Questions for Delegate Candidates, 9/18

[Paffnia]

It's yet again time for the the ol' barrage of delegate questions! Lenlyvit and Dominion of Compassion, apologies if you have already answered some of these in your campaign threads.

WA
- Except in cases where you have actively decided to abstain, do you pledge to vote on every single WA resolution during your term?
- Do you plan on posting WA polls on the forums like our past delegates have?
- Any thought of using the regionwide vote displayed on NS instead of a forum poll?
- Besides SC resolutions on matters concerning TITO and when a nation illegally mass-TGs the Islands about a proposal, will you always abide by poll results when casting the region's vote?
- What would you do in those two exceptions?
- If you do decide to vote by forum poll or regionwide WA vote, are there any circumstances (other than matters concerning TITO and mass-TGs to the Islands) in which you would not be able to vote according to the poll results? In other words, are there any issues about which you feel so strongly that you could not cast a vote a certain way, due to conflict with your beliefs/conscience?
- Would you have voted for this proposal?: 10000islands.proboards.com/thread/31560/ns230-mandatory-delegate-voting-rules
- If FOR and AGAINST are tied on the forum vote, what then?
- When timing your vote, will you vote as soon as possible, with a XKI discussion thread set up even earlier in an attempt to sway the vote; or wait awhile before voting to get the full spectrum of opinion from more Islanders; or something else?
- In a close and shifting forum vote on a resolution, how often will you change your vote? As soon as FOR overtakes AGAINST, for example, or wait to see if it switches back?
- Will you keep the "delegate's prerogative" option?
- Will you provide Islanders with your own views on proposal, or merely seek their input?
- Although this won't matter much if you vote based on polls, how do you align yourself in the GA? Do you side with the International Federalists or National Sovereigntists more (or some other position entirely)?
- How will you decide which WA proposals to approve for quorum? Would you do this just by your own judgment, take requests, or some other system?
- Would you create and regularly update a dispatch pinned to the WFE, with links to the most recent forum discussions of WA resolutions at vote, so that NS-going nations can find our WA discussions?
- How will you encourage citizens to vote in WA polls?
- How will Islanders be able to hold you accountable if you fail to post polls or vote in a timely manner?


TITO
- How do you feel about 6 months off of the TITO battle field?
- Would you still come to updates?


Foreign Affairs
- What criteria would you use to choose emissaries?
- How would you ensure and monitor that emissaries actually do their job (posting our monthly reports, reporting back on the state of the assigned region, etc.)?
- What criteria would you use to decide when to fire emissaries?
- Should XKI sign new formal alliances with regions, or just keep it at embassies?
- Will you actively seek out new regions to have embassies with?
- If the emissary corps is ever overstretched (as happened during my term), is lack of emissaries a valid reason to deny a new embassy with a borderline region? Or would you move to accept the embassy and then try to make do?
- Do you plan to restore the initiative of having Islanders visit friendly regions for a weekend?
- Will you appoint a foreign affairs secretary?
- Do you plan on adding your own touches to the emissaries' report, or just letting the BCN senator write it?
- Do you plan to be active on the NS forums, Gameplay and WA in particular?
- Is the informal policy of infrequent posting from a large segment of the rank-and-file of XKI in contentious threads a good thing to continue? If so, do you see your role as speaking for all of our voices on the forums, or should all of XKI, you included, stay out altogether?
- What do you think of this law?: 10000islands.proboards.com/thread/35949/277-interregional-forum-thread-passed


Internal
- Will you endotart? Will you send messages to Islanders encouraging delegate endorsement?
- Will you post telegrams you receive, in a thread like this: 10000islands.proboards.com/thread/19903? Will you have an office thread (either combined with the inbox thread or separate)?
- Do you think endorsing the delegate should be mandatory?
- Would you change our current delegate term limit system, given the opportunity? If so, how?
- Will you mass-TG the Islands with updates? If so, what kind of updates and how often?
- Will you post the emissaries report in a pinned dispatch every month?


Take your time; I've thrown the kitchen sink out here.

