Confederation of Democratic Sims Election Results
by Alphaville Herald on 25/01/09 at 3:37 pm
Simplicity Party to Lead Representative Assembly
by Pericles of Bavaria
Residents interested in a democratic Second Life will be thrilled to learn that the virtual world includes a 4 sim democratic federation allowing for collective decision making by landowners. The latest press release from the Confederation of Democratic Sims features Chancellor Jamie Palisades' announcement of the Confederation’s 10th Representative Assembly election results – and a formal Inaugural Ball to celebrate the elections on February 1, 2009at 2 pm at the Neufreistadt Schloss. The entire Second Life communityis invited.
For those keeping score at home, the election winners are:
Simplicity Party:
Symo Kurka, Leader of the Representative Assembly
Soro Dagostino
Cindy Ecksol
Citizens Social Democratic Faction:
Gwyneth Llewelyn
Justice Soothsayer
Democratic Pragmatist Union:
Sonja Strom
Pip Torok
The press release goes on to say that to be a citizen with voting privileges in CDS, avatars must own land in the CDS sims and be current in tier payments. Public land in the CDS sims is owned by its citizens collectively and administered by the Representative Assembly (legislature) and Executive Branch.
CDS citizens elect their representatives by ranking factions (political parties.) Active campaigns last approximately two weeks. Polls are open for a full week and web based software developed by CDS residents for this purpose, applies a Borda count method, which weights the votes according to citizen first and second choice preferences helping to assure that minority voters will have a voice in government. Candidates align with factions. The person who is ranked highest in the faction with the most votes serves as Leader of the RA, presiding over the meetings.
The organization claims the CDS is the oldest self-government project in Second Life, and will celebrate five years of continuous democracy in 2009. CDS is currently comprised of four sims: Neufreistadt, a Bavarianthemed sim, Alpine Meadow, an alpine mountain village and countryside,Colonia Nova and Locus Amoenus, based on the roman age colony of Koln,(Cologne) Germany.
Prokofy Neva
Jan 25th, 2009
Whenever a government has to use the word “Democratic” as an adjective, as in “German Democratic Republic” and the “Democratic Republic of the Congo,” you know that it’s going to be a country where democracy might be in short supply.
Without free enterprise and free speech, this Confederation of Simulated Democracy isn’t so democratic. The weighted votes putting faction leaders highest is also one that can work with European social democracies and communism, but doesn’t always work well in other settings with less civilization and more need for freedom. In fact, it’s a system that rapidly gets abused and gamed in places like Russia.
Continuous democracy? Say what you will, but the move to brand Ulrika Zugzwang and Enemy of the People and the State and confiscate her buildings does raise some interesting problems for the notion of democracy.
The real question to ask about this fabulous “continuous” experiment in democracy and self-government is this: if it is so all-fired fabulous, how come it only has 4 sims in it? It should have 400 by now.
Prokofy Neva
Jan 26th, 2009
MEOW MEOW MEOW RUSSIA MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW Без кота́мыша́м раздо́лье MEOW MEOW MEOW Кто пьёт до дна, тот живёт без ума́MEOW MEOW
janeforyou Barbara
Jan 26th, 2009
Can Democracy work in SL? Maybe,We do got the “poll/vote” system on members in SIMs.
Choose leaders? Yes you can by vote, but it wil usly be the moust “popular” person.
I am for Democracy in RL, i live in a RL “European social democracie” in Scandinavia, we also got Kings and Queens, it works, kind of,lol.
As a SIM owner i rule in 5 SIM, its my word that are the last, BUT i delegate, i let leaders of my staff run things them self, i aprove or i dont aprove what thay do, but thay know me, thay know how i think and its based on TRUST.I listen to my member/SIM users all the time and i trye to plese them all, my advice : Listen to your members and staff.. but be shure YOU own it all and that YOU got the last word
Lucius Nesterov
Jan 26th, 2009
“..democratic federation allowing for collective decision making by landowners.”
A democratic system that you have to buy into?! No. It’s a shareholder’s meeting with an elected board of Directors.
It seems like a great idea; just drop the ‘democratic’ part.
Alyx Stoklitsky
Jan 26th, 2009
UND MIT DEMOKRATIE…
The Avenger
Jan 26th, 2009
Prok, just shut the f*** up!
General Drama
Jan 31st, 2009
Apparently some people are more equal than others…. Not surprised. What would be truly humorous was if these idiots tried to bill you for the time it took to seize your land and evict you. THAT represents TRUE democracy in action.