Article 18 - Elections Document
All By-laws are numbered sequentially. All new By-laws will continue in this sequence.
At the end of each By-law, in square brackets [ ], there is the original Constitutional Article number.
| 28 | The Coronation of the Emperor and Empress shall be held within ten (10) days of the election. The election shall be open to all residents of the Imperial Realm who have attained a minimum of nineteen (19) years of age. [18.01] |
| 29 | The Vice-Chairperson shall be responsible for the printing of the elections documents and all the ballot books, advertising and forms necessary to complete the election process. The costs of running such an election shall be born by the Society. [18.01] |
| 30 | The Vice-Chairperson shall appoint a Supervising Deputy Returning Officer to take charge of the election proper. This Supervising Deputy Returning Officer may appoint as many Volunteer Deputy Returning Officers and Poll Clerks as needed to provide the smoothest running of the election. [18.01] |
| 31 | All printed/published campaign material shall commence no earlier than twenty-one (21) days prior to the polling date. [18.01] |
| 32 | Under penalty of forfeiting their application privilege, no candidate for Emperor or Empress shall publicly disclose their intent to seek election nor solicit funds to support their campaign until twenty-one days prior to the polling date. [18.01] |
| 33 | Public announcement of candidacy shall take place no earlier than twenty-one (21) days prior to the polling date. At such time, printed/published/recorded materials may be displayed. [18.01] |
| 34 | The election advertising shall include a place and time for the election poll and may include an advance poll prior to the normal election poll for those who are unable to vote on election day. [18.01] |
| 35 | An appropriate location(s) shall be sought within the Imperial Realm to serve as a polling station(s). [18.01] |
| 36 | The hours of the polling location(s) shall be eleven a.m. (1100 hours) to seven p.m. (1900 hours). These hours will be the same for the advance poll, if held. [18.01] |
| 37 | No election or campaign material shall be allowed on or within the polling building(s). [18.01] |
| 38 | A poster containing all the candidates shall be placed in the polling station(s). This poster shall contain an alphabetic list, according to stage name, with alias name in parenthesis and a photograph clearly indicating who each candidate is. [18.01] |
| 39 | Each resident of the Imperial Realm that wishes to vote must first complete a ballot registration form and produce identification of their residence status within the Imperial Realm, containing their name, address and date of birth. [18.01] |
| 40 | Every person who fills out the ballot registration form and shows identification shall be given a ballot. [18.01] |
| 41 | The registration form shall be placed in alphabetic order of last name in a folder and shall be retained by the Poll Clerk until the close of the poll. [18.01] |
| 42 | The Supervising Deputy Returning Officer shall confirm the number of ballots given out, along with the spoiled ballot count to ascertain that the ballots cast are in accordance with the ballots given out. [18.01] |
| 43 | After the concurrence of the tabulation of the number of registration forms to the ballots cast, they shall be given to the Vice-Chairperson to hold and retain until eleven (11) business days after the Coronation night. [18.01] |
| 44 | Eleven (11) business days after Coronation night, if no irregularities of ballot count, or no candidate has requested a recount, the registration forms of voters shall be given over to the Secretary to establish a mailing list of those persons interested in the Society as indicated. [18.01] |
| 45 | The ballot shall list the candidates for the Emperor and Empress offices in alphabetic sequence using stage name with alias in parenthesis. [18.01] |
| 46 | The only acceptable ballots cast are those that clearly indicate the choice of the voter. Any ballot that has more than one mark for an individual position shall be discounted. [18.01] |
| 47 | The marked ballots shall be placed in a sealed ballot box after being returned by the voter to the Deputy Returning Officer. [18.01] |
| 48 | At the close of the advance poll location(s), the sealed ballot box shall be placed in a safekeeping until the evening of the close of the regular polling station. The advance poll ballots shall be counted along with the regular ballots. [18.01] |
| 49 | At the close of regular voting on election day, the appointed Official Tabulator shall count all ballots cast during the election. [18.01] |
| 50 | The ballot box with the ballots, after tabulation, shall be resealed and stored by the Supervising Deputy Returning Officer until eleven (11) business days after Coronation night, when they shall be given to the Vice-Chairperson for destruction within an hour. [18.01] |
| 51 | The Vice-Chairperson, immediately after the official counts of all ballots, shall be given the ballot stubs and all unused ballots to hold in trust for eleven (11) business days. [18.01] |
| 52 | The name of the Emperor and Empress Elect shall be placed in separate sealed envelopes and retained by the Official Tabulator and shall not be revealed until the appropriate time on Coronation night. [18.01] |
| 53 | The appointed Official Tabulator must be a responsible person hired and paid by the Society to perform this function; a lawyer, accountant, etc. This person shall receive a complimentary ticket to attend the annual Coronation night, to perform the last of their functions, which is to present the sealed envelopes. [18.01] |
| 54 | Any disputes with regard to the administration or application of these regulations shall be resolved by the Executive of the Society within three (3) days of the polling. [18.01] |
