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Baronial Charter

The Charter of the Barony of Ponte Alto

Concerning this charter
1. All provisions of this charter are subject to Kingdom law and Corpora.
2. This charter may be amended as follows:
  1. A proposed amendment must be submitted at a Barony meeting.
  2. If the consensus of the meeting is that the proposed amendment is a good idea, a meeting shall be selected at which to conduct a straw poll.
  3. The proposed amendment shall be published in two issues of the newsletter before the meeting designated for the straw poll. If approved by 60% of those voting in the straw poll, it shall take effect upon publication in the next issue of the newsletter. A member unable to attend may send a written opinion to the meeting to be counted in the straw poll.
Baronial Heads
1. There need not be both a Baron and a Baroness. There may be either or both.
2. The Baron and/or Baroness shall serve for a term of two years.
  1. At the end of the first term, they may serve a second term should that be the desire of the group [evidenced by a vote of confidence, per Kingdom law] and of the Crown.
  2. At the end of the second term, they are not eligible for the next term, per Kingdom law. They may serve the term after that.
3. Candidacy for Baronial Heads
  1. Candidates may be self-nominated or nominated by another person.
    1. All nominations must be made at a Barony meeting designated for that purpose.
    2. Potential candidates must accept nomination in writing. If a potential candidate is not present at the meeting where he/she is nominated, the seneschal shall inform them of their nomination. The candidate(s) must accept nomination by the next meeting.
  2. Persons nominated to serve as a couple must agree to do so.
  3. All candidates must agree in writing to the provisions for term of office and selection of successors, and pledge to maintain them.
4. If the Baron and /or Baroness have reached the four-year tenure limit, or if the Crown judges that their support is insufficient for a second term, a poll shall be conducted to determine a new Baron and/or Baroness. Polling to determine the membership's preference for baronial heads shall be conducted no less than four months before the planned investiture.
  1. Polling forms shall be sent to all members of the Society for Creative Anachronism Incorporated who reside within the ZIP codes belonging to Ponte Alto. Each polling form shall contain the names of all candidates, a deadline date for returning the form, and a signature line. There shall also be an envelope addressed to the current Crown of Atlantia.
  2. Ponte Alto intends that the polling results be interpreted by the following method (Australian ballot), unless specifically prohibited by Kingdom law:
    1. Each respondent shall rank-order the names on the polling, with "1" being the preferred choice, "2" the second favorite, and so on. There is no minimum set on the number of names that must be ranked; the respondent may mark none, one, some, or all.
    2. The polling forms shall be sorted into piles by first preference.
    3. If no candidate [or couple] has received a clear majority, the smallest pile [i.e., the forms for the candidate [or couple] with the fewest first preferences] shall be sorted onto the remaining piles by second preference; forms with no second choice shall be discarded.
    4. This process shall continue until one candidate [or couple] has a clear majority.
  3. Ponte Alto requests that the Crown determine their choice as the new Baron and/or Baroness within a month after the polling deadline and that the choice be communicated to the Ponte Alto seneschal in order to facilitate an orderly transition.
  4. Ponte Alto requests that the tabulation of the polling responses be made public.
5. If half of a Baronial couple cannot fulfill a term, the other individual may elect either to serve the remainder alone or to resign. If a sole Baronial head or both members of a couple cannot fulfill a term, a vicar shall be recommended to the Crown by the Baron and/or Baroness with the consensus of a Barony meeting.
  1. The vicar shall serve until a polling can be completed and a new Baron and/or Baroness installed.
  2. Time spent as vicar shall not affect eligibility to serve term(s) as Baron or Baroness.
Order and Award
1. There shall be one order, the Order of the Garland, to recognize contributions to the group. Fields of achievement shall include, but not be limited to, arts, service, and fighting.
2. There shall be one award of distinction, the Bead. Fields of achievement shall include, but not be limited to, arts, service, and fighting. There is no limit to the number of times that an individual may receive this award.
Disbursement of Funds
1. Shall be as stated in The Barony of Ponte Alto Financial Policy.
Barony Business Meetings
1. Barony business meetings shall be held at least once per month.
  1. The meeting shall be conducted by the seneschal.
  2. Minutes of the meeting shall be published in the newsletter.
2. The date, place, and time of the meetings shall be published in the newsletter