The "snowball act" works when users uses their common sense to stop things which don't have a snowball's chance in hell in passing. The snowball act says:
- If an issue doesn't even have a snowball's chance in hell of passing, then there is no need to run it.
The snowball clause is not a rule, but it is designed to prevent editors from using Wikiquote policies and guidelines as a filibuster.
What the snowball clause is not
Do not simply think that an issue will not pass just because things don't look good. It is best to settle the problem through discussion and debate, and use SNOW as a last resort.
The snowball test
- If something is run through some process and the final result is unanimous, then it might have been a good problem for the snowball act.
- If something is 'snowballed', and somebody later goes against the result with a good reason, then it might not have been a good problem for the snowball act. If it raises a reasonable objection, then it probably was not a good candidate for the snowball clause. However, if the objection raised is unreasonable, then the debate needs to be restarted, and editors should be careful to avoid stopping Wikiquote to make a point.