Council Election FAQ

Who are the Candidates?

9 of your fellow Arcana have put themselves forward for office. After a brief period of preparation, their Shuffle campaign pages will be available here.

Wands:

Pentacles:

Cups:

Swords:

How will the Campaign Work?

Each candidate will be provided with a free page on Shuffle that will host up brief biography and/or their governing agenda. In addition, each candidate will be able to place one poster in a designated spot in the Tower Reversed (simple art supplies are to candidates if needed). Shuffle will send out a mass notification when all the candidate pages are available and reminders as the election date approaches. Candidates may make themselves available to all via Shuffle if they so choose, which will be accessible via their candidate page. The platform will not sell the ability to place political advertisements, though candidates may of course message anyone that they chosen to link with them on Shuffle (the initial proposal of a bulk mailing list was dropped due to lack of interest and a desire not to privilege candidates with more time and resources available to compose messages.

What’s the Council?

The Arcana Council has had many purposes throughout our history. At times it has brought out the best in us, but during the last incarnation as our memories reveal it was often riven with disagreements and failed to advance the common good. We have sought to restore the original mission of the Council:

  1. To suffer trials to follow our fate of protecting humanity.
  2. To honor our secrecy and to reason through problems that would vex us individually.
  3. To listen to disputes between Arcana and to sanction as needed.
  4. To teach the neophyte and to hear Arcana in distress.

With the Oni defeated and the cycle broken, the nature of these missions and our fate has changed in ways that we collectively must interpret. The Council is charged with representing all of us in interpreting and fulfilling these goals. And while the nature of this mission continues, we all thought that elections would be the best place to start anew. The Council was hardly the only institution failing in its duties in the prior era, and like the nation to which most of us pledge allegiance – though we benefit from the range of other nations represented – we believe that democracy is the best step towards avoiding such problems in the future.

Who started this incarnation of the council?

While Sho yet lived, select Major Arcana and Minor allies worked to organize efforts to defeat the Oni and the mad Magician. Sho was a force of disunion and chaos that undermined any collaboration through trickery or raw force. The divisions he sewed among us, abetted by the Reversed, and his preclusion of proper mentoring of the next generation, produced pain that continues today. We would not have defeated our enemies without the aid of teams of often violent Arcana working together. However, in this case healing required first gathering those Majors and Minors that worked as individuals, as they were better able to establish a common ground. This quorum of Arcana filled roughly half of the Council positions, charged with preparing for the day when we could all come together again and form a full Council.

Who has been elected thus far?

The Council traditionally has nine seats, two for each suit and one Major Arcana. We have decided that the Minor Arcana will have terms of four years, half elected each two years. The Major is elected anew every cycle. There are no term limits, although historically when changeovers occurred, some Council Members chose not to continue in the position due to other priorities or or because of the sometimes draining nature of the office. The next election is this summer. The current Council will face election in the summer of 2005. They will not have completed their term in full, but they viewed their initial election as a necessary interim measure.

Current representatives: The Two of Wands, The Six of Pentacles, The Two of Cups, The Four of Swords, The Hierophant.

How do I contact my representative?

You may [[Link your Shuffle]] account to the representative of your suit. When connecting with other Arcana, you can choose to allow them to see your card, your name, or both. However, to as a privacy protection member, Shuffle search tools do not facilitate contacting Arcana whose contact information you do not already possess. Councilmembers have chosen to be an exception to this rule.

How do I vote?

[[Registration to vote is done via Shuffle]] and will close on June 1st. In light of concerns about exclusion, we will accept provisional ballots. Your polling place will be Tokyo Tower on (*two dates in June*).. The first day you may [[sign up for a scheduled slot]], for those individuals or self-selected groups that wish to minimize the risk of unplanned encounters. The second day will be unscheduled. Absentee ballots are discouraged, but if you cannot be in Tokyo during the period, then [[contact your representative]] as soon as possible. We cannot guarantee a ballot if you do not request it by June 1st. We will arrange for you to receive a ballot that can be securely transferred. You will have to send your ballot back such that arrives before the second election date.

How do I run for office?

Candidate registration are closed for this year. They will open again for the lead up to the next round of elections in Spring of 2005.

How can I trust the results?

We are seeking [[volunteers]] from each suit and a Major to serve as election judges. You will have to go through official government training as an election monitor. Election judges will receive a small stipend on election days and training days, and four of the five will have to be present from setup, over the entire voting period, and through to the counting of ballots. They will stay with the ballot box overnight, sleeping in shifts. Futons, food, and caffeine will be provided. If you can devote the time and serve impartially, please [[consider volunteering]]. If multiple people volunteer, they judgeship will go to the first to apply. All subsequent volunteers are welcome to undergo the training and serve as poll watchers, but will not receive a spend for the election days. Candidates are not eligible for either role. While judges and watchers do not need to be impartial outside the polling place, within the tower reversed no electioneering is allowed on election days.

Version 4.0 Heisei 16-05-17