For those not aware in the current proceedings for Mayoral Elections:
I have submitted my candidacy because I believe that the future of Humanity lies among the stars. We see the governments of Russia, China, and now the United States taking steps to militarize the most vast ...
For those not aware in the current proceedings for Mayoral Elections:
I have submitted my candidacy because I believe that the future of Humanity lies among the stars. We see the governments of Russia, China, and now the United States taking steps to militarize the most vast of frontiers. I don't believe that's a long term viable solutions. I believe we should work to build a common respect for science with a clear focus on a peaceful goal.
Unfortunately, something has come to my attention with regard to the Mayoral Elections that has made me very disappointed. Because of this, I have sent a letter to the Elections Support team.
Context: I, like everyone else was prompted with a nice yellow button asking me to nominate myself as a Mayoral Candidate for my City. We have a rather large Asgardian community in North Carolina, but the most cohesive groups are in Raleigh and Charlotte. However, the Triad Region, which consists of Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point, Asheboro, and many other smaller towns, is rather dispersed.
I opted to run for election, and encouraged the Asgardians around me to consolidate to our Anchor City, and proposed Greensboro as that anchor.
I received my confirmation of candidacy shortly after.
However, I was also prompted with the following email:
Dear candidate in Asgardia’s mayoral elections,
Thank you for submitting your candidacy!
We are very pleased to have received your submission and are delighted to inform you that your candidacy has formally been accepted.
You took the unique chance to get directly involved in the building of the first space Nation.
In order to support your electoral campaign and spread your vision of the future of Asgardia we want to offer you the outstanding opportunity to address your voters directly by uploading a video introduction of yourself and your campaign program.
Let your local community know:
-
What does Asgardia mean to you?
-
Why do you want to become an Asgardian mayor?
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What will your contribution to your local community be?
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Which projects do you want to run in your area?
Upload the video to your personal platform and share the link on your social media accounts to gain support of the voters in your town and attract new residents from your local area to vote for you!
Be active in the official Asgardia forums and social media channels, reach out to potential voters and support your campaign by actively taking part in enthusiastic discussions and online debates.
In order to complete your application, please remember to pay your application fee of 100 Euros before
09th September 2018
. If you have any question about your campaign, you are are welcome to contact us at
elections-support@asgardia.space
or read our
FAQ
.
Good luck in your campaign!
You can understand my surprise to see a plea for 100 Euros to be an eligible candidate.
At no point was there mention of a fee to be eligible to run for office.
Here is my response, and should I receive a reply, I will post it here as well:
To: Elections Support
I have some questions that will impact significantly my participation in things if they aren't addressed in a reasonable manner.
Nowhere in the "nominate yourself for mayor" webpages does it ever say that I will have to pay you $100 to be nominated..
What non-corrupt democracy ever required an entry fee to run for office?
You are asking us to take on significant responsibility for our district, currently for no salary. We're already offering to donate our time and effort to the cause. As a professional, my time is currently worth $250 an hour, so that contribution is already a significant offer. We are the ones most inspired by the initiative to be willing to volunteer our time, and take on the legal risks and local responsibilities. Is that not enough?
Whose bright idea was it to blind-side us with an attempt milk us for money as well?
It is a bad idea that only makes those of us in the western world skeptical of the organizations honesty and genuinity.
If such a fee is to remain, then I will be withdrawing my candidacy.
Stephan White
I firmly believe in open and free elections.
The failure to disclose such a fee makes me doubt their honesty.
Had I known of the fee, I absolutely would not nominate myself.
That is not a reasonable precedent to set.
I feel very strongly that it implies that offices can be bought, not earned through the respect of our peers.
So, if that disqualifies me, I sorrowfully accept. Not from regret, but disappointment that before we ever get off the ground, we would have failed to leave behind our worst of failures.