Election Law

[Rebel-topia]

Id like to update the election law process. Using Hiles post here, and the discussions past, I'd like to propose the following amendment to the Code of Laws regarding elections.

 

Article 1: Elections

1. Elections for all Cabinet positions and Chief Justice
   shall commence on the first
   fifteenth
   of every April, August, and December
   March, July, and November
   .
   
2. Elections for High Court Justices shall commence on the fifteenth of every May, September, and January.
   
3. Cabinet terms shall start on the 1st of April, August, and December.
   Hig
   <span style="color:rgb(0,0,205);">h Court Justice terms shall Start on the first of every June, October, and February.</span>
   
4. All normal and special elections will be comprised of a nomination period lasting five days and a voting period lasting three days.
   
5. Runoff elections will begin within twenty-four hours of the initial vote closing and consist of a voting period lasting three days.
   
6. Candidates for elections may self-declare or be nominated by another Citizen. Candidates must file a Conflict of Interest Disclosure at the time of their acceptance of a nomination or self-declaration.
   
7. Conflict of Interest Disclosures must include current World Assembly Nation, all past and present aliases used, all past and present involvement in other regions and organizations, and all current positions held across NationStates.
   
8. The Delegate and Vice Delegate will run on a joint ticket and be elected by a majority vote. If no ticket receives a majority vote a runoff election with the two tickets receiving the most votes will occur.
   
9. All other elected offices will be voted on separately and be elected by a plurality vote.
   
10. In all elections an option to re-open nominations will be included. If this option receives the most votes the nomination period for that office will be restarted.
    
11. In the event that no candidate runs for an available office, the newly elected Cabinet will appoint a Citizen to fill the vacancy.
    
12. Vacancies in office occur when the office holder resigns, is recalled, or no longer holds citizenship. In the event of a vacancy in office a special election will begin within 72 hours of the office becoming vacant, unless the vacancy occurs in the
    after the 15th of
    month prior to the start of an
    the
    election cycle; in this case the Cabinet will appoint a Citizen to fill the vacated position for the remainder of the term.
    
13. Elections will be run by a member of the forum administration staff or their designee. A designated Election Commissioner may be appointed if all members of the administration staff will be candidates in the given election, or no administers come forward to run the elections
    .
    

 

This proposed amendment wouldnt take affect until the Court Justices elections in May...

 

This amendment allows for at least a week for the in-coming cabinet to transition into their new rolls, and not be left hanging by the out-going minister. This also allows time for a delegate runoff, and a RON majority vote.

[Penguin]

Reads alright Rebel. To me anyway.

[Belschaft]

So, as I understand it, this would not come into effect until after the next set of elections?

[Farengeto]

What would happen with Chief Justice elections? Would I be serving a 6 month term? Or will we elect a CJ that will serve a 2 month term?

[Arbiter08]

Also, what about the vice-delegate position. What happens if someone resigns from being vice-delegate? Do we host special elections?

[Hileville]

Also, what about the vice-delegate position. What happens if someone resigns from being vice-delegate? Do we host special elections?

No.  The next in the order of succession becomes Vice Delegate.  This is covered in Article 3 of the CoL.

 

What would happen with Chief Justice elections? Would I be serving a 6 month term? Or will we elect a CJ that will serve a 2 month term?

It would probably be a good idea to run an election when the new Court changes pass.

 

This looks good to me and I support such a change.

[Cormac]

This will have the effect of giving the next Cabinet only a three month term, correct? Is there any way to avoid that?

 

If we're going to go with new judicial elections when the Court changes pass, the law needs to say that somewhere because as currently written that would not be legal under this law. Unless I'm missing something.

 

Otherwise this looks good to me.

[Rebel-topia]

So, as I understand it, this would not come into effect until after the next set of elections?

Correct.

[Rebel-topia]

This will have the effect of giving the next Cabinet only a three month term, correct? Is there any way to avoid that?

No. The cabinet terms are still 4 months. But they actually start on the 1st. Think of it as elections in the US. the president is elected in November, but doesn't take office until mid-January. That's what this revision adds. It gives a specific term start and finish date, with elections taking place two weeks before the term starts.

[Farengeto]

Why are justice elections a month early?

[Rebel-topia]

They arent. They are half way between Cabinet elections, which has been proposed in another thread.

[Escade]

When does the nomination\campaign period begin for regular elections. Like for the April 1st elections when can candidates begin to run or announce their intentions?

 

It would be best to stagger the elections so the Supreme Court elections happened at least a month or so before the general elections. Otherwise I like this idea.

[Belschaft]

The court elections are already staggered, being two months before/after general elections.

[Rebel-topia]

When does the nomination\campaign period begin for regular elections. Like for the April 1st elections when can candidates begin to run or announce their intentions?

Elections would start on the 15th. And, instead of the new cabinet taking office directly after elections end, they wait until the 1st of the next month (about 1 week).

 

It would be best to stagger the elections so the Supreme Court elections happened at least a month or so before the general elections. Otherwise I like this idea.

With this proposal (and the one Hile made in another thread), Justices will be elected 2 months between current elections.

[Farengeto]

What I had meant by a momth early is that cabinet elections start on the 15th of a month then terms start on the 1st of the next month. But Justice elections start on the first of month before the term starts. Why are they different?

[Rebel-topia]

What I had meant by a momth early is that cabinet elections start on the 15th of a month then terms start on the 1st of the next month. But Justice elections start on the first of month before the term starts. Why are they different?

 

I didnt catch that. I had just copied Hiles text from the other thread, and added it. Fixed to the 15th.