Equal Vote and STAR Voting Project
Code of Conduct:
Creating a culture around the voting reform movement which is welcoming, inclusive, non-partisan, and productive is at the foundation of building the trust and relationships required for effective organizing. For this reason we have embraced a Code of Conduct to help set our intentions and problem solve in the event that problems arise.
Participation in our meetings or official groups, or the use of our organizing tools and channels will be taken as consent to follow the Code of Conduct.
1. Respectful conduct: All meetings, outreach, and correspondence, will be conducted in a respectful, professional, and positive manner and team leaders, members, and volunteers agree to follow the Code of Conduct when representing for Equal Vote or advocating for STAR Voting.
In debate, we will make a point to assume good faith, and exercise patience and compassion as much as possible. Respect people's boundaries. Try to be inclusive, and use language that is accessible. Avoid excessive jargon or condescension, and try to define technical terms and acronyms used. Every conversation is an opportunity to teach what you know, learn something new, and grow the movement.
When collaborating with others, please keep in mind that people's time is a valuable and limited resource. All time contributed is appreciated and valued, even if results are not perfect or expectations are not always met. Mistakes happen and unforeseen issues, reasonable disagreements, or conflicts come up.
Some meetings are public and others are private. Screenshots, recordings, quotes, and drafts from private meetings, Slack channels, and workgroups, are not to be copied or shared without explicit permission. Sharing content with a specific group does not imply consent to share that same content publicly.
Out of respect for our volunteer's time and energy, meetings and co-working spaces such as the STAR Voting Slack, Discord, Facebook Groups, and Voting Theory Forum are moderated to keep conversations positive, on task, and productive. Please respect requests and instructions from moderators.
2. Cultivating non-partisanship and inclusivity in our community: Our project is explicitly non-partisan and we need representation across the political spectrum in order to be effective. Better voting is a win-win! Please avoid partisanship and party coded rhetoric whenever possible. Avoid assuming that your colleagues and other volunteers share your views on political questions. Avoid controversial and off topic issues including economics, candidate politics, identity politics, foreign policy, and anything else that might undermine group dynamics.
In our meetings and at our events, we try to make a point to facilitate inclusive and welcoming discussions. Meeting chairs and moderators may ask attendees to raise hands, may call on people who haven't spoken yet before calling on people who've already had a turn, may ask if there are any opposing points of view on a topic, or may use a round table format to invite each person in the meeting to speak on a given topic when time allows. Please try to avoid interrupting, dog-piling, being long-winded, or being redundant when possible.
3. On diversity: Electoral reform, research, and theory are traditionally fields which have historically been almost entirely dominated by white men. We strive to break these patterns and to help support new people to become involved in this field. Please make a point of being welcoming and inviting, and taking the time to ensure that people are able to ask questions, get up to speed, and contribute their thoughts and ideas.
We strive to cultivate a space where people with diverse ideas, lived experience, and politics can all be included. Ensuring that people with diverse views are represented is important. For that reason please try to avoid negative comments about political parties or specific candidates. Keep discussion of candidates or current events to a minimum and keep it relevant to voting theory and reform efforts. Avoid sweeping generalizations or assumptions.
4. On neurodiversity: Electoral reform benefits from having a large number of outside the box thinkers, including people who are on the spectrum or who may think differently for a variety of reasons. Many of these individuals have made huge contributions to the field, in part due to their ability to process information in novel ways, or see things from another perspective. Different modes of communicating and missed social cues can manifest as apparent rudeness, condescending tone, or interrupting. Please try to keep in mind that this may be a factor and that it may not be personal. (As always, if negative behavior is excessive or ongoing, follow the guidelines in this code of conduct.)
5. On Teamwork and Leadership: Equal Vote and STAR Voting chapters and committees mostly function autonomously with support and resources from the Equal Vote Coalition and STAR Voting Project and staff. Chapters and committees fall under the Equal Vote Coalition's authority, and decisions made by chapters and committees should align with the larger plans of Equal Vote. In rare cases, decisions or plans may be amended or overruled by Equal Vote leadership to keep systems consistent or to take into account national considerations. We don't expect this will come up, but if needed this would be done in coordination with the committee leadership and we will hopefully be able to get agreement from the larger group on the new decision.
6. STAR Voting Brand Continuity: STAR Voting, the instructions, ballot design, and educational materials are specific, carefully designed, and vetted. The method has been developed to perform in a wide variety of contexts, scale well, and deliver. It's essential to keep the brand as cohesive and consistent as possible – especially given the decentralized and grassroots nature of the larger movement.
The STAR Voting method is as described on the starvoting.org website (See the starvoting.org/technical_specifications and the ballot design template file). When in doubt please ask [email protected].
