I want you to vote for me. I honestly believe it’s a vote well spent. It’s important. What’s more important is that you vote at all. That matters most.

I DON’T MAKE A DIFFERENCE

There are some that don’t vote because they are of the opinion that their sole vote(s) make no difference when you have huge alliance blocs controlling the outcome of the CSM. For the CSM 7 elections there were 59,109 votes cast by eligible voters, amassing a turnout of 16.63% (LINK). As of March 2012, there were over 400,000 pod pilots flying about New Eden (LINK). This data is a bit outdated, yes, but still illustrates the point. Even if half of those accounts were alts, it should be obvious to see that no single alliance or group of alliances can outweigh the voting power of the player base as a whole were everyone to vote.

Your vote matters.

THE CSM IS A JOKE

There is also the opinion that the entire CSM process, nay, the idea of CSM at all, is a colossal joke, a waste of time, money and resources. If you find yourself agreeing with that statement, consider this. While you may believe your “non-vote” is a quiet way of making a protest to show your disagreement with the philosophy of the CSM process or the CSM as a whole, what you’re actually doing is allowing the existing system to continue unchallenged. Think about it.

Without your vote, the system you think is flawed will not get better. There are more and more voters each election meaning that the CSM will continue. If you want to make a change to the system, or abolish it altogether, one avenue is to vote for a candidate that aligns with your way of thinking in this regard. Don’t vote for that candidate that only represents the views of other players. Don’t vote for the candidate that makes false promises. But vote.

Your vote matters.

WTF CSM?

Roc, what are you even talking about? What is this CSM thing? There is another group that isn’t even aware of the CSM at all. They don’t read the forums. They don’t stay involved outside of the game itself. CCP has done a relatively poor job of promoting the CSM elections, in my opinion. Having attended Fanfest, I’ve spoken face to face with players that either didn’t know what the CSM is, or didn’t know when voting was open. Of course, by the time you get to Fanfest, you’re pretty much out of time in your electoral run, though there is still room for some last-minute campaigning.

If you’re aware of the CSM. If you believe it’s of importance to our game either in its current form or in some other form, then I implore you to make others aware. Educate them. Speak with your corporations, your alliances. Bring it up in random fleet chat. Spam local – some candidates certainly do. Hell, share this post. The more players that are aware of the CSM process, the more potential players will vote. The more players that vote, the better the accuracy of the represented results.

Your voice matters.

ROC THE VOTE

I’m going to end this the same as I started. Vote Roc Wieler. I’ve always been about the community, a voice of integrity and discipline. I have no personal or alliance agenda. I want to provide an avenue for every player to have their voice heard. I want to learn more than I could ever learn alone by listening and absorbing from you. I won’t promise to change the game. I won’t promise to change the CSM. I won’t promise to bring CCP to its knees in awe respect of what the CSM is and could be. I will promise to conduct myself ethically, transparently, consistently, and stand for the beliefs of all proactive players across New Eden.

Your vote matters.