The current Council of Stellar Management has been working now as the elected body of representatives for the EVE Online player base for near enough nine months now and soon a new Council will need to be elected to take its place.The Council of Stellar Management or CSM is a player-elected council who represent the views of the members of the EVE Online community to CCP. To quote part of the CSM white paper summary:

The purpose of the CSM is to represent society interests to CCP. This requires active engagement with the player community to master EVE issue awareness, understanding, and evaluation in the context of the greatest good for the greater player base.

Upon being elected, the members of the CSM members will form a key part of the player feedback loop for CCP as they work on developing EVE Online. This includes access to an internal forum which only the CSM and CCP staff have access to, where discussions regarding various topics can reviewed and talked over at length. In addition to this the CSM representatives are offered the opportunity to fly to Iceland at least twice a year to participate in summits. Each summit the member of the CSM spend three days in meetings with CCP staff from a wide range of deparments regarding a wide range of various topics.

If you would like to read more about the CSM, please refer to the CSM white paper.
 

Election timeline

The timeline of the CSM 12 election process will be as follows:

February 3 – 17: Candidacy application period
Potential candidates submit applications indicating they wish to serve on the CSM. No applications are accepted before or after these dates.

February 17 – 28: Application processing period
This is where CCP reviews submitted applications and ensure they comply with all application requirements.

February 28: Candidates for CSM 12 are announced

March 6 – 26: CSM 12 Voting period
The polls are opened and the Capsuleers of New Eden vote for candidates to represent them on CSM 12.

April 6: CSM 12 election results are announced at EVE Fanfest during the EVE Keynote!

In order to run for CSM, applicants must meet the following requirements.

• To apply your account must be older than 60 days at the time that candidacy applications close (that is, created no later than 2016-12-26)
• Both Alpha and Omega accounts are eligible to run
• You must have a history of honouring the EULA and the Terms of Service. We will screen every applicant thoroughly and EULA/TOS violations on your record can result in a rejected application.
• Your account must have updated and correct information at the time of your application. This includes; your real life name, correct date of birth and the same email you use to submit your application. To view and edit this information go to the account management system.
• Candidates must be a minimum of 18 years of age. If the legal adult age in your home country (the age at which you have the legal capacity to enter into a contract) is higher than 18, that number applies instead.
• As an applicant, you must consent to providing your personal details to CCP, including your real name and a copy of your passport or internationally accepted identification. A CSM candidate can share any real-life information about themselves with the player base at their own discretion but it is not required at any stage in their application or CSM term other than sharing their country of residence on their candidate information page. Further personal information is only visible to CCP staff and will not be revealed by CCP.
• To apply you must own a valid passport or verifiably be in the process of successfully applying for one at the time of your application. CSM members are expected to have the option of travelling to summits in Iceland. A passport is still required by applicants living in the EEA, as airlines may demand possession of a passport as a condition of carriage.
• If you control a character that is well known in the EVE community, CCP may require you to run under that identity and not one of an alt or a lesser known character.

You can apply to run for the CSM by completing the following:

• To apply, fill in the application form made available from 12:00 UTC on February 3
• Applications cannot be edited after you submit them so make sure your information is correct.
• The applicant must provide a copy of a valid, internationally recognised identity document to CCP (passport preferred, driver’s license generally accepted). This is required to confirm the identity of the candidate and to prove the ability to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. A copy must be of a high quality and should be sent to [email protected] immediately after the application has been submitted through our website. Include your running Character’s name in the subject line. CCP will reply once they have received your documents to confirm delivery.
• If you fail to submit a copy of your ID, your application will be rejected.
• Once your application has been submitted, you are encouraged to create a campaign thread in this forum section.

Already there have been a number of people who have submitted applications via the CSM campaign section of the EVE Online Forum and you are highly recommended to check them out. Once the applicants have applied and their applications have been vetted we here at EVE_NT will be submitting questionnaires to all CSM for them to complete and to be published here on the EVE_NT Website on or around the 28th of February.