In a Dev Blog published on April 21, CCP Games announced the upcoming elections for the 15th Council of Stellar Management (CSM 15). Submissions will be accepted from April 27 – May 11, and voting will occur from June 1-8.
CSM Term Limits
For the first time, CSM15 will institute a three-year term limit on CSM members, with a one-year “cooldown” before one is eligible to run again. Dopamine clarified that the rule is partially, though not entirely, retroactive: CSM14 members will have one year counted against the three-year limit, meaning they will be eligible for two more years of service (including CSM15, if re-elected) before the one-year cooldown takes effect.
Single Summit
In another significant change, the CSM Summit is switching from two semi-annual five-day events to a single five-day summit. Dopamine wrote that as a result of this change, “the barrier of entry will be lowered,” and the “CSM will be opened up to those individuals from the community that could not otherwise have considered running due to other important commitments.”
How to Apply
The application process is as follows:
Step 1: Fill in the application form between 27 April – 11 May. CCP cautions that applicants should “beware session time-outs and make sure to save your text in a document. If you don’t get a confirmation, re-enter the information and try again.”
Step 2: Scan the application in high quality and submit to [email protected] in high-quality with “CSM 15 application” in the subject line.
Dopamine listed the eligibility requirements for service on CSM:
- “Your account must be older than 60 days at the time candidacy applications close.
- Characters on both Alpha and Omega accounts are eligible to run.
- You must have a history of honoring the EULA and the Terms of Service. We will screen every applicant thoroughly, and EULA/TOS violations on your record can result in a rejected application.
- You must create a campaign thread in the CSM section on EVE Online forums covering the questions listed earlier in the article.
- Your account must have updated and correct information at the time of your application. This includes your real-life name, correct date of birth, and the same email you use to submit your application. To view and edit this information go to the account management website.
- Candidates must have reached 18 years of age. If the legal adult age in your home country (the age at which you have the legal capacity to enter into a contract) is higher than 18, that number applies instead.
- As an applicant, you must consent to provide your personal details to CCP, including your real name and a copy of your passport. CCP needs to affirm your real-life identity for NDA contract purposes, and the ability to travel to a summit in Iceland is a key function of the CSM.
- If you do not currently have a valid passport, we will accept a picture/scan of a valid and approved passport application accompanied by a picture of your driver’s license.
- You must consent to share your country of origin with the EVE community and having it displayed on the EVE Online website. You will not be required to share any other personal information with the EVE community.
- If you are running as an ‘alt’ and you control a character that has a reputation in the EVE universe, CCP may require you to run under that identity at its full discretion.”
Who’s In, Who’s Out?
Over on Reddit, CSM14 member Olmeca Gold posted advice for non Sov-bloc candidates who are considering a run at CSM15, and CSM13 member Brisc Rubal threw out a campaign teaser. Here at INN, Brisc also provided a detailed look at what it means to be a candidate for the CSM. On the official forum post, CSM stalwart Steve Ronuken confirmed that he is not intending to run for CSM15, and Sort Dragon, who took over for NCDot’s KillahBee partway through CSM14, is declining to re-run as expected. Meanwhile, in a surprise announcement, BRAVE’s Dunk Dinkle shared that he will not be seeking to return for CSM15.
Some on the forum thread worried that Ronuken’s bowing out threatened to leave Hi-Sec without strong representation on CSM15; however, Mike Azariah announced that he is filing the paperwork to run, and described his candidacy as “Still hisec with a very STRONG new player focus.” Elsewhere in the forum thread, Insidious Sainthood announced his candidacy and noted that “I’m going on the record as a low sec guy.”
A spirited discussion took place on the forum over the purpose of the CSM, the extent to which it fulfils that purpose, and whether all players and play-styles are adequately represented. CCP Dopamine participated in this running conversation, noting that “we have been actively investigating various models of how we could achieve a broader representation of players on the council.” Implementation issues, he said, prevented making any dramatic structural changes for this go-around, but such innovations are apparently in the works for future Councils.
“In many ways,” Dopamine said, “we rely on the feedback from the CSM, and the ability to talk to experienced players under NDA has been invaluable.” CSM members have also done “a bunch of legwork by reaching out to other players in an attempt to fill potential gaps in feedback when preparing for the summit.” In the end, Dopamine said, “CSM members should always be elected by the players and players alone.”
Athough he specified that CCP can’t always follow the suggestions of CSM or other player mechanisms, EVE is one of those rare online worlds in which the players do have a genuine voice in the future of the game. To those who run for the opportunity to be that voice, best of luck!
As always, INN will be there to cover the results.