Elections are an important aspect of 501st Membership and define the Legion, Garrison/Outpost, Squad, and Detachment staffs for the year.
Quick Links for the Elections
Elections Page (for Nominations and Voting)
501st Legion Election Forums (for Rules, Announcements, Information, and Q&A, posted for individual year elections)
501st Legion Operations Protocol: Elections ("OP", for election processes and requirements)
*Note: You must be signed into BOTH 501st Forums and the Holocron to access the Nominations and Voting area. If not, you will receive a login error screen.
There is also a drop-down hamburger menu option in the top right of the 501st Forum that will direct you to the sign in screen for the
Holocron. Once you're logged in, click the burger menu in the top left and the side bar will pop up. Click, "LEGION ELECTIONS" and it will take you to the Nominations and Voting area.
Timelines
LCO, GCO, OCO, SL, DL
Per the OP, elections for Legion Commanding Officer (LCO), Garrison/Outpost Commanding Officer (GCO/OCO), Squad Leader (SL), and Detachment Leader (DL) are on the
February election schedule.
Any active member in good standing can nominate and vote for candidates in the Legion and their respective local unit. LCOs are voted by eligible Legion members, and local GCO/OCO/SL/DLs by their respective eligible members.
Detachment members must also have correct Detachment Affiliation in every Detachment they wish to participate in. You can find more information about ensuring Detachment Affiliation for election participation
here.
Lead LCOG and Lead LWM
Per the OP, elections for Lead Legion Captain of the Guard (Lead LCOG) and Lead Legion Webmaster (Lead LWM) are on the
April election schedule.
Lead LCOG and Lead LWM are nominated and voted on by the elected Legion Council Members and are elected by popular vote.
Eligibility
All Legion, Detachment, and local offices require that a member be active and in good standing for the contiguous year immediately preceding election with no pre-existing recalls from the position. You can find out more information about conflicting positions and individual office requirements in the OP's
Qualifications and Limitations.
Participation
All eligible members can access the 501st Elections page to take part. During the nominations period, members can nominate another eligible member within respective units and accept/decline nominations. Once a nomination is seconded, the nominated member will become an election candidate.
At the end of the nomination period, Q&A/Closing Statement threads will open for all candidates. For LCO, the Q&A/Closing Statements will be located in the
501st Legion Elections forum. For local units and Detachments, Q&As/Closing Statements will be hosted on their respective forums unless otherwise stated.
Any member of a unit can request Legion Election Moderators for their unit Q&As/Closing Statements, or can request that they be held on the Legion forums by contacting the Election Moderation Team (EMT) at
elections@501st.com.
Once nominations conclude, voting will then commence in the Holocron in the exact same location that nominations did. You will be required to create an election pin to access the voting area at any time during the voting phase. Do not forget this pin as it can not be replaced/redone.
Voting and Results
Any elections with only 1 candidate does not undergo a Q&A/Closing Statements or Voting period and the candidate becomes the new Officer at the end of the election period.
Any elections with more than 2 candidates undergoes a
Single Transferable Vote (STV). All election results are then verified by the EMT before announcing the election winners officially on the forums.
Special Elections
In the case of a local or Detachment unit leader being unable to continue in their office, an
Emergency Election may occur if a seated XO is unwilling to assume the role of CO or DL.
In the case of problems in leadership, a
Recall Election may be called. Different leadership positions have specific requirements on who can call for a Recall Election.