On the Opening of Consultations
When Le Council established l'Agence des Pétitions et Sceaux Publics, it opened a channel through which the citizenry could bring its concerns and ambitions before Le Council. That channel has been used. Le Council has read every filing. Le Council has convened where convening was warranted.
A channel that runs in only one direction is, however, a pipe. And Le Council has determined that certain questions are not Le Council's to answer alone. The Almighty Ice has been clear on this point before. The penguins, consulted again, raised no objection.
Accordingly, Le Council is pleased to open Consultations—a channel through which Le Council puts a matter, or a slate of matters, to the citizenry of Hockay, and the citizenry answers.
What a Consultation Is
A Consultation is a set of questions, posed by Le Council, open for a fixed window of time. Each question is plainly stated and offers a fixed set of answers, of which a citizen may select one. A citizen may answer every question, or only those they wish to. A citizen who feels unequipped to rule on a matter is under no obligation to do so.
When the window is open, the citizenry votes. When the window closes, it closes. There is no extension granted on the grounds of having forgotten.
How a Ballot Works
Each citizen in good standing—signed in, with a confirmed address, and not under suspension—may submit one ballot per Consultation. A ballot is the full set of a citizen's answers, submitted together.
A ballot, once recorded, is final. Le Council does not entertain revision. Le Council notes that a position one is permitted to change indefinitely is not a position; it is a mood. The Consultation asks for a position.
A citizen who has not yet voted sees the questions and the open ballot. A citizen who has voted sees that Le Council has recorded their position, and is thanked for it.
On the Glacified Count
While a Consultation is open—and after it closes, until Le Council reports—the running count is Glacified. No tallies are shown. No leader is named. No citizen may know how the room is leaning before they lean themselves.
This is intentional. Le Council observes that a count shown early is a count that shapes itself, and Le Council is not interested in the opinion the room expects to win. Le Council is interested in the opinion the citizen actually holds. The numbers remain with Le Council until Le Council has deliberated and rendered its findings. H.O.R.N. will relay the outcome when there is an outcome to relay.
The First Consultation: The Honours of Season 1
The first season is sealed. The records are final and the Ice is quiet. Before the intersaison closes, Le Council invites the faithful to mark those who marked Hockay—on the ice and off it.
The ballot runs to ten matters. Seven concern the play of the season:
- Most Valuable Player, the single figure who defined the campaign.
- Best Goalie, Best Forward, and Best Defender, each as the records bear out.
- Sniper of the Season, for the purest finishers.
- The Enforcer, for those who dropped the gloves most.
- Iron of the Sixth, for those who walked through the door most often—and came back, or claim they did.
Le Council notes, without further comment, that the season belonged in large part to the blue line.
Three concern the citizenry and those who serve it: the Most Devoted Fan, the Best Podcast Host, and the Best Commentator. On that final matter, Le Council reviewed the broadcast records in full. The field, Le Council found, was settled.
A Closing Note
Le Council was advised, once again, to introduce this quietly. Le Council once again declined. A question worth asking is worth asking aloud.
The first Consultation is open now, at /consultations. The window is finite. The count is Glacified. The ballot is final.
Le Council awaits your position.
Consultations—an instrument of LPCHUIP. One ballot per citizen. Answers recorded as cast. The count remains Glacified until Le Council reports.