User:MuppetArchives/Vote Page policy



When building a community project, such as this wiki, sometimes issues arise that require the input of the whole community. As discussions (either on active talk pages or the wiki's Current Events page) require a group discussion or consensus, it can be most effective and efficient to set up a Vote Page to result the decision.

Most times things will be resolved through discussion without needing a formal vote. But sometimes a the discussion is stuck and a vote is needed. A vote can be called at a time after the conversation has been going and reached an appropriate point for a vote. To call the vote, a vote page should be set up, separate from the discussion or talk page.

Nominations
If the decision warrants it, a nomination period for voting options should be open for a to allow for people to add their candidate to the vote page. Many votes will not need nominations for ballot options (such as deciding if Dinosaurs are Muppets or Creatures; yet sometimes nominations will help (such as picking options for the Wiki Main Page redesign). If nominations are appropriate, the vote page should be established and members should be allowed a period of time to add options to the page. When a nomination is posted to the vote page another registered member must "second" the nomination or it will be removed once the nomination period is over and the voting begins. To nominate a vote option simply add a new heading with the option ( ==Vote Option== ) and sign you're name under it ( * Nominate -- ~ ). To second a nomination add a "second" signature under the nomination ( * Second -- ~ ). If a decision does not need a formal nomination period this can be skipped and the vote page set up and voting started.

Voting
After the vote page is all ready and nominations closed, the page will open for voting. When the voting opens the person (or persons) who set-up the vote should also specify at the top of the vote page the issue at hand, a set "polls close" time, and what constitute a "win" (just the most votes? a certain percentage of votes? a minimum number of voters needed to be considered a valid vote?). All the rules guiding the certain vote should be laid out ahead of time and followed by those running the vote.

How to vote
To vote add your signature ( * ~ ) under your choice. For a vote to count it must be made by a logged in user (and the ID logged in must match the name on the vote).