Bravo Fleet Charter

Last Update: August 1, 2020 by BFA-0045 (Changelog) (Voting Record)

Article I – The Charter

Section 1 – Purpose

This Charter details the systems and proceedings within Bravo Fleet. It serves to guide the membership in knowledge of our basic structure and show them the way to our policies and procedures. The Charter is the written authority that establishes the basic organization, the powers and limits of the leaders, and the rights of the membership.

Section 2 – Official Policies

The Bravo Fleet Charter provides the basic foundational structure for Bravo Fleet. The rules and regulations governing the day-to-day operations of Bravo Fleet within that foundation is outlined through official policies set forth by the leadership. These policies may be freely updated by the leadership, and are clearly outlined and posted for the members reference. In any and all circumstances, this Charter supersedes any other policies, rules, or regulations within Bravo Fleet.

Section 3 – Voting

  • All votes called for under the Charter will be votes among the Bravo Fleet Admiralty.
  • Any vote required by this Charter must be preceded by a 48-hour discussion period. During the discussion period, the voting members are free to ask any questions they may have, state any concerns or opinions, or ask to see the other applications for comparison.
  • Unfilled positions are not tallied in the voting totals in any fashion. If a position is empty, the total number of votes needed to pass a measure is reduced by one.
  • Members are free to abstain from voting. Should a member abstain from voting, the required number of votes to pass the measure is reduced by one.
    • When a vote involves a member of the Bravo Fleet Admiralty, that member is forced to abstain from voting and the number of votes to pass the measure is reduced by one.
  • All members of the Bravo Fleet Admiralty are encouraged to submit nominees for vacant Bravo Fleet Admiralty positions, along with supporting evidence. When all members have spoken, a single vote containing all of the nominees will be held. The nominee with the most amount of votes will become the first candidate for confirmation by a simple majority.
    • If the first nominee is not confirmed, a simple runoff of the top two nominees will be held.
    • Likewise, Bravo Fleet Admiralty members, other than the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer and Magistrate, can be removed by a simple majority.
  • Unless otherwise stated in this Charter, votes by the Bravo Fleet Admiralty require a simple majority (51%) to pass.
    • Votes to change the Articles I, IV, V, and VI of the Charter require a two-thirds majority of the Bravo Fleet Admiralty to pass.
    • Voting period for the Bravo Fleet Admiralty is 48 hours
    • At the end of each vote, vote tallies shall be made publicly viewable.

Article II – Membership

Section 1 – Rights of the Membership

  • The first duty of the fleet’s leadership should always be to serve the organization and its members, recognizing that the members and our shared community here are the reason why the fleet exists in the first place.
  • Every member has a right to be treated with respect and without bias or disregard, irrespective of their tenure or position in the fleet, as all members are valuable and deserve to be here, as long as they participate in discussions and other fleet activities in good faith.
  • All members regardless of their position shall be held accountable under the same standards of conduct.
  • Every member has the right to a fair and impartial system of justice. All indictments, trials, and subsequent punishments will make no distinction between members based on tenure or position within Bravo Fleet.
  • Every member has the right to bring their concerns or complaints to the fleet’s leadership through their task force staff or through the Bravo Fleet Magistrate, without fear of reprisal or negative consequences for their standing within the fleet.
  • Every member has the right to be adequately acknowledged and rewarded for time, activity and efforts, and shall not be denied adequate and timely recognition based on personal bias and prejudice of their superiors. All rewards, promotions, and recognitions are given according to merit.
  • All Bravo Fleet members are entitled to a harassment-free environment. Any act of harassment and/or discrimination based on race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, pregnancy, sexual orientation, an order of protection, gender identity and expression, age, marital status, disability, genetic information, unfavorable military discharge, status as a veteran, or sex is a violation of this policy and will not be tolerated.
  • All members of Bravo Fleet have the right to bring forth a proposal to the Bravo Fleet Admiralty, through their task force staff or through public commenting options located within the fleet’s communication platforms.
  • Every member, administrator, and owner of Bravo Fleet's digital infrastructure has the right to be protected from legal liability. Members who violate the Bravo Fleet Legal Policy forfeit their membership in perpetuity. Violation of the Legal Policy includes but is not limited to: threatening real world legal action, repeated copyright infractions, or failure to comply with the Bravo Fleet Intellectual Property Policy.
    • When a member is removed in this fashion, the BFCO must immediately report it to the Magistrate for review. If the Magistrate concurs, no further action is taken. If the Magistrate disagrees, the removal is overturned.

