Where will the polling be held?
At the normal July 2009, monthly populace meeting of the Barony of Northkeep.  These are held at Martin East Regional Library located at 2601 S Garnett Road, between 21st and 31st Streets, in Tulsa, OK.  If you need directions, please contact any local member of the barony, the local seneschal, or Their Excellencies for specific directions.

~When will the polling be held?
The meeting begins at 7:30 PM CDT.  The poll may open slightly before that but will run until all present wishing to participate have had their opportunity and have submitted their ballot.

~What if I cannot be present at the polling but want to participate?
Please review the following information if you will require an absentee ballot

1) Anyone needing a ballot for the Northkeep Baronial Polling, because they will be unable to attend the July 27 populace meeting, must contact me directly.  I can be contacted by email (northern at seneschal.ansteorra.org), phone or postal mail.  I will provide Their Excellencies and the Northkeep Seneschal (Arthur Blackmoon) with all relevant contact info so I can be reached and anyone can reach out to them for that contact info.  Those who will be absent may begin contacting me as soon as they receive word of this notice.  Do not reply to this list or to the address I used to post to this list to request an absentee ballot; for email only use the regional seneschal account.

2) Once contacted, I will provide the requestor with a ballot that must be filled out and postal mailed directly to Duchess Conal, our incoming Kingdom Seneschal.  The absentee ballot will include the address to which the ballot must be mailed.  If you send the ballot certified mail or some other registered manner, you must waive signature on the letter.  I encourage absentee responders who have the capability to scan and email Her Grace (seneschal at ansteorra.org) a copy of the ballot before postal mailing it, just in case the postal service somehow destroys your letter.  But Her Grace must have the physical ballot received in her hands no later than July 29 for it to be counted.  I will be overnighting the ballots from the populace meeting polling on Tuesday, July 28, so all ballots need to reach her by July 29th.  I recommend mailing your ballot to Her Grace no later than Friday, July 24, to allow time for delivery.

3) If you receive an absentee ballot, and are a paid member of the SCA, you must photocopy proof of membership (membership card, BlackStar mailing label, post card from the registry, etc.) and include that with the ballot you return by mail.  Also, follow all directions contained on the ballot so as to avoid invalidating your ballot.

4) If I send you an absentee ballot, even if your plans change and you later find you can attend the meeting, you must postal mail the ballot to Her Grace.  No absentee ballots are to be brought on-site to the polling location and they will not be accepted there.  No one who receives an absentee ballot from me will be given an on-site ballot by appearing at the meeting.

In closing, let me say that I look forward to a smooth balloting procedure and a wonderful investiture for your new Baron and Baroness.  If you have any questions not answered in this missive about the polling, please contact me at the Northern Regional Seneschal email account or by phone or postal mail and I will be happy to get you an answer.

Respectfully,
Seigneur Etienne de St. Amaranth
Incoming Northern Regional Seneschal
Kingdom of Ansteorra

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