Sanguis Astroism/Charter/Brance's Proposal

The following proposal sets for revisions to terms 2 through 7 of the Charter.

1. The Elder Council of the church is made of the following members:

1a. The Holy Prophet

1b. The Regent

1c. Three Magistrates (Only while a Magistratum is seated)

1d. The Light of the Austere Star

1e. The Light of the Auspicious Star

1f. The Light of the Maddening Star

1g. The Luminary of the Austere Star

1h. The Luminary of the Auspicious Star

1i. The Luminary of the Maddening Star

1j. Three Consuls

1k. Special Regent Representatives (as appointed by the Regent)

As required, a Magistratum may at times be seated, consisting of three members. The Regent may also appoint Special Regent Representatives at his discretion. The Magistratum and Regent Representatives are Elders of the church, but do not participate in any voting of the Elder Council, unless they are entitled to a vote through virtue of another office which they hold.

Selection criteria for the Elders are described further on in this Charter.

2. During administration of the church, there are several occasions where a vote of the Elder Council is required. The following Elders may cast votes during a voting of the Elder council: the Regent, the three Lights, the three Luminaries, the three Consuls. All voting members are entitled to one vote. The Holy Prophet, should he desire to participate, may also cast one vote. Seated members of a Magistratum may not participate in voting, unless they are entitled to a vote by virtue of the holding of another Elder office. Special Regent Representatives may not participate in voting.

3. The Holy Prophet may veto any vote by the Elders Council if he so desires. This veto is independent of any vote the Holy Prophet may have cast during the voting process.

4. This Charter outlines the very foundations of the structure of the Church. As such, amending this Charter is not something to be taken lightly. Any revisions to this Charter require a vote of the Elder council. Any proposed revision must pass a vote with an absolute 2/3rds majority of Elders, numbering at 7 votes, not including the Holy Prophet, agreeing to the revision. Any proposed revision not achieving the required votes will be discarded. The process for revising the Charter is as follows:

4a. Any Elder, of Consul rank or higher, excluding the Magistratum, may propose a revision to the Charter. Only one revision proposal may be in discussion at a time. If a revision proposal is already being discussed, another may not be proposed until after the voting period for the currently open proposal has finished.

4b. The proposal must be seconded by another Elder of Consul rank or higher, excluding the Magistratum, before a vote can occur.

4c. Once seconded, a four day discussion period will begin.

4d. After the four day voting period has passed the Regent may call for a vote. The vote will proceed for three days. At the end of the voting period, the Regent will announce the results according to the criteria above.

5. The Lights of the Church are selected as follows ... Lights are required to be priests of the faith, unless special permission is granted otherwise from the Regent or the Holy Prophet.

5x. The duties of the office of the Light of the Austere are as follows:

5y. The duties of the office of the Light of the Auspicious are as follows:

5z. The duties of the office of the Light of the Maddening are as follows:

6. Each Light has the authority to select their own Luminary, who serves at the pleasure of the Light. The only requirement is that the choice of Luminary must be approved by one of the remaining two Lights before the appointment is official. A Light may dismiss their own Luminary at their discretion, upon gaining the approval of one of the remaining two Lights. Luminaries are required to be priests of the faith, unless special permission is granted from their respective Light. The duties of the Luminaries are to support their respective Lights, and to aide them in the completion of their duties.

7. Consuls are elected every 2 years (OOC: 6 months RL time) by the full members of the church. The election process begins on the first day of Spring, of the year in which the election will be held. Each member is allowed to votes for a maximum of three candidates. Their choices are weighted as follows: First choice receives 4 votes, second choice receives 2 votes, third choice receives 1 vote. The three nobles receiving the highest count of votes are selected as Consuls for the next term. The following special procedures apply to Consul elections:

7a. If a seated Consul desires to run again for another term, they must step down as Consul, demoting themselves to a full member rank prior to the begining of the election period. Consuls remaining within the Elder Council during the voting period may neither be elected to serve another term, nor may they vote in the election. To give consuls the time to step down, elections must be announced with a 3 days warning - or otherwise start 3 days after the warning is given.

7b. The Consuls are elected to represent the interests and views of the Full Membership of the church. Therefore, members of the Elder Council may not vote in Consul elections. The exceptions to this clause are members of a seated Magistratum who are not otherwise members of the Elder Council, and Special Regent Representative, all of whom are entitled to vote as full members of the church.

7c. There will be a five day candidacy period for nobles to announce their candidacy, beginning on the first day of Spring. At the end of this, the five day voting period will commence. Votes received outside this period will be discarded.

7c. No more than one Consul may owe allegiance to a single realm. Should more than one noble owing allegiance to the same realm be among the top three voted nobles, the one with the most votes will be selected. The others will be passed over, and another selected.

7d. Should a Consul office become vacant, a special mid-term election will be held to fill the vacancies. This will be an abbreviated election period. There will be a two-day period to announce candidacy, and a three-day election period. During this special election, each full member of the church may vote for a single candidate, who will receive a single vote. The newly elected Consul will serve the remainder of the abbreviated term. The next Consul elections will be held on the normal schedule.

7z. The duties of the office of the Consuls is to represent the desires and needs of the membership of the Church to the Elder Council. In addition, the Consuls will help to maintain order and decorum during discussions among the church membership.

8. The Regent is elected every 2 years (OOC: 6 months RL time) by the Elder members and priests of the church. The election process begins immediately following the election of the new Consuls for the new term. The following special procedures apply to elections for the Regent:

8a. There will be a three day period where noble may offer themselves as Regent for the coming term.

8b. Following the candidacy period, voting will commence, and proceed for three days. All nobles eligible to cast votes may select a single candidate.

8c. Votes for regent are cast as follows: Each Light may select a single candidate, who shall be awarded 10 votes. Each Luminary may select a single candidate, who shall be awarded 5 votes. Each Consul may select a single candidate, who shall be awarded 10 votes. Each Priest, who is not otherwise entitled to a vote by virtue of an office as Light, Luminary, or Consul, may select a single candidate, who shall be awarded 10 votes.

8d. When the three day voting period is complete, the Elder council will tally the votes, and announce the results. The new Regent will begin serving immediately.

8e. Should the Regent office become vacant, a special mid-term election will be held to fill the vacancy. The normal procedure shall be followed, with the candidacy period commencing immediately. The newly elected Regent will serve the remainder of the abbreviated term. The next Regent election will be held on the normal schedule.

8z. The Regent is the direct representative of the Holy Prophet. They are responsible for the administrative operations of the church, and ensuring the safety, welfare, and growth of the Church. The Regent will also oversee discussion and debate within the Elders Council, aid the Lights in the fulfilment of their duties, and conduct official Church diplomacy both in person and via the Office of the Auspicious. The Regent is responsible, in conjunction with the Council as a whole, for negotiating agreements between the Church and other bodies that go beyond simple preaching rights which come under the purview of the Auspicious. The Regent will also administer elections among the Elders, unless otherwise assigned to a specific office.

9. During any period in which an office of Regent, Light, Luminary, or Consul is vacant, no vote of the Elder council may be commenced, other than to fill the vacant offices, nor may any Charter amendments be proposed. Any vote already in process when a office becomes vacant will proceed to completion as normal.