CZ:Managing Editor/2010/008 - Modifications to the Charter

Statement of problem

Please be brief and specific in your request (polar questions are best) and add relevant links if available. Please state a time frame in which you expect a decision.

There are at least two issues related to modifying the Charter, which I will treat separately:

1. The current version contains linguistic errors.
2. Amendments to the Charter are possible, yet details of how to propose, discuss and implement them remain to be worked out.

Both aspects fall under the purview of the Management Council, to which the notes gathered on this page shall be forwarded in due time. --Daniel Mietchen 12:10, 10 December 2010 (UTC)

A working copy of the Charter is now available to facilitate the discussion of modifications. --Daniel Mietchen 23:19, 10 April 2011 (UTC)

Formal restatement of problem

This section defines the section structure of the decision.

Existing applicable policy

Charter

• Article 37 (emphasis added)

Referenda may be initiated in two ways:

1. Any Citizen may petition either the Management Council or Editorial Council that contested rules or guidelines be submitted to a referendum. Either Council must have jurisdiction over the contested matter. Either Council may, by simple majority vote, submit the referendum to a vote of the citizenry at the next regular election.
2. A referendum may be initiated by a group of Citizens corresponding in size to 20 percent of the number of voters in the previous election. The Management Council must include a valid citizen-initiated referendum in the next regular election. Failure to do so will automatically pass the referendum which shall then become official policy and enforceable. This charter may not be amended by a failure of the Management Council to submit a referendum to a vote.

Furthermore:

• A referendum must be written as enforceable rules or guidelines.
• A referendum shall be decided by simple majority of the votes validly cast by the citizenry during a regular election.
• Any amendment to and any change of this Charter shall require a referendum and shall be ratified if accepted by a qualified majority of two thirds of the votes validly cast.
• Any change of the license shall require a referendum.

Draft decision

The text below is what I plan to decide in this case. Feel free to edit the text if you think this improves it. If your edits require discussion, please use the dedicated section below. Editing and discussion in this "Draft decision" section shall stop 24h after my last edit to it.'

Discussion of Draft decision

When reading or editing this section, please keep in mind that the current version of the draft decision might be different from the one referred to by previous commenters.