The Election Commission Law

[Todd McCloud]

This is the current Election Commission Law, taken verbatim from law:

<strong class='bbc'>The Elections Commission Law</strong>

The South Pacific hereby establishes a Commission of Elections, consisting of a chairperson and two commissioners, which shall report directly to the Delegate of the Region.



<strong class='bbc'>Membership and Selection</strong>



Members of the Commission will be appointed by the Delegate, who shall consider all opinions voiced in a public hearing within the South Pacific. The Delegate shall announce her/his appointments to the Commission. All members of the South Pacific will be allowed to voice their opinions on these appointments within a one  week period. At the end of that week, the Delegate may retain or rescind said appointment based on the results of the hearing. If the appointment is rescinded, the Delegate will continue to propose candidates until a choice is approved.



Members of the Commission will have a six-month term, but may be reappointed, with approval subject to a further public hearing. However, to maintain continuity within the Commission, the first chairperson will serve for 6 months, one commissioner will have an initial four-month term and the second commissioner a two month term.



<strong class='bbc'>Restrictions on Members of the Commissioner of Elections</strong>



Serving members of the Commission of Elections may not run for any office. If any member of the Commission wishes to run for office, he/she must notify the Delegate and resign his/her position at least six weeks before the next election so that a suitable replacement may be found and installed.



Members of the Commission are bound by the Conflict of Interest guidelines.



<strong class='bbc'>Powers of the Commission</strong>



All decisions by the Commission will be made via majority rule.



The Commission will oversee all elections. After conferring with the Delegate, the Commission will establish election guidelines, prepare threads for the elections, determine candidate eligibility, and uphold all election laws of the SP.



The Commission will review all election results to ensure their legality. Any election violations will be handed over to the Delegate and Secretary of Justice for review and possibly prosecution.



The Commission will review all election law, especially the endorsement laws, the limitations on positions law, and the conflict of interest laws. All findings will be handed over to the Delegate and Secretary of Justice for review.



Prosecution of election law violations will be conducted by the Chairman of the Commission, with assistance from the Undersecretary of Justice.



In cases of election fraud and vote tampering, the Commission shall have the power to declare an election void, calling for a special election to fill the position in question. Special elections must be called within two calendar weeks after the election has been void. During this period, the undersecretary of the department in question shall assume all responsibilities of that cabinet position.



Decisions by the Commission may be appealed, within one calendar week. Appeals shall be heard by the Delegate. This appeal period shall be included in the two-week special election time frame.



The Chairperson of the Commission will receive administrator powers over election threads only.  The Secretary of Intelligence is responsible for providing the Commission with necessary information to facilitate the duties of the Commission.



The Commission will establish and publish a rolling six-month schedule for future elections, posting such dates for a six month time period.

Please state your opinion on this article, including any revisions you would like to see. You may also argue over the necessity of said article and any other directions this article should take.



Discussion for this article will end on <strong class='bbc'>Wednesday, November 17th (two weeks)</strong>, or on a later date if the Minister of Region determines the debate to require more time.