PART 3: Section 16. Ring of Witan

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16. Ring of Witan

16.1 The Witan is the executive committee of the Freehold, which necessarily includes the trustees, that is responsible to ensure the Freehold as a whole remains true to the Germanic gods and fulfills the purposes for which it was formed.

16.2 The Witan shall consist of a minimum of five trothed Freeholders, or a greater number set from time to time at thing or althing, including:

(a) the trustees of the society, as per Section 10,
(b) gild drightens³³ or their representatives, if any, as per Section 19,
(c) shire ealdormen representing regional Freehold shires, if any, as per Section 23,
(d) any notable elders or honoured folk the members may elect,
(e) and any temporary appointments made to ensure a minimum of five witan.

16.3 An act or proceeding of the Witan is not invalid merely because there are less than the prescribed number of witan in office.

16.4 The Witan may exercise all the powers and do all the acts that the society may exercise and do, except where required by federal or provincial law, Freehold law or thew to be exercised or done at a thing or althing, shire or gild moot, and subject nevertheless to:

(a) all federal or provincial laws affecting the society,
(b) Freehold law (these bylaws),
(c) Freehold thews (rules, policies or customs), not inconsistent with Freehold laws, that are made from time to time by voting members at a thing or althing, or if so directed by a simple majority of voting members, by the Freehold freyr or freya.

16.5 Any trothed Freeholder is eligible to run for election to the Witan.

16.6 In the case that the candidate is a gild drighten, or an aethling or ealdorman of a Freehold shire, he or she is elected to the Witan by the gild, as per Section 18, or by the shire, as per Section 22, for a term that the gild or shire may from time to time set for its leader at a gild or shire moot, at minimum one year, up to a maximum of three years.

16.7 There is no limit to the number of times a wita may be reelected, except if such restriction may be resolved by a gild regarding its representative on the Witan.

16.8 If a successor is not elected, the wita previously elected or appointed will continue to hold office.

16.9 Where the candidate is not a gild drighten or representative, separate elections must be held for each office to be filled unless at least a 75% majority of all voting members is in attendance at althing, in which case it may be by acclamation.

16.10 Newly elected witan shall swear the Freehold Witan's Oath, if they have not before, as per Appendix A, in all earnestness.

16.11 Former witan are not released from their Witan's Oath on retiring from office.

16.12 The first witan of the society, upon incorporation, will be validated in their positions upon the swearing and signing of the Witan's Oath. Subsequently, newly elected witan who have not filled an office in the previous term, are not validated in their positions until their oaths have been accepted as genuine by at least 75% of the existing witan, or by acclamation.

16.13 Before validating any newly elected wita, the Witan will exercise due diligence in regards to performing whatever background or reference checks may be deemed necessary.

16.14 Unless there is some compelling reason to do otherwise, the Witan should, as a matter of course, accept new witan who have been lawfully elected by a thing, althing, or gild or shire moot by voting members of the society.

16.15 The Witan will bear no bias, but make their best determination based on available facts, and will clearly state in any notice of denial the reasons cited as being grounds for the denial.

16.16 In the case that the existing witan do not accept a new election, the newly elected member, or his or her constituents, may request a maethel be declared to settle the question by all voting members at thing, or by proxy vote.