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First of all: As long as there is no consensus to rename, you should leave the name be. Consensus does not mean a simple majority. While there's no hard-and-fast rule for what constitutes consensus, for renames we generally look for at least a 2:1 ratio in favor -- that is, twice as many people think it should be changed as think it shouldn't. However, an alternative titles crowner does not need any particular ratio: the most popular title with more supports than opposes wins.
==== Discussions and Crowners ====
After you post your proposal, there will likely be an influx of arguments for it and arguments against it. In the ''very rare'' cases where there is no dissent at all, people may appeal for a "process override" of sorts where we just go for it and implement the change, and a moderator may approve it; but most of the time, the proposal has its supporters and detractors, and we take a vote to see where consensus stands, if anywhere.
Starting a vote early in the thread is '''not advisable'''. Good arguments are likely to come to light later that would have influenced voting. It's best to wait until both sides of the argument have had time to formulate their points before opening the vote. Anyone can start a vote, which we call a "crowner" for historical reasons (read: To confuse you).
The first vote will be about whether to rename at all, and to start it off you'll want to create something called a ''single proposition crowner''. A single Proposition crowner is just that: one single question that can be responded to with a Yes (Up)/No(Down) vote. <!-- Such a crowner can be created [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner_create_subject.php?desc=SingleProposition&subject=InsertSubjectHere here] (change "InsertSubjectHere" in the URL to the title you want for the vote). COMMENTED OUT because it's a link to TVTropes, not ATT. --> It's recommended to add a summarized list of pros and cons for the proposal. Do your best to represent the arguments for both sides as honestly as possible while sticking to the facts.
After you create the crowner, post the link at the proposal thread and press the yellow triangle thingie in the ribbon above your post. That's the holler button- it calls for a moderator; you want to ask them to attach the crowner to the bottom of the thread so people can vote on it comfortably instead of having to go through the link.
People can later edit the arguments in the crowner to improve and refine them, or add new ones, but outright ''messing'' with them is not fair play. Basically, if you support a proposal you ought to stay away from negatively rephrasing or removing arguments in the "Con" section, and vice versa.
==== Resolutions ====
Crowners should run until they stabilize. There is no set minimum number of days that a crowner must be open or maximum number of days that it can be open, though we usually give crowners at least three days to run out of courtesy. Once the voting has stabilized (this may mean that no new votes are coming in, or that one option has an insurmountable lead), give it another couple of days to be sure. Last minute objections may come in.
Eventually, the proposition will either go through or be rejected, depending on whether there is consensus supporting it. Note that a majority is not always a consensus. It's not simply "how many" votes; it's "what proportion" of the votes cast that matters. 5 votes out of 6 indicates a consensus. 49 votes out of 95 does not, even though it's a majority. In general, we regard a two-thirds majority as the threshold for a majority to be called a consensus, but this number is not set in stone. In particularly heated discussions where the back-and-forth continues even after the crowner has stabilized - regarding how to interpret the results, what to do with them, and so on- a moderator will have to step in and make the call.
=== We've decided to rename a trope. Now what? ===
Well, obviously, you're going to have to decide what you want to rename it ''to''. At this point people will start coming up with suggestions, and will point out strengths and weaknesses in the suggestions already made. After the surge of suggestions dies down, it's time to start an Alternative Titles Crowner - in other words, a vote on what the new name should be. <!-- [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner_create_subject.php?desc=AlternativeTitles&subject=InsertSubjectHere The template is here], and it works much in the same way as a single proposition crowner. COMMENTED OUT because it's a TVT link, not an ATT link. -->
Once the alternative titles crowner has stabilized, again, either discussion will die down with everyone accepting the winner, or a moderator will have to step in and sort things out. Either way, a new title will be chosen, which means the page will have to be moved and everything having to do with the trope will have to be updated accordingly. See [[How to Move A Page]] for instructions on how to go about that.
=== Oh, and one more thing... ===
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