To: Members of the Youth Commission
From: Evan George, Youth Commission Chair
Title
Special Voting Procedures for the Rising Star Scholarship
Body
________________________________________________________________________________
Discussion
The Castle Rock Youth Commission will conduct the selection of the 2026 Rising Star Scholarship recipients during its regular meeting on April 13, 2026. To ensure a fair and structured evaluation process, the Commission will implement special voting procedures introduced by the Commission Chair.
Prior to the meeting, all nine voting members of the Youth Commission will receive anonymized applicant profiles. Candidate names will be removed and replaced with placeholders such as “Candidate 1,” “Candidate 2,” etc., consistent with the direction approved in Youth Commission Action Item YC 2025-08. This approach is intended to minimize bias and focus the review process on applicant qualifications.
Before the formal vote begins, commissioners will identify four candidates for preliminary nomination and discussion. The scholarship selection process will then proceed through a multi-round voting structure:
Round One: After discussion, each commissioner will vote for four candidates. The twelve candidates receiving the most votes will advance to the second round. If fewer than twelve candidates apply or receive votes, the process will automatically move to the second-round results threshold.
Round Two: Following an additional discussion period, commissioners will again vote for four candidates. The eight candidates receiving the most votes will advance to the third round. If fewer than eight candidates apply or receive votes, the process will advance directly to the third round.
Round Three: After final discussion, commissioners will vote for two candidates. The four candidates receiving the highest vote totals will be selected as Rising Star Scholarship recipients.
To ensure transparency and accuracy, voting tallies will be independently tracked by the Chair, the Secretary, and an additional volunteer commissioner.
Tie-breaking procedures will be used if candidates are tied at a cutoff point between advancing and not advancing to the next round. A tie-breaker vote will occur following a short discussion, with commissioners voting for one candidate. If a tie persists after three attempts, Honorary Member Jake Coover is authorized to cast the final tie-breaking vote.
Additionally, Youth Commissioners are not eligible to apply for the Rising Star Scholarship.
Separate administrative actions scheduled for consideration include:
Designating two commissioners to participate in Youth Commission recruitment interviews.
Considering a bylaw update that would make freshmen ineligible to apply for appointment to the Youth Commission beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.
Financial Information
The Rising Star Scholarship program is funded through the Youth Commission’s existing scholarship allocations with the expectation of awarding four, $1,000 scholarships to recipients. Implementation of the described voting procedures and administrative actions does not create additional financial impact beyond previously budgeted scholarship funds.
Recommendation
Staff recommends the Youth Commission Staff acknowledge the Youth Commission’s scholarship selection procedures and administrative actions. These measures are intended to promote fairness, transparency, and effective governance within the Youth Commission while maintaining the integrity of the Rising Star Scholarship selection process.
Proposed Motion
Recommended Action
"I move to proceed with the special voting procedures as introduced by Chair George.”
Recommended Action
Attachments
Attachment A Special Voting Procedures