Constitution Draft v2.2 — Unratified. These common formation rules apply to all seven Foundational Circles and to their Councils for Founder review.
Section 15.01 — Public Formation
Every Foundational Circle and Council shall be constituted through direct public election by the citizens entitled to participate in that civic domain. Representation shall remain accessible, reviewable, recallable, and protected from inherited office, purchase, credential monopoly, or permanent incumbency.
Section 15.02 — Eligibility and Weighted Qualification
Eligibility requires good civic standing, satisfaction of rotation requirements, disclosure of relevant conflicts, and relevant demonstrated skill or lived experience. Expertise is a weighted qualification, not an exclusive barrier. No credential may silence persons whose lives are governed by the domain, and no claim of lived experience alone removes the duty to learn the office’s methods and limits.
Where candidates are equally eligible after the public vote and the published weighting of relevant qualification, lot may be used solely to resolve a genuine tie. Lot shall never replace election, conceal a political choice, or evade accessibility and competence requirements.
Section 15.03 — Rotation, Continuity, and Apprenticeship
Terms shall rotate often enough to prevent ownership of office and slowly enough to preserve competence. Each body shall maintain staggered terms, documented handover, open apprenticeships, accessible civic education, and a continuity plan. Apprentices may observe and contribute under supervision but may not exercise authority not yet entrusted to them.
Section 15.04 — Councils and Independent Intra-Circle Authority
A Council is a coordinating and representative body with independent domain authority within its Circle. Its Charter or constituting instrument shall state its assigned domain, powers, membership, evidence standard, public accountability pathway, appeal route, and authority limits.
A Council may decide matters within its assigned domain without requiring routine permission from the parent Circle. It remains bound by the Constitution, the Circle’s Charter, citizen oversight, protected rights, and the jurisdiction of every other Council and Circle. It may not enlarge its own domain or override another body without constitutional process.
Section 15.05 — Recusal and Conflicts of Interest
Members shall disclose personal, familial, financial, professional, therapeutic, supervisory, or other material conflicts. A conflicted member shall recuse from access, deliberation, decision, and private influence. The record shall identify the recusal without disclosing protected personal facts.
Section 15.06 — Accessibility and Equal Participation
Elections, candidacy, deliberation, evidence, and public review shall provide reasonable access across disability, language, literacy, technology, caregiving, geography, and economic circumstance. Accessibility is a condition of lawful representation, not a discretionary accommodation.
Section 15.07 — Recall, Vacancy, and Review
Citizens may initiate recall for abuse of authority, persistent neglect, undisclosed conflict, loss of standing, or repeated violation of the body’s mandate. A fair notice and response process shall precede removal except where narrow temporary suspension is necessary to prevent immediate harm. Vacancies shall be filled by the same public and eligibility principles used for ordinary selection.