CCP Announces the Candidates for CSM16

The drive to the CSM16 election continues.

CSM16 is approaching

Yesterday CCP hit another checkpoint in the run up to the CSM16 election when CCP Dopamine and CCP Swift did a live stream announcing the candidates who made it through the vetting process and will be on the ballot come June.

In total 47 candidates made the cut, which is up from the 40 who were on the ballot for the CSM15 election.  Here are all of their in-game portraits.

The candidate field for CSM16

As I did last year, I will list them all out alphabetically with a link to their campaign thread and their alliance or corp affiliation.  The portraits above are in the order of the list below.  CCP has their own list with trading card like summaries should you prefer that.  It is also in alphabetical order.

The List

1. Angry Mustache – Goonswarm Federation
2. Arsia Elkin – Electus Matari
3. Baculus Orden – Goonswarm Federation
4. Brisc Rubal – The Initiative
5. Broodin – Goonswarm Federation
6. Dr Spodumain – ISK.Enterprises
7. Dutchgunner – Arataka Research Consortium
8. Eluwein – Hole Control
9. Evie Kouvo – Wingspan Delivery Network
10. Gay Pride Booooom – Novus Ordo
11. Gobbins – Pandemic Horde
12. Hurleyalex hurley – Test Alliance Please Ignore
13. I Beast – Method Synergy
14. Innominate – Goonswarm Federation
15. Jim Halescott – The Scope
16. Jurius Doctor – Nullsechnaya Sholupen
17. Kay-lynn Tsero – Tsundere Triad
18. Kenneth Feld – Pandemic Legion
19. Knockerwrench Alduin – Black Wolves
20. Lucrative Business Opportunity – The Curatores Veritatis Auxiliary
21. Maldavius – Stribog Clade
22. Mantis Akiga – Red Alliance
23. Mark Resurrectus – Turbofeed or Glory
24. Merkelchen – Goonswarm Federation
25. Micromancer – Goonswarm Federation
26. Mike Azariah – The Scope
27. Phantomite – No Handlebars
28. Progodlegend – Test Alliance Please Ignore
29. Reicher514 – Pandemic Horde
30. Rheaha Preynar – Free Range Chikuns
31. Rich Richman – Plucky Adventurers
32. Rixx Javix – A Band Apart
33. Robert Downey Iron – Unreal Alliance
34. RonUSMC – Test Alliance Please Ignore
35. Seddow – Dreadbomb
36. Shui Jing Jing – Caput Draconis
37. Stitch Kaneland – The Tuskers Co.
38. Styxx – D.A.R.K.
39. Suitonia – We Form V0lta
40. Tdor Clau – Test Alliance Please Ignore
41. Teddy Gbyc – Outfoxed
42. Uriel Paradisi Anteovnuecci – Arataka Research Consortium
43. Vily – Test Alliance Please Ignore
44. White Orchid – We Form V0lta
45. Winzentowitsch Madeveda – PARABELLUM
46. Xenuria – Goonswarm Federation
47. Xeromus Plague – Interstellar Triglavian Collective

That is a lot of people, so let me try to break them out into groups to make the list more easily digestible and maybe make finding your ideal candidate a bit easier.

Incumbents

Eight of the ten current members of CSM15 are running for re-election.  They are:

• Brisc Rubal – The Initiative
• Gobbins – Pandemic Horde
• Innominate – Goonswarm Federation
• Kenneth Feld – Pandemic Legion
• Merkelchen – Goonswarm Federation
• Mike Azariah – The Scope
• Phantomite – No Handlebars
• Vily – Test Alliance Please Ignore

Of that list, Gobbins, Innominate, Merkelchen, and Vily are all running for their third consecutive term, which will disqualify them from running again for a spot on CSM17, as term limits allowing only three consecutive terms were introduced as part of the CSM15 race.

Sov Null Sec

22 of the 47 candidates in the race hail from organizations that hold sovereignty in null sec.  They are:

1. Angry Mustache – Goonswarm Federation
2. Baculus Orden – Goonswarm Federation
3. Brisc Rubal – The Initiative
4. Broodin – Goonswarm Federation
5. Gobbins – Pandemic Horde
6. Hurleyalex hurley – Test Alliance Please Ignore
7. Innominate – Goonswarm Federation
8. Jurius Doctor – Nullsechnaya Sholupen
9. Kenneth Feld – Pandemic Legion
10. Mantis Akiga – Red Alliance
11. Merkelchen – Goonswarm Federation
12. Micromancer – Goonswarm Federation
13. Progodlegend – Test Alliance Please Ignore
14. Reicher514 – Pandemic Horde
15. Robert Downey Iron – Unreal Alliance
16. RonUSMC – Test Alliance Please Ignore
17. Seddow – Dreadbomb
18. Suitonia – We Form Volta
19. Tdor Clau – Test Alliance Please Ignore
20. Vily – Test Alliance Please Ignore
21. White Orchid – We Form Volta
22. Xenuria – Goonswarm Federation

Sov null candidates tend to do well when it comes to being represented on the CSM as they belong to organized groups that harness their power to aim votes at candidates that represent their values.