Using the same or similar branding for additional variants of the STAR Voting method can open up the method to new criticisms and muddy the waters. Please do not create or share your own variations of the method, ballot, or brand without explicit authorization from the Equal Vote Coalition leadership and/or board.
7. Fact Checking: Maintaining a reputation of integrity and honesty is paramount, and any content or statement made on behalf of Equal Vote or STAR Voting Action which is found to be factually incorrect or clearly misleading must be retracted and a correction made publicly in the most applicable, timely, and appropriate location. Cite your sources when possible. Please feel free to raise any concerns with leadership at [email protected].
8. AI Use Policy: The Equal Vote Coalition supports responsible use of AI tools for limited, behind-the-scenes tasks that improve efficiency. People may use AI as a support tool but should review and refine outputs before sharing them. Please avoid generating and sharing large amounts of content requiring review, and always disclose to staff and leadership when AI tools were used. Never upload confidential or private information into AI tools.
All public-facing materials, including educational resources, graphics, videos, messaging, social media posts, articles, and other creative or artistic content must be created and approved by humans. Our movement is grassroots and people-powered, and maintaining an authentic human voice is essential to our credibility. Content that appears AI-generated or synthetic should not be used in Equal Vote Coalition materials.
9. Attendance, commitments, and communications: Most general meetings and events are open to drop-ins, but if you cannot attend a meeting for a specific committee you have joined please RSVP to the Chair that you won't be able to make it as soon as possible. If your vote or input may be needed for a quorum or for upcoming decisions, try to be available by phone or text even if you can't attend.
If you have volunteered for an action item or position and find that you won't be able to complete it as planned, or if you are going to miss a deadline please let your committee or team know so others can step up to help. If you expect to miss multiple meetings let your committee know that you are stepping down or taking a leave of absence.
For those who have accepted responsibility for projects and action items, please try to keep up on communications. Keeping others looped in is time consuming. Try to stay up to date or get up to date before meetings. If you do fall behind, reach out to someone else on the committee to get caught up in advance, without taking up everyone's time in a meeting when possible.
10. Personal and professional attacks: Public comments which are or could be reasonably perceived to be a personal or professional threat or attack, or which could be personally or professionally damaging to our team, leadership, volunteers, or coalition will not be tolerated.
Personal or ad hominem attacks are not to be confused with legitimate or factual criticisms of specific actions made by individuals with citations. If you see someone being unfairly attacked, please stick up for them by providing facts and evidence when possible and help mediate rather than staying silent, and reach out to leadership for assistance when appropriate (see section 11).
11. Hate Speech and discrimination: Abusive, threatening, mocking, or condescending actions, speech, or written statements, especially those that express prejudice against a particular group on the basis of race, religion, ability, identity, sexual orientation, age, class, or political affiliation, will not be tolerated. Please be respectful and mindful of people's names and pronouns. If you are unclear how to refer to somebody, ask them politely.
12. Conflict resolution: Respectful, constructive disagreement is a critical part of our organizing. However, when conflicts become emotionally challenging we recommend the following path of de-escalation, mediation, and accountability.
Step 1 - De-escalation: Challenging disagreements or conflicts should be discussed and resolved in private between the members and/or leaders involved when appropriate. Hashing out disagreements publicly or bringing in additional people should be avoided, if possible. Avoid trying to resolve conflicts over text or email when possible. If a conversation begins to get heated, or if a misunderstanding occurs, reach out to see if talking over the phone or in person is an option instead.
Step 2 - Mediation: If a conflict feels serious, if the other person seems unreasonable, or if the people involved are not comfortable tackling the issue alone, the issue should be brought to the attention of the project leader, committee chair, or a staff member. Our Human Resources Committee may facilitate or mediate as needed. Email Annie Kallen at [email protected] for support.
Step 3 - Accountability: Members of a committee, workgroup, forum, or board who consistently violate the Code of Conduct, or who create a toxic environment, put the integrity of the team at risk. Organizations without a mechanism for accountability may see positive members regularly stepping down in the face of toxicity while problematic behaviors become normalized, validated, and or even magnified in the remaining membership.
Under any of the following conditions, staff, board members, or project leaders may need to reduce privileges or otherwise remove or ban individuals from the community:
1. The failure of reasonable attempts at conflict resolution.
2. The individual is unable or unwilling to recognize their problematic behavior AND change it.
3. Three or more distinct complaints are filed against an individual.
4. Three or more members agree that the situation is not likely to be solved by further mediation.
5. The person is clearly not participating in good faith or is intentionally trying to be disruptive.
In most cases, staff and leadership will attempt to mediate conflicts or issues that arise. In extreme or time sensitive cases, staff, board members, or project leaders may choose to block or remove a person from the community without warning.
Board members, staff, or elected leaders may be removed by a consensus minus one vote of the governing board of directors with no less than three individuals voting for removal.