Parliamentary Bicameralism (Discussion Open)

[Devilman88]

In "Powers Denied to the Regions" I hope we could alter the existing article a bit to include more clarification towards regions creating their own currencies, considering the recent court battle fought over the topic.

Also, has anyone seen my brief mention of a "Department of Statistics" idea on the other board? I know it's a bit of an out-there idea, but it would be interesting to have a bit more structure towards individual fantasyland rules and could create occasional fictional issues or crises that the government would have to develop solutions for.

I added something about the currencies.

[Devilman88]

That is great, but are we going to have a VP under this plan?

[Devilman88]

That is great, but are we going to have a VP under this plan?

I imagine so. It seems weird to have a President without a VP. It also extends a sort of check by the President. We could also leave the VP-Senate relationship to the PM, but I would like someone independent of the Senate to have this power. The PM will have his own stuff.

Oh ok, I really don't know how Parliamentary work and what they have, but I guess we can make it how we want.

[Devilman88]

That is great, but are we going to have a VP under this plan?

I imagine so. It seems weird to have a President without a VP. It also extends a sort of check by the President. We could also leave the VP-Senate relationship to the PM, but I would like someone independent of the Senate to have this power. The PM will have his own stuff.

What would be the use of a President, a Vice President, and Prime Minister? The PM is the head of government, the President will probably end up ceremonial, but the VP? Is it really wise to have that many roles in government?

I'll oppose any plan for this setup VP. If you want a VP, vote for presidential parliamentarian.

So what is your proposal for President of the Senate? Should we use the Dean, which would be an already elected member?

Why not the President or PM?

[Devilman88]

Article 2: The Government

Section 1.
1. The head of government of the Republic of Atlasia shall be a Prime Minister.
2. The Government shall consist of the Prime Minister and Ministers.

Section 2: Election of the Prime Minister
1. The Prime Minister shall be elected by the membership of the (Lower House/Upper House/joint sitting of Congress) after every election to the legislature or after a government has fallen.
2. No Person shall be eligible to become a candidate for the office of Prime Minister who has not attained two hundred (or 150) or more posts, is not a member of Congress, and is not a registered voter in the Region that they represent.
3. In order to be a candidate, a person must be endorsed by 3 other (MPs only/Senators only/both).
4. The body electing the Prime Minister casts their votes in a public thread.
5. If a candidate has received half plus one of the votes cast, he/she is deemed elected.
6. If no candidate has received half plus one of the votes cast in the first round of voting, the lowest-placed candidate for Prime Minister is eliminated before a second round of voting is held.
7. The conditions in Clause 5 continue until a candidate has received half plus one of the votes cast, at which time he/she is deemed elected.
8. Upon the election of a Prime Minister, the Prime Minister-elect, in a speech to the (Lower House/Upper House/joint sitting of Congress) presents his government's agenda for the parliamentary term.
9. Upon conclusion of this speech, the members of the (Lower House/Upper House/joint sitting of Congress) vote in a confidence vote to the Prime Minister and his agenda, which requires half plus one of all votes cast to pass.

Section 3: The Cabinet
1. Upon a favourable response from the (Lower House/Upper House/joint sitting of Congress) in the confidence vote outlined in Section 1, Clause 8, the Prime Minister names his cabinet [opt: from the ranks of his coalition].
2. No Person shall be eligible to become a cabinet official who has not attained two hundred or more posts, and is not a registered voter in the Region that they represent.
3. A Member of Government shall hold no other paid position in a profession, business or on the executive board of a corporation.
4. The cabinet posts will be determined in an organic law following the adoption of this Constitution.
5. The Government is responsible to Congress. Any cabinet member may ask to address the legislature at any time.
6. The Prime Minister may dismiss any Minister at his discretion.
7. A Member of Government may not engage in any activity the nature whereof contradicts the performance of his office.