[Lenlyvit]

WA
- Except in cases where you have actively decided to abstain, do you pledge to vote on every single WA resolution during your term?
Yes, I pledge to vote on every WA resolution during my term in office. While some find it hard to accomplish this task, I lead a fairly boring IRL and am on NS a lot lol.
- Do you plan on posting WA polls on the forums like our past delegates have?
Absolutely. I plan on utilising both forum and on-site polls to determine the communities thoughts, and which way they wish me to vote. Furthermore, I plan on posting polls and discussion threads as soon as a resolution reaches quorum instead of waiting until its at vote, as I believe a quick vote by a delegate can make or break a resolution.
- Any thought of using the regionwide vote displayed on NS instead of a forum poll?
Please see above, as I answered this there Furthermore, I also plan on utilising the region-wide telegram system to keep citizens informed of WA resolutions and important events.
- Besides SC resolutions on matters concerning TITO and when a nation illegally mass-TGs the Islands about a proposal, will you always abide by poll results when casting the region's vote?
Unequivocally and irrevocably yes. If I'm elected, ill be elected to represent the WA community in 10ki as a whole and not just myself.
- What would you do in those two exceptions?
On matters concerning TITO I would consult TITO Command and listen to their advice, as they are our military leaders. On matters of an illegal mass telegram to 10ki, I would immediately either stomp in the opposite direction than that telegram says or immediately change my vote to whichever one they don't want. I would also use the region-wide telegram system to inform our WA nations to vote with me, as any illegal mass telegram to 10ki on WA matters is an attempt to usurp our popular vote.
- If you do decide to vote by forum poll or regionwide WA vote, are there any circumstances (other than matters concerning TITO and mass-TGs to the Islands) in which you would not be able to vote according to the poll results? In other words, are there any issues about which you feel so strongly that you could not cast a vote a certain way, due to conflict with your beliefs/conscience?
To be perfectly honest, I would abide by the popular vote. While I do have some issues I feel strongly about, I would be elected to represent the community and not just myself.
- Would you have voted for this proposal?: 10000islands.proboards.com/thread/31560/ns230-mandatory-delegate-voting-rules
To be honest, no I would not have. While it makes sense, it would tie the delegate exclusively to a forum vote and would also not allow a delegate to vote the way they wish if Delegates Choice is chosen by the community. (If I'm reading that right?)
- If FOR and AGAINST are tied on the forum vote, what then?
If FOR and AGAINST are tied on the poll then I would abstain from voting at all until one or the other takes the lead. If, by the time that the vote is about to end, neither have taken the lead then I will actively seek out those that haven't voted in the polls to gain their opinions and try to get them to vote in the poll.
- When timing your vote, will you vote as soon as possible, with a XKI discussion thread set up even earlier in an attempt to sway the vote; or wait awhile before voting to get the full spectrum of opinion from more Islanders; or something else?
As I said above in an earlier question, I would try to set up discussions and polls as soon as a resolution reaches quorum. In most cases this could be days before it even reaches a vote, and while I understand a quick vote can make or break a resolution in the vote I believe that sometimes that is a necessary thing.
- In a close and shifting forum vote on a resolution, how often will you change your vote? As soon as FOR overtakes AGAINST, for example, or wait to see if it switches back?
On a close and shifting poll vote I would hold my vote until such a time as one takes a clear majority. Switching votes too many times as a large delegate could potentially cause chaos and fatigue within the WA community, which is something I would wish to avoid.
- Will you keep the "delegate's prerogative" option?
Yes. While I would be elected to represent the community and its opinion as a whole, I myself still have my opinions and if the community sees fit to allow me to vote the way I choose, that would be a true honor.
- Will you provide Islanders with your own views on proposal, or merely seek their input?
I would indeed, as while the delegate is elected to represent the whole community the delegate also has an opinion.
- Although this won't matter much if you vote based on polls, how do you align yourself in the GA? Do you side with the International Federalists or National Sovereigntists more (or some other position entirely)?
I would say that I do not have an alignment, as as an individual I would vote on the reasoning of the resolution and my opinion on what that resolution entails.
- How will you decide which WA proposals to approve for quorum? Would you do this just by your own judgment, take requests, or some other system?
I would say that I would use my own judgement as a regional delegate, as it would be one of the very few liberties I would have.
- Would you create and regularly update a dispatch pinned to the WFE, with links to the most recent forum discussions of WA resolutions at vote, so that NS-going nations can find our WA discussions?
Yes, I would do this. I would also seek other means to broadcast it such as a region-wide telegram and posting on the RMB.
- How will you encourage citizens to vote in WA polls?
While some are hesitant to use it for fear of fatigue, I would use the region communication system. I find it would be the best way to get people active in the community and active in voting in the WA.
- How will Islanders be able to hold you accountable if you fail to post polls or vote in a timely manner?
This one is tricky, and to be honest I do not know a correct answer. I would hope that they would hold me accountable by coming together and deciding that all of them vote in the way they choose as a collective, as that's basically what I would be doing while voting with their extra votes.


