RE: Pay to vote

[E L Wimett <SILVERDRAGON@Charleston.Net>]

Poster: E L Wimett <SILVERDRAGON@Charleston.Net>

Dafydd wrote:

>> Second, the SCA-wide policy is, and has always been, that non-members do
>> not "vote" for anything of substance.  On Kingdom/Principality petitions,
>> on group (Barony/Shire/whatever) formation/dissolution/splitting, and
>> similar matters, pollings are always determined by the membership list. 
>> So the "kingdom policy" you espouse is the way things are being done in
>> the whole SCA, and the way they have been done for all my participation in
>>the SCA, and before that.

This is not true.  By tradition in many areas all active members, whether they have
paid toll to California or not are allowed to "vote" in pollings for officers, baron/baroness, etc.

Atlantian law allowed this when the polling regs were put in so long as each barony
specified that in its standard policies for polling.  This was the tradition in my barony
and so non-members were allowed to respond to the royalty, although I fear that some
royalty improperly excluded their comments no matter how germane.

Why do I say this?  Corpora specifically says that a baron or baroness must not be 
substantively opposed by the "populace" of the Barony:

"a. The Crown shall appoint a territorial Baron and/or Baroness according
to the laws and customs of the kingdom when a branch is granted baronial
status, and at such subsequent times as a new Baron and/or Baroness is 
required. The barony's opinion on the matter must be requested and received
in writing, and the appointments must not be substantively opposed by 
the populace of the barony."

Note that nowhere in Corpora or elsewhere is "populace" limited to the paid
membership of the barony.

Alisoun

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