Article III – Structure of the Fleet

Section 1 – Bravo Fleet Admiralty

  • The Bravo Fleet Admiralty exists to assist in the administration and ruling of the fleet. It derives its powers from the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer.
  • The Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer and Bravo Fleet Admiralty have the authority to make official policies within the limits of their positions.
  • With powers derived from the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer, Bravo Fleet Admiralty actions are executive in nature and do not affect or usurp the performance or jurisdiction of the Bravo Fleet Magistrate’s office.

Section 2 – Members of the Bravo Fleet Admiralty

In order of succession:

Section 3 – Conservatorship

  • The Bravo Fleet Conservatorship is an apolitical oversight body of Bravo Fleet, exclusively made up of persons who have formerly held the position of Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer, and are in good standing within Bravo Fleet. The Conservatorship is charged with safeguarding Bravo Fleet’s long term security as guardians of the real world digital infrastructure (“assets”) of the organization.
    • Members of the Conservatorship are specifically tasked with holding the real-world assets of Bravo Fleet including, but not limited to: the domain(s), fleet and/or sim hosting, donation Paypal account, and Discord ownership.
    • Members of the Conservatorship lose good standing when one of the following occurs:
      • The member fails to respond to Conservatorship communications within 72 hours via escalating means (Discord, then email, then telephone), when a response is required, and is not otherwise accounted for (e.g.: LOA);
      • The member is convicted by a Magistrate proceeding;
      • The member is removed from the Bravo Fleet Admiralty, which includes resigning once a removal discussion begins;
      • The member holds office in a competing Star Trek organization’s voting leadership;
      • A unanimous vote by the Conservatorship can override any or all of the above, and return a member to good standing.
  • The incumbent Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer sits on the Conservatorship as a representative of the Bravo Fleet Admiralty, but does not have a vote within the Conservatorship itself.
  • The Conservatorship may, as needed and by unanimous vote, temporarily add other members of the fleet to help facilitate its duties including, but not limited to: technical expertise on digital assets, legal counsel, interpretation of the Charter, etc.
  • No member of the Conservatorship will hold more than one real-world asset at once, except in extreme circumstances or unanimous agreement. Members of the Conservatorship who are appointed to the Bravo Fleet Admiralty must temporarily vacate the Conservatorship during their Bravo Fleet Admiralty terms.

Section 4 – Fleet Units

  • Members of Bravo Fleet are assigned to a Task Force, a Training Unit, or the Reserves, each of which is considered a fleet unit.
  • Task Forces are the primary units of Bravo Fleet, as they house all of the active members of the fleet, as well as games set in fleet canon.
    • Each Task Force has a Senior Staff, led by a Task Force Commanding Officer.
    • Each Task Force is split into at least two Task Groups, which are the basic organizational division of Bravo Fleet.
  • Training Units house new and in-training members.
  • The Reserves house all inactive members.

Article IV – Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer

Section 1 – Authority of Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer

  • The Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer is the chief executive in the fleet, as granted to them by the membership through this Charter, and primarily serves as Chairman of the Bravo Fleet Admiralty.
  • Authority not clearly delineated or reserved by this Charter is reserved for the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer.
  • Actions taken by the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer are executive in nature and do not affect or usurp the performance or jurisdiction of the Bravo Fleet Magistrate’s ffice.

Section 2 – Appointment of the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer

  • Upon leaving their position, the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer can nominate a member to succeed them as the BFCO. The Bravo Fleet Admiralty will then vote to ratify the nominee with a two-thirds vote.
    • For the purposes of this vote only, the retiring Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer shall be considered a member of the Bravo Fleet Admiralty.
  • If the Bravo Fleet Admiralty does not ratify the nominee, the Bravo Fleet Admiralty shall nominate and, with a simple majority required to carry the nomination.
  • The Conservatorship must approve of the new Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer. This approval will be assumed unless the Conservatorship unanimously vetoes within 48 hours of the election. The Bravo Fleet Admiralty may, with a unanimous vote, overturn a veto by the Conservatorship.
  • The procedure for appointing an interim acting Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer in the event of the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer’s unforeseen absence shall use the chain of succession based on position of order in Article III, Section 2, then time served, without requiring a vote. This acting Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer shall not have the power to amend the Charter and is required to stand for a vote of appointment within two weeks of assuming the position as outlined above.

