Initiative types

Understand the basics

Initiative types are the main framework for initiatives, as they allow administrators to define the different forms initiatives can take, as well as the specific rules and number of signatures needed for each type of initiatives.

For example, your organization could allow participants to:

  • propose a new regulation

  • open a working group or a committee

  • modify an existing regulation

  • calls for an extraordinary general assembly

  • adding items to a city council agenda

In general, such mechanisms are specified in an internal regulation (like a municipal normative or state law), specifying the number of signatures required.

You need to create at least one initiative type and one initiative type scope to enable participants to publish initiatives. If you create several initiative types, then participants can choose which type their initiative belongs to.

Create an initiative type

To create an initiative type, click the "Manage" button in the top right of the page, then the "Initiative types" menu item.

Access Initiatives types panel

Then, click the "New initiative type" button. You are redirected to the initiative type creation form.

General information

Initiative type form general information
Table 1. Admin new initiative type form: General information
Field Type Description

Title

Required

Title of the initiative type.

Description

Required

Explanation of what can be done with this initiative type.

Banner image

Required

An image for this initiative type. NOTE: At the moment this is not used.

Options

Initiative type form options
Table 2. Admin new initiative type form: Options
Field Type Description

Signature type

Optional

Which kind of signature type is allowed. Options are: Online, In-person and Mixed. The Mixed option allows a participant to choose which signature type the initiative can collect.

Enable attachments

Optional

Wether it allows to upload attachments to initiatives of this type.

Enable participants to undo their online signatures

Optional

Can a participant undo its signature when they already signed?

Enable authors to choose the end of the signature collection period

Optional

Can the authors of an initiative change the end of the signature collection period when creating their initiative?

Enable authors to choose the area for their initiative

Optional

Allow authors and administrators to categorize initiatives thanks to organization Areas.

Enable child scope signatures

Optional

This configuration flag only support online votes. It enables sub-scopes and works with an authorization handler that associates a scope to the user. Make sure you select that authorization below in authorization settings. For it to work, scopes need to be configured in a hierarchical way : 1 Parent - N Child.

Only allow global scope initiatives creation

Optional

Tick this flag if you enabled "Child scope signature" and configured the global scope as your parent scope. By enabling this, scope selection is skipped in the initiative creation wizard.

Enable promoting committee

Optional

Whether this type only allow individual initiative or allow collective initiatives (multiple promoters, being multiple individuals or a user group).

Minimum of committee members

Optional

When "Enable promoting committee" option is checked, defines the minimum number of promoter’s committee member to send the initiative to technical validation.

Enable comments

Optional

Whether initiatives of this type can receive comments from participants.

Collect participant personal data on signature

Optional

Adds a step to the signature process. When a participant clicks on the signature button, they are redirected to a form asking for some personal data. This is then used with the PDF export action after the recollection period has ended.

Legal information about the collection of personal data

Required if previous flag is checked.

Privacy notice and terms of use for the participant personal data during the signature process.

Authorization settings

Initiative type form authorizations
Table 3. Admin new initiative type form: Authorization settings
Field Type Description

Authorization to verify document number on signatures

Optional

The type of authorization required to sign an initiative. Leave blank is no authorization is needed.

Click the create button at the bottom of the form to save your initiative type. Only after this, you are able to create the initiative type scope needed for creating the first initiatives.

Create an initiative type scope

An initiative type must have associated scopes to allow participants to create initiatives. Indeed, they allow to associate a scope with a number of signatures, and therefore to have multiple signatures threshold for a same initiative type.

On the initiative type form, scroll down to find a new section called "Scopes for the initiative type" and a button.

Initiative type form scopes

Click the "New initiative type scope" button to create one.

New initiative type form
Table 4. Admin new initiative type scope form
Field Type Description

Scopes

Required

Choose the scope related to this number if signatures. If you don’t have any rule, keep Global scope.

Signatures required

Required

Number of signatures the initiative need to have before the end collection date to be accepted.

You can add multiple initiative type scopes if you have specific number of signatures for specific scopes. For example, it can be a percentage of different territories inhabitants.

Initiative type form scopes with three scopes

Manage initiative types

Initiatives types list

Once you created one or multiple initiative types, you are able to manage them on the list in the administration panel, with:

  • Initiative types: title of the initiatives type.

  • Created at: date of creation of the initiative types.

Actions

Icon Name Definition

Configure initiatives type icon

Configure

To edit the configuration and initiate type scopes for this type.

Permissions icon

Permissions

To edit the permissions for this initiative type.

Delete initiatives type icon

Delete

To delete the initiate type. Can only be done when no initiative is linked to this type.

Permissions

You can configure permissions for an initiative type by clicking the image:icons/action_permissions.png icon.

Initiatives types permissions edition

On this page, you can ask for specific Authorizations in order for participants to be able to sign or create an initiative.