Rotation Logic

This page defines key terms used across the Framework, Structural Analysis (Module I), and Normative Analysis (Module II) pages of this site. Definitions are descriptive rather than rhetorical and are provided to support precision and internal consistency in analysis.

Terms Used in the Framework

Analytical Framework

The methodological system used on this site to evaluate eligibility rules and rotation systems as institutional design structures rather than as political proposals

Bounded Eligibility Regime

An eligibility system in which service accumulates toward a finite ceiling rather than permitting indefinite cycling, reset, or exemption

Election-Based Rotation

An eligibility architecture in which service is limited by the number of elections a person may win, rather than by years served, consecutive terms, or informal norms of voluntary rotation

Elections-Based Framework

An analytic convention in which elections, rather than years or consecutive service, are treated as the unit of democratic authorization and limitation unless the governing text clearly provides otherwise

Eligibility Rule

A formal rule determining whether a person may appear on the ballot for, be elected to, or hold an office

Eligibility System

The overall set of eligibility rules governing access to a particular office

Institutional Design Structure

The architecture of formal rules governing eligibility and officeholding, analyzed for coherence, effects, and administrability rather than intent

Rotation

The turnover of officeholders over time, whether produced by formal eligibility rules, institutional structures, electoral outcomes, or voluntary exit

Rotation System

The institutional architecture formed by eligibility rules, limits, and transitions that together shape long-term patterns of officeholding

Simulated Limit

A design that adopts the appearance or language of limitation while preserving continuity through resets, exemptions, or laundering mechanisms

Term-Limit Design

The formal structure governing eligibility for office, including unit of measure, aggregation logic, transition rules, and administrative characteristics

Unit of Measure

The metric used to define eligibility limits (e.g., elections, terms, years, service)

Terms Used in Structural Analysis (Module I)

Administrability

The capacity of a rule to be applied mechanically and uniformly in real institutional settings without reliance on discretionary judgment

Administrable / Non-Administrable

Whether a rule can (or cannot) be applied uniformly in practice without interpretive discretion

Administrative Coherence

A condition in which rules can be applied consistently without complex interpretation, unstable edge cases, or predictable gaming

Aggregation

The principle that all qualifying service accumulates toward a single bounded eligibility ceiling

Ambiguity

A drafting condition in which operative language permits multiple reasonable interpretations that risk inconsistent application, discretionary judgment, or predictable gaming

Cohort

A group defined by timing (e.g., incumbents at enactment) whose treatment under a rule may differ structurally from others

Cohort Carve-Out

A rule that treats a defined timing-based group differently from others, typically by exempting incumbents or legacy cohorts

Comparative Mode

An optional evaluation format allowing side-by-side application of the framework while preserving independent classification of each proposal

Equal Application

A property of a rule that applies uniformly across persons and cohorts rather than creating structurally privileged classes

Equal Duration

A condition in which eligibility limits impose comparable lifetime exposure to officeholding rather than permitting structurally unequal accumulation

Finite Transition

A temporary rule applied at adoption that expires once implementation is complete, after which the system applies uniformly

Observed Structural Effect

The predictable real-world behavior produced by a design’s structure over time

Protected Class (Structural)

A cohort that receives structurally privileged eligibility treatment under the text of a rule

Reset

A structural feature that restores eligibility after a period of non-service, permitting repeated return to office

Self-Execution

A property of a design in which the rule operates through eligibility itself rather than requiring discretionary enforcement

Structural Analysis

The analytic module evaluating whether a rule system functions coherently as an eligibility regime, without assessing desirability

Structural Coherence

The internal consistency of a design’s logic across eligibility rules, aggregation, transitions, and administration

Structural Validity

The condition in which a design constitutes a bounded eligibility regime capable of uniform, coherent, and mechanical application

Textual Feature

An operative element of a rule’s language relevant to structural evaluation

Structural Failure Mode Terms (Module I)

These terms describe recurring structural patterns that prevent an eligibility regime from functioning as a coherent, bounded, administrable rule.

Administrative Coherence Failure

Rules cannot be applied mechanically and uniformly in real institutional settings

Aggregation Failure

Service does not accumulate toward a finite eligibility ceiling, commonly through resets or parallel clocks

Appointment ≠ Election Laundering

Excluding appointed or acting service from counting in ways that invite gaming or unequal treatment

Cooling-Off Laundering

Consecutive-only limits without a lifetime or aggregate ceiling, permitting repeated cycling into office

Dual-Use Laundering

A contradictory design in which prior service simultaneously functions as a basis for exemption and as a mechanism for restricting newcomers

Equal Application Failure

Service is not counted uniformly across persons or cohorts, producing structurally unequal classes

Grandfathering Exemption

Explicit exemption for incumbents or defined cohorts, creating a protected class by text

Measurement Failure

The unit being limited (elections, terms, years) is unclear, inconsistent, or internally contradictory

New-Clock Collapse

Prior service is excluded for all persons (e.g., “service prior to enactment shall not be counted”), creating facial equality but a structural incumbent windfall

Prospective Laundering

Prospective language that nonetheless produces unequal application across persons or cohorts

Structural Defect

A feature that undermines equal application, aggregation, coherence, or administrability, and therefore prevents classification as structurally valid

Structural Failure Mode

A recurring structural pattern that prevents an eligibility regime from functioning as a coherent, bounded, administrable rule

Transition Integrity Failure

Transitional provisions function as deferral, erasure, or exemption rather than convergence toward a single coherent rule

Unit-of-Measure Collapse

Mixing or failing to define elections, terms, or years in ways that undermine coherent counting

Terms Used in Normative Analysis (Module II)

Accumulation of Power

The durable concentration of institutional influence produced by extended tenure

Careerism

The condition in which officeholding becomes a durable professional pathway rather than temporary civic service

Civic Intelligibility

The degree to which a system’s operation remains understandable and legible to ordinary citizens over time

Confidence ≠ Rotation Risk

The risk that popular approval is treated as a substitute for structural turnover rather than as compatible with it

Design Tradeoff

A structurally coherent design choice that weakens rotation strength, simplicity, or elite disruption without creating a structural defect

Elite Continuity

The persistence of the same governing elite across electoral cycles despite nominal electoral competition

Elite Disruption

The degree to which a design materially reduces the likelihood that the same political elite will dominate governing institutions over time

Entrenchment Risk

The likelihood that a design permits tenures long enough to enable durable accumulation of institutional power

Normative Adequacy

The condition in which a structurally coherent design advances a substantive theory of republican rotation

Normative Analysis

The evaluative module examining whether a structurally coherent design advances a substantive theory of republican rotation under the Washington–Madison Doctrine

Office ≠ Leadership Risk

The risk that durable political influence persists outside formal office limits, undermining practical rotation

Republican Rotation

The normative theory that elective office is a temporary public trust and that durable accumulation of political power poses structural risk to republican self-government

Rotation Cadence

The observable rhythm of turnover produced by a design over time

Service ≠ Seniority Risk

The risk that accumulated experience or seniority is used to justify extended tenure contrary to rotation principles

Temporary Public Trust

The principle that elective office should be held for limited periods rather than treated as a durable professional station

Washington–Madison Doctrine

As used here, the normative framework holding that elective office is a temporary public trust, that durable accumulation of political power poses structural risk to republican self-government, and that governance should remain intelligible to ordinary citizens rather than dominated by permanent elites

This glossary reflects the vocabulary used across the Framework and analytical modules and may be updated as terminology evolves.

Last updated: January 2026