Section 3 – Removal of Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer

  • The Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer has no voting rights in the Bravo Fleet Admiralty with regards to their own indictment.
  • A complaint may be brought by any member of the fleet to the Bravo Fleet Magistrate. The Bravo Fleet Magistrate will determine if the claim is actionable under the fleet’s rules. A member may appeal to the Bravo Fleet Admiralty on the Bravo Fleet Magistrate’s ruling on whether the charge is actionable. The Bravo Fleet Admiralty may overturn the Bravo Fleet Magistrate’s ruling on the charge’s actionability by a majority vote. Members that bring charges which are unactionable may be prosecuted via court-martial per the Bravo Fleet Magistrate’s discretion.
  • The Bravo Fleet Magistrate will investigate all actionable claims that are brought before them. The Bravo Fleet Magistrate must give the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer notice of the investigation. Failure to do so will result in a mistrial. The Bravo Fleet Magistrate must send all actionable charges to the Bravo Fleet Admiralty and the Conservatorship for a vote.
  • During the vote, the Bravo Fleet Admiralty or the Conservatorship must decide on whether the charge warrants a trial. If a majority of the Bravo Fleet Admiralty votes yes, or if the Conservatorship unanimously declares, a court-martial will be convened by the Bravo Fleet Magistrate’s office. If the claim is determined to be unworthy of a trial due to the charge being frivolous or with uncertain motives, the Bravo Fleet Admiralty may, by a majority vote, refer the matter back to the Bravo Fleet Magistrate for investigation.
  • If the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer is found guilty after all appeals have been exhausted an immediate vote must be initiated by the Bravo Fleet Admiralty and the Conservatorship. The vote is used to distinguish between charges that should result in the removal of the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer and those that simply deserve standard punishments. The Bravo Fleet Magistrate will present the results of the court-martial to the Bravo Fleet Admiralty. A two-thirds majority vote of the Bravo Fleet Admiralty is needed to remove the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer. Alternatively, a unanimous vote by the Conservatorship may remove the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer.
  • Upon removal, the Bravo Fleet Magistrate will initiate the process of succession as described in this article.
  • To remove the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer, all of these steps must be followed in order.
  • A Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer who has been so removed shall not have the ability to nominate a successor for ratification or vote in any further elections.

Section 4 – Terms of the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer

  • The Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer is limited to terms.
    • Each term is a period of 12 months from the day of the appointment.
    • A Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer may serve more than one term, and given the specific nature of the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer, may serve unlimited consecutive terms following the guidelines in Article IV, Section 2 at the end of each 12-month term.
    • A Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer who has not had their term renewed shall not have the ability to nominate a successor for ratification or vote in any further elections.
      • The procedure for appointing an interim acting Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer in the event of the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer not having their term renewed shall use the chain of succession based on position of order in Article III, Section 2, then time served, without requiring a vote. This acting Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer shall not have the power to amend the Charter and is required to stand for a vote of appointment within two weeks of assuming the position as outlined above.
      • If the interim Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer is not confirmed within the two weeks, the chain of succession based on position of order in Article III, Section 2 begins until a nominee is confirmed as the new Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer.
    • The Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer may resign at any time during their term.

Article V – Bravo Fleet Magistrate

Section 1 – Authority of the Bravo Fleet Magistrate

  • The Bravo Fleet Magistrate is the Chief Judge of the Bravo Fleet Magistrates Office, and convenes the court as necessary. The Bravo Fleet Magistrate is second to none with authority in the execution of justice.
  • Actions taken by the Bravo Fleet Magistrate are judicial in nature and do not affect or usurp the performance or jurisdiction of the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer. Limitations and rules placed on the judiciary in this Charter do not apply to the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer unless the application is clearly stated.
    • The Bravo Fleet Magistrate sits on the Bravo Fleet Admiralty as a non-voting member, there to advise in any rules interpretation or dispute mediation.

Section 2 – Appointment

  • The Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer shall nominate a member to the vacant position of Bravo Fleet Magistrate.
  • The Bravo Fleet Admiralty must confirm the nomination with a two-thirds vote.

Section 3 – Removal of the Bravo Fleet Magistrate

  • The Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer may move for the Bravo Fleet Magistrate’s removal. The Bravo Fleet Magistrate will then be removed if the motion is approved by two-thirds of the Bravo Fleet Admiralty.
  • The Bravo Fleet Magistrate may otherwise be removed by a two-thirds vote of the Bravo Fleet Admiralty.
  • If, for any reason, charges are being brought against the Bravo Fleet Magistrate, the Bravo Fleet Commanding Officer will appoint an acting Bravo Fleet Magistrate from the Conservatorship for handling that one case only.

Section 4 – Terms of the Bravo Fleet Magistrate

  • The Bravo Fleet Magistrate is limited to terms.
    • Each term is a period of 12 months from the day of the appointment.
    • A Bravo Fleet Magistrate may serve more than one term, and given the specific nature of the Bravo Fleet Magistrate, may serve unlimited consecutive terms following the guidelines in Article V, Section 2 at the end of each 12-month term.
  • The Bravo Fleet Magistrate may resign at any time during their term.
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