That said, there are only 10 seats up for grabs and even the largest alliance in the game, Goonswarm Federation, only has the numbers to get 2 or 3 of its candidates on the council.  Their electoral power also makes outsiders less likely to vote for them.  There are 7 Goons running, so 4 or 5 of them are likely going home disappointed unless they have a constituency outside of the alliance or coalition.  The other big alliances are good for 1, possibly 2 seats, depending on how well the coordinate with their allies.

Brisc Rubal is perhaps the only stand-out on this list as somebody who has constituency outside of his coalition.  Having dual Initiative-Goon citizenship and likely to be in the third spot on the Imperium ballot, he has a decent shot of returning to the council.

The alliance ballots will be interesting this year.  With World War Bee still raging almost 11 months now, there are hard feelings all around and I doubt we’ll see, for example, Vily appearing on the Imperium ballot because we can “work with him” this year.

Small Gang / Low sec / Faction Warfare

There are 7 candidates in what I grouped up the combat oriented, mostly low sec focused tribe.  That includes one incumbent.

• Lucrative Business Opportunity – The Curatores Veritatis Auxiliary
• Phantomite – No Handlebars
• Rheaha Preynar – Free Range Chickuns
• Rixx Javix – A Band Apart
• Rich Richman – Plucky Adventurers
• Stitch Kaneland – The Tuskers Co.
• Styxx – D.A.R.K.

Lore  /  Triglavian

This is kind of an odd group which I imagine, in another year, might look like low sec players.  But then the Pochven region got carved out of New Eden by the Triglavians.  This group has an affinity for that and the lore around it.

• Arsia Elkin – Electus Matari Pochven
• Dutchgunner – Arataka Research Consortium
• Kay-lynn Tsero – Tsundere Triad
• Maldavius – Stribog Clade
• Uriel Paradisi Anteovnuecci – Arataka Research Consortium
• Xeromus Plague – Interstellar Triglavian Collective

Wormholes

There are five candidates that appear to spend much or most of their time in wormhole space.

• Eluwein – Hole Control
• Evie Kouvo – Wingspan Delivery Network
• Mark Resurrectus – Turbofeed or Glory
• Teddy Gbyc – Outfoxed
• Winzentowitsch Madeveda – PARABELLUM

High Sec / Industry / Mining

There are three candidates that seem to fit into this category, including incumbent Mike Azariah.

• Knockerwrench Alduin – Black Wolves
• Mike Azariah – The Scope
• Shui Jing Jing – Caput Draconis

High Sec Ganking

And, finally, the record and statements of two candidates indicate that they just want to blow you up and CONCORD be damned.

• Gay Pride Booooom – Novus Ordo
• I Beast – Method Synergy

Early Projections

I am very bad at projecting winners in advance as my track record will attest, yet here I am again.   As in real life, I wouldn’t bet against most if not all of the incumbents who are running from being returned to the CSM.  They have proven they have an constituency.  I think Innominate, Kenneth Feld, Merkelchen, Gobbins, and Vily are all almost guaranteed to return to the council.

Brisc Rubal and Phantomite are also strong candidates, though they also have obstacles.  With World War Bee on and Brisc on the Meta Show every week, he might have polarized some of his past constituents against him.  He’ll need more Goon votes being passed down from Innominate and Merkelchen than he has in the past.

On the other hand, there being a war on means that the null sec groups have a lot more active and (somewhat) motivated players.  That could push their usual organizational advantage further than the last election.  Maybe they get 8 seats?  Maybe Brisc in the first round? (Assuming he gets third spot on the Imperium ballot.)

Meanwhile, Phantomite faces a possibly bigger name in Low Sec than his own when it comes to Rixx Javix, though Rixx comes with his own baggage.  And then there is Stitch Stitch Kaneland from Tuskers, who is not to be dismissed.  A split vote may keep them all from being winners in the early STV rounds, though if they can coordinate ballots, the bleed off from the others may elect one of them.  Like many things in New Eden, working with others often gets you further than trying to do it all yourself.

And then there are the wormholers.  Will they get their act together this year?  Maybe?

So let me get my early, and likely bad, prediction in now and say the results could look like this:

1. Vily
2. Innominate
3. Gobbins
4. Merkelchen
5. Kenneth Feld
6. Phantomite or Rixx Javix
7. *wildcard*
8. Mike Azariah
9. Whoever is second on the TEST/Legacy ballot
10. Brisc Rubal, ahead of 11th by less than 100 votes

Voting

Voting commences after downtime on June 1, 2021, and closes at downtime on June 8, 2021, giving people seven days to cast their ballots.

The results will be announced on June 12, 2021.  We will see if that gives the community team enough time to come up with another animated representation of the STV process in action.