Imperial elections
All Imperial titles are elected or appointed at one of the quarterly gatherings at Anvil. These take place at the Summer and Winter Solstices and the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes. This is also when the Imperial Institutions meet and exercise their legal powers.
Some titles have tenure, the citizen may hold the title until it is revoked, they die or they relinquish the position. Most titles are either re-appointed each year following the Imperial election schedule. Titles in the Conclave can be reappointed at any time by successful declaration.
Elections are held by various different means (for example each nation uses their own traditional voting method to appoint their senators whilst generals are usually appointed by unanimous agreement of a nations senators and sinecures vary) and are observed to ensure there are no election irregularities by Merlot, the Civil Service Overseer of Imperial Elections. For example, with a few exceptions, an imperial citizen can only vote once per year on a particular matter. This is most commonly an issue with citizens of Navarr who as wanderers, often change the territory they are in, but are not then allowed to vote in their new territory until a full year has passed since they last had the opportunity to vote in their previous locations senator elections.
For a list of who currently holds every imperial title please refer to the imperial titles recent history page.
Eligibility
- The Empire identifies where your character lives based on the location of their resource
- To change territory, you must obtain a new resource in a new territory
In nations such as the Marches, the League and Navarr, your eligibility to vote in a senatorial election is based on your territory. Imperial citizens (especially the Navarr) may move freely around the Empire as they choose, however a resource cannot move. Because of this, the civil service use the location of your personal resource to determine your "territory" for determining eligibility for voting in senatorial elections. If you are a member a nation that votes by territory and you wish to vote in a different territory then you must get a new personal resource in the new territory.
The need to change resource still applies if you own a military unit or a fleet. Both these resources include the active service and involvement of a large number of Imperial citizens. These citizens have homes, families and roots in the territory they are based in - and they do not wish to change territory even though you do.
The laws for Imperial elections state that you cannot vote in a senatorial election if you participated in another election in the last twelve months. Participation is defined as being eligible to vote and present in Anvil while the election takes place (it does not matter if you did not actually vote). You must abstain from voting in a senatorial election if it occurs less than four events after the previous election in your old territory. If you are in any doubt about your eligibility then you should consult Merlot, the civil service overseer of elections who can advise you.
Any Imperial citizen who believes that another citizen is committing electoral fraud by voting in an election they are not eligible for should bring the matter to the attention of the election overseer and the magistrates.
Standing
- You do not need to be present to be granted an Imperial title
It is not necessary for a citizen to be present to be granted an Imperial title, it is perfectly legal for citizens to elect a proxy or support a candidate who is absent for any reason.
Multiple Titles
- It is not legal for a citizen to accept two Imperial titles
The constitution mandates that no Imperial citizen may wield the power of two Imperial titles at the same time. If a citizen who holds an Imperial title is granted a second Imperial title, then they must either renounce their current title or turn down the new position. To avoid any risk of being prosecuted for subverting Imperial law, a citizen should not wield any powers of their new Imperial title until they have had a chance to inform the civil servants in charge of elections which title they intend to renounce.