Section 4: Motion of No-Confidence
1. A Member of Congress may move a motion of no-confidence in the sitting government.
[optional: 2. No Motions of No-Confidence shall be moved during any Federal Election or one week before the end of the Congress' term.]
2. The Member of Congress or Caucus moving the said motion shall have the right to explain his decision before members of the (LH/UH/Both).
3. The Prime Minister or a Person delegated by the Prime Minister shall have the right to oppose the said motion in a speech before members of the (LH/UH/Both).
4. When the conditions set out in Clauses 2 and 3 have been met, the members of the (LH/UH/Both) shall vote for, against, or abstain the Motion of No-Confidence.
5. A Motion of No-Confidence requires the approval of half plus one of all attending voting members.
6. If the (LH/UH/Both) vote a Motion of No-Confidence in the Government, the Government and the Prime Minister shall resign within twenty-four hours.
7. Upon resignation of the Prime Minister, the (LH/UH/Both) shall elect a Prime Minister from the conditions set out in Article

Article 3: The President

Section 1:
1. The head of state of the Republic of Atlasia shall be a President.

Section 2: Election of the President
1. The President shall be elected by the citizens of the Republic of Atlasia in direct elections by secret ballot for a four-month term. The right to elect the President have the citizens who are eligible to vote in election to the Congress.
2. No person shall be President who has not attained 250 or more posts, and is not a registered voter.

Section 3: Powers of the President (largely stolen from the Slovak Constitution)
1. The President shall represent Atlasia in international relations, negotiate and ratify international agreements; he can delegate the power to the Government or, with the consent of the Government, to individual members of the Government to negotiate those international agreements.
2. The President shall sign and veto laws. His veto may be overturned as described in Article 1, Section 3, Clause 2.
3. The President shall appoint justices to the Supreme Court, with the approve of the (LH/UH/both).
4. The President shall award decorations and honors, unless another authority has been delegated by him to do so.
5. The President shall grant pardons and amnesty, mitigate sentences imposed by criminal courts.
6. The President shall be the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.
7. The President shall declare a state of emergency by means of a constitutional statute;
8. The President shall announce referendums and Constitutional Conventions.


I don't have the sophisticated constitutional lingo, so feel free to add that in as long as you don't stray from my original intent.

The only thing I don't like is the secret ballot. I think it would take away the fun in elections.

[Devilman88]

Purple State, can we go ahead and put the first three Articles together and have a vote on them to get things moving alone.

[Devilman88]

Article 1: The Congress of Atlasia

Section 1: Formation of the Senate
1. The Senate shall be composed of five Senators, each with a term of six months. All Senators shall be elected from the Regions. ( If we have three regions then one from each region and two at-large)
2. No Person shall be eligible to run for Senate who has not attained two hundred or more posts, and is not a registered voter in the Region that they represent. A Senator may not hold any other public office in Atlasia for the duration of their term.
3. The Senate shall choose their other officers, and also a President pro tempore, who shall act as President of the Senate in the absence of the President and who shall manage the everyday business of the Senate.
4. The President of the Republic of Atlasia shall be the President of the Senate, but shall have no vote unless they be equally divided.

Section 2: Formation of the House
1. The House of Representatives, herein referred to as House, shall be made up of fifteen Represtatives, each with a term of two months. All Representatives shall be elected from the Regions. (If we have three regions then three from each region and six at-large)
2. No Person shall be eligible to run for the House who has not attained one hundred or more posts, and is not a registered voter in the Region that they represent. A Representative may not hold any other federal or executive office in Atlasia for the duration of their term.
3. The House shall elect a Speaker of the House who shall be responsible for chairing debate that occurs within the House and for managing every day business.