TITO
- How do you feel about 6 months off of the TITO battle field?
I would feel bad that I wouldn't be able to protect regions in the normal sense, and feel bad about not moving my WA with my family in TITO. However, while not being able to move I would still be able to help founderless regions by voting on or authoring a liberation proposal when they become absolutely necessary.
- Would you still come to updates?
Yeppers! Anytime I could I would be there to talk to my family in TITO.


Foreign Affairs
- What criteria would you use to choose emissaries?
I would use a background check by TITO command, as well as their history in 10ki and the way they've acted over time.
- How would you ensure and monitor that emissaries actually do their job (posting our monthly reports, reporting back on the state of the assigned region, etc.)?
There's nothing I can do to ensure it, all that can be done is asking and if that doesn't work warn them that they may lose their job due to not doing their job. I would monitor it by actively checking embassy regions that the updates have been posted, as well as keeping in touch with my counterparts in embassied regions.
- What criteria would you use to decide when to fire emissaries?
The deciding factor would be that if they don't do their job, they don't deserve that job. While I understand that we may at some point be short on emissaries, I would temporarily take over that job until one can be found.
- Should XKI sign new formal alliances with regions, or just keep it at embassies?
I believe that 10ki should sign new formal alliances with active, like-minded regions as well as create embassies. However, those would need to be scrutinized heavily and a full check would need to be performed upon the region by TITO command before anything ever happens.
- Will you actively seek out new regions to have embassies with?
Yes. I believe a time has come where 10ki could benefit from such a thing, as many regions are becoming more isolationist and reaching out to them could help them and us open up more. However, each one would need to be scrutinized by both the Co9 and TITO Command before any official step could be taken.
- If the emissary corps is ever overstretched (as happened during my term), is lack of emissaries a valid reason to deny a new embassy with a borderline region? Or would you move to accept the embassy and then try to make do?
I would move to have the embassy discussed by the Co9, and try to make do from there. I don't believe that the fact we're short on emissaries should stop us from opening up relations, as I myself could post the regional updates if necessary until an emmisary could be found.
- Do you plan to restore the initiative of having Islanders visit friendly regions for a weekend?
Yes. I'm actually quite saddened that fell out of practice, and wish to reinvigorate this option.
- Will you appoint a foreign affairs secretary?
If I find that I'm overworked by the amount of work, yes I would. This could also teach more people how FA works and get them interested in running for office in the future.
- Do you plan on adding your own touches to the emissaries' report, or just letting the BCN senator write it?
It has traditionally been the job of the BCN senator, and I see no need to change that. If I see things that are wrong or misinforming I would gladly fix them however.
- Do you plan to be active on the NS forums, Gameplay and WA in particular?
I'm already quite active in those two forums areas, and I see no need to stop being active there.
- Is the informal policy of infrequent posting from a large segment of the rank-and-file of XKI in contentious threads a good thing to continue? If so, do you see your role as speaking for all of our voices on the forums, or should all of XKI, you included, stay out altogether?
I believe that that is a good policy, as most of the forums are becoming more toxic as time goes on. I see my role as speaking for my voice alone, unless there's a point where I have to specifically speak for 10ki as a whole.
- What do you think of this law?: 10000islands.proboards.com/thread/35949/277-interregional-forum-thread-passed
I believe that the passage of this law was necessary, as a NSGP thread could help to showcase 10ki and what it stands for on a greater level than it already is. I believe it could also work as a passive recruitment thread, as many newcomers who look at the forums and see our thread may be interested in checking our region out.

Internal
- Will you endotart? Will you send messages to Islanders encouraging delegate endorsement?
Yes and yes. Both are necessary for me to be able to represent the region as much as possible.
- Will you post telegrams you receive, in a thread like this: 10000islands.proboards.com/thread/19903? Will you have an office thread (either combined with the inbox thread or separate)?
Yep! They could help teach our region members on how to craft good telegrams over bad telegrams. I would also have my own office, of course.
- Do you think endorsing the delegate should be mandatory?
Absolutely not. Nations should remain free to endorse who they want based upon their values, even if that means not endorsing the delegate.
- Would you change our current delegate term limit system, given the opportunity? If so, how?
If I was to be honest, yes. Lately I've seen campaign promises and stuff not being completed due to RL reasons getting in the way, and I believe changing delegate terms could help delegates to complete their objectives and promises. I wouldn't go for major changes, possibly only expanding it so that delegates can serve two consecutive terms if elected but would need to wait four terms before running for delegate again.
- Will you mass-TG the Islands with updates? If so, what kind of updates and how often?
As I've said before, yes I would. I would send updates on the state of the region, our emmisary reports, and any necessary telegrams pertaining to WA resolutions.
- Will you post the emissaries report in a pinned dispatch every month?
I would indeed.

Thrown the kitchen sink indeed