The Winnipeg in 2023 Worldcon bid filing has been accepted by DisCon III, and will appear on the published ballot even though the original deadline has passed.
The DisCon III committee explained the decision:
As previously announced, the filing deadline for bidding for the 2023 Worldcon was February 26, 2021. We have examined Winnipeg’s filing documents and found them to be complete. Using our discretion as the administering convention, we have decided to include Winnipeg on the Site Selection ballot and to include them in any ongoing discussions with the other bidders.
The original deadline was based on DisCon III’s planned August dates and the WSFS Constition’s requirement that a bid must be filed 180 days prior to the opening of the con that administers Site Selection. When, earlier this month, DisCon III moved its dates to December, Kevin Standlee argued that the deadline to get on the ballot should be changed, too.
As for the voting fee that will be charged for 2023 site selection memberships, the Winnipeg bid has accepted the voting fee previously agreed between the two other bids that filed by the deadline – Chengdu, China, and Memphis, USA.
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I am glad it will be on the ballot–that mini crisis is adverted, anyway.
Click
Another click.
I still contend that DisCon III should not have had to exercise its “discretion” in this case, and that any bid otherwise properly filed by June 18, 2021 (180 days before December 17, 2021, the revised official opening of DC3) should be on the ballot. WSFS rules say that 180 days is enough time to finalize the ballot and conduct an election, and in my opinion, section 4.6.3 does not give much leeway to the administering Worldcon.
I might consider one case where a change in dates might lead a Worldcon to bend this rule. If a Worldcon moves earlier than its originally announced dates (as CoNZealand did, back in pre-pandemic times), and if they do so relatively close to the site selection filing deadline, I could see a Worldcon deciding that in the interest in fairness to everyone, not just those bids already filed, bids received by the originally-announced date would be accepted. However, I would not object to a Worldcon standing by the letter of the rule, particularly if the change of date would otherwise significantly shorten the time allowed for conducting the election, rather than just by a single week.
I’ve heard people say, in effect, “But we’ve known about all of the bids for a long time, so it’s not right for anyone else to show up late like this.” Now that’s a reasonable argument, but it’s not the one that informs the current WSFS rules, which were changed in 1991-92 (and first applied in 1993) as a reaction to the deadline being the end of the previous Worldcon. If anyone wants to propose changes to the filing deadline, let me know and I’ll help you compose it. Potential changes I can think of that might give people the certainty that some may want would be to move the deadline back to the end of the previous Worldcon, or alternatively to the end of the calendar year preceding the administering Worldcon. Both changes would not tie the filing deadline to the specific starting date of the administering Worldcon, although one of them would vary based on the dates of the previous Worldcon, of course. Both changes would also effectively lengthen the spread of time between the filing date and the close of the election from what it is today.
Even though I agree with you, sometimes you just have to accept victory. In litigation, parties that settle rarely agree about the reasons.
Clickity
Mike: Oh, certainly I understand that. I’m only speaking of my personal opinion, not in any official capacity.
“Even though I agree with you, sometimes you just have to accept victory.”. — Mike Glyer
This is definitely one for the quotebook.
DisCon III:
Using our discretion as the administering conventionIn order to fulfil our obligation to comply with the WSFS Constitution but we’re not admitting we were originally wrong to declare the bid timeline closed, we have decided to include Winnipeg on the Site Selection ballot and to include them in any ongoing discussions with the other bidders. 🙄Somebody needs to send DisCon III a copy of the First Law Of Holes.
JJ says Somebody needs to send DisCon III a copy of the First Law Of Holes.
I’d say that it’s far, far too late for that to help them understand that the hole is so deep that they can’t even see the stars above.
Agreed and Agreed @cat @jj
Jablokov seriously needs to consider ebooking his catalogue. Terrific writer.
seefoursee