Section 3: Congressional Rules and Legislation
1. The separate chambers of Congress may establish their own rules of procedure, and with the concurrence of two-thirds of its number, respectively, may expel a member of the same chamber.
2. Each chamber shall have fulfilled a quorum if a majority of its members are capable of discharging their offices and sworn into office. A quorum in each chamber shall have voted on any Resolution, Bill, Impeachment or Constitutional Amendment for it to be considered valid.
3. For any Bill or Resolution to pass the Congress, it shall have gained a majority in a valid vote in each respective chamber. Before the Bill or Resolution becomes Law, it shall be presented to the PPT, Speaker, and sponsors of the Bill or Resolution from each chamber for conference, unless it be concerning the rules for the proceedings of a chamber. Upon resolution of any differences between the separate versions of legislation, the Bill or Resolution shall be returned to both chambers for approval. If passed by both chambers separately, the revised Bill or Resolution shall then be presented to the President of the Republic of Atlasia. If the President approves, he shall sign it, and it shall become Law. If the President does not approve, he shall return the Bill with his objections to the Congress, and it shall not become Law. Upon reconsidering the Bill, if each chamber shall approve the legislation by two-thirds of its number, it shall become Law. If a Bill is not returned to the Congress by the President within seven days after it shall have been presented to him, it shall become Law regardless.

Section 4: Elections to Congress
1. Elections for the Senate shall be held in the months of January and July; Elections for the House shall be held on every odd numbered month of the year.
2. Elections shall be held from midnight Eastern Standard Time on the third Friday of a given month and shall conclude exactly 72 hours later.
3. If a vacancy shall occur in the House, then the Governor of that Representative's Region shall appoint a person to fill the remainder of that term.
4. If a vacancy shall occur in the Senate, then a special election shall be called to fill the remainder of the vacated term within one week of the vacancy occurring; Such special election shall be held from midnight Eastern Standard Time on a Friday and shall conclude exactly 72 hours later. However, if a vacancy shall occur when there is a person due to assume that office within two weeks, then no special election shall be necessary.
5. The Senate shall have necessary power to determine regulations for the procedure of and the form of Congressional elections and shall have necessary power to determine a procedure for declaration of candidacy for such elections. All elections to Congress shall be by public post.
6. Those elected in ordinary elections to Congress shall take office at noon Eastern Standard Time on the Friday following their election. Those elected in special elections to the Senate or appointed to the House shall take office as soon as the result of their election or appointment has been formally declared.

Section 5: Powers of the Congress (with some small edits later)
[insert the current Article 1, Section 5 here]

Section 6: Powers denied to the Congress (with some small edits later)
[insert the current Article 1, Section 6 here]

Section 7: Powers denied to the Regions (with some small edits later)
[insert the current Article 1, Section 7 here]

[Devilman88]

Article 2: The Government

Section 1.
1. The head of government of the Republic of Atlasia shall be a Prime Minister.
2. The Government shall consist of the Prime Minister and Ministers.

Section 2: Election of the Prime Minister
1. The Prime Minister shall be elected by the membership of the (Lower House/Upper House/joint sitting of Congress) after every election to the legislature or after a government has fallen.
2. No Person shall be eligible to become a candidate for the office of Prime Minister who has not attained two hundred (or 150) or more posts, is not a member of Congress, and is not a registered voter in the Region that they represent.
3. In order to be a candidate, a person must be endorsed by 3 other (MPs only/Senators only/both).
4. The body electing the Prime Minister casts their votes in a public thread.
5. If a candidate has received half plus one of the votes cast, he/she is deemed elected.
6. If no candidate has received half plus one of the votes cast in the first round of voting, the lowest-placed candidate for Prime Minister is eliminated before a second round of voting is held.
7. The conditions in Clause 5 continue until a candidate has received half plus one of the votes cast, at which time he/she is deemed elected.
8. Upon the election of a Prime Minister, the Prime Minister-elect, in a speech to the (Lower House/Upper House/joint sitting of Congress) presents his government's agenda for the parliamentary term.
9. Upon conclusion of this speech, the members of the (Lower House/Upper House/joint sitting of Congress) vote in a confidence vote to the Prime Minister and his agenda, which requires half plus one of all votes cast to pass.

Section 3: The Cabinet
1. Upon a favourable response from the (Lower House/Upper House/joint sitting of Congress) in the confidence vote outlined in Section 1, Clause 8, the Prime Minister names his cabinet [opt: from the ranks of his coalition].
2. No Person shall be eligible to become a cabinet official who has not attained two hundred or more posts, and is not a registered voter in the Region that they represent.
3. A Member of Government shall hold no other paid position in a profession, business or on the executive board of a corporation.
4. The cabinet posts will be determined in an organic law following the adoption of this Constitution.
5. The Government is responsible to Congress. Any cabinet member may ask to address the legislature at any time.
6. The Prime Minister may dismiss any Minister at his discretion.
7. A Member of Government may not engage in any activity the nature whereof contradicts the performance of his office.

Section 4: Motion of No-Confidence
1. A Member of Congress may move a motion of no-confidence in the sitting government.
[optional: 2. No Motions of No-Confidence shall be moved during any Federal Election or one week before the end of the Congress' term.]
2. The Member of Congress or Caucus moving the said motion shall have the right to explain his decision before members of the (LH/UH/Both).
3. The Prime Minister or a Person delegated by the Prime Minister shall have the right to oppose the said motion in a speech before members of the (LH/UH/Both).
4. When the conditions set out in Clauses 2 and 3 have been met, the members of the (LH/UH/Both) shall vote for, against, or abstain the Motion of No-Confidence.
5. A Motion of No-Confidence requires the approval of half plus one of all attending voting members.
6. If the (LH/UH/Both) vote a Motion of No-Confidence in the Government, the Government and the Prime Minister shall resign within twenty-four hours.
7. Upon resignation of the Prime Minister, the (LH/UH/Both) shall elect a Prime Minister from the conditions set out in Article

Article 3: The President

Section 1:
1. The head of state of the Republic of Atlasia shall be a President.

Section 2: Election of the President
1. The President shall be elected by the citizens of the Republic of Atlasia in direct elections by public vote for a four-month term. The right to elect the President have the citizens who are eligible to vote in election to the Congress.
2. No person shall be President who has not attained 250 or more posts, and is not a registered voter.

Section 3: Powers of the President (largely stolen from the Slovak Constitution)
1. The President shall represent Atlasia in international relations, negotiate and ratify international agreements; he can delegate the power to the Government or, with the consent of the Government, to individual members of the Government to negotiate those international agreements.
2. The President shall sign and veto laws. His veto may be overturned as described in Article 1, Section 3, Clause 2.
3. The President shall appoint justices to the Supreme Court, with the approve of the (LH/UH/both).
4. The President shall award decorations and honors, unless another authority has been delegated by him to do so.
5. The President shall grant pardons and amnesty, mitigate sentences imposed by criminal courts.
6. The President shall be the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.
7. The President shall declare a state of emergency by means of a constitutional statute;
8. The President shall announce referendums and Constitutional Conventions.

Section 4: Vacancy
1. If the Presidency shall ever fall vacant, the President of the Senate shall become President and new elections for President will be held within one month. If the Presidency of the Senate is also vacant, then the Speaker of the House shall become President and new elections for President will be held within one month.

[Devilman88]

That is everything we have so far.

[Devilman88]

Aye

[Devilman88]

Nay. Draft a version without Regions and then add them in later if the Convention supports them. Starting out with Regions in the plan biases it towards the introduction of Regions.

Wouldn't it be unbiased as it maintains the status quo? Rather than a blatant change that shows bias towards the no-region people?

Oh, come now... no matter which way you set it, you are automatically biasing it against one way or another.  We're looking for the best possible solution here.

This is just a Draft that can be changed. Our goal right now is to get a draft of all three so we can make a vote it them, I believe. Once we know which one we will use we can edit it more. It is going to be very hard to try to find three different constitutionals that everyone agree on.

[Devilman88]

Well, lets vote for this and if it passes then we can have a vote on taking the Regions out.

[Devilman88]

Article 1: The Congress of Atlasia

Section 1: Formation of the Senate
1. The Senate shall be composed of five Senators elected by a popular vote of the citizens of Atlasia, each with a term of six months.
2. No Person shall be eligible to run for Senate who has not attained two hundred or more posts. A Senator may not hold any other public office in Atlasia for the duration of their term.
3. The Senate shall choose their other officers, and also a President pro tempore, who shall act as President of the Senate in the absence of the President and who shall manage the everyday business of the Senate.
4. The President of the Republic of Atlasia shall be the President of the Senate, but shall have no vote unless they be equally divided.

Section 2: Formation of the House
1. The House of Representatives, herein referred to as House, shall be made up of sixteen Representatives, each with a term of three months.
2. No Person shall be eligible to run for the House who has not attained one hundred or more posts. A Representative may not hold any other federal or executive office in Atlasia for the duration of their term.
3. The House shall elect a Speaker of the House who shall be responsible for chairing debate that occurs within the House and for managing every day business.

Section 3: Congressional Rules and Legislation
1. The separate chambers of Congress may establish their own rules of procedure, and with the concurrence of two-thirds of its number, respectively, may expel a member of the same chamber.
2. Each chamber shall have fulfilled a quorum if a majority of its members are capable of discharging their offices and sworn into office. A quorum in each chamber shall have voted on any Resolution, Bill, Impeachment or Constitutional Amendment for it to be considered valid.
3. For any Bill or Resolution to pass the Congress, it shall have gained a majority in a valid vote in each respective chamber. Before the Bill or Resolution becomes Law, it shall be presented to the PPT, Speaker, and sponsors of the Bill or Resolution from each chamber for conference, unless it be concerning the rules for the proceedings of a chamber. Upon resolution of any differences between the separate versions of legislation, the Bill or Resolution shall be returned to both chambers for approval. If passed by both chambers separately, the revised Bill or Resolution shall then be presented to the President of the Republic of Atlasia. If the President approves, he shall sign it, and it shall become Law. If the President does not approve, he shall return the Bill with his objections to the Congress, and it shall not become Law. Upon reconsidering the Bill, if each chamber shall approve the legislation by two-thirds of its number, it shall become Law. If a Bill is not returned to the Congress by the President within seven days after it shall have been presented to him, it shall become Law regardless.

Section 4: Elections to Congress
1. Elections for the Senate shall be held on the 2nd Thursday in the months of January and July.
2. The House election shall be as the following:
    i. The House will be split into groups A, B, C, D, each having four Representatives in each group
   ii. Group A elections are held on the 1st Thursday of Jan, April, July and Oct
   iii. Group B elections are held on the 1st Thursday of Feb, May, Aug and Nov
   iiii. Group C elections are held on the last Thursday of Jan, April, July and Oct
   iiiii. Group D elections are held on the last Thursday of Feb, May, Aug and Nov
2. Elections shall be held from midnight Eastern Standard Time and shall conclude exactly 72 hours later.
3. If a vacancy shall occur in the House or Senate then a special election shall be called to fill the remainder of the vacted term within one week of the vacancy occurring; Such special election shall be held from midnight Eastern Standard Time on a Friday and shall conclude exactly 72 hours later. However, if a vacancy shall occur when there is a person due to assume that office within two weeks, then no special election shall be necessary
4. The Senate shall have necessary power to determine regulations for the procedure of and the form of Congressional elections and shall have necessary power to determine a procedure for declaration of candidacy for such elections. All elections to Congress shall be by public post.
5. Those elected in ordinary elections to Congress shall take office at noon Eastern Standard Time on the Friday following their election. Those elected in special elections to the Senate or appointed to the House shall take office as soon as the result of their election or appointment has been formally declared.

Section 5: Powers of the Congress (with some small edits later)
[insert the current Article 1, Section 5 here]

Section 6: Powers denied to the Congress (with some small edits later)
[insert the current Article 1, Section 6 here]

Section 7: Powers denied to the Regions (with some small edits later)
[insert the current Article 1, Section 7 here]

I would like for this to be replaced with the current Article I.

[Devilman88]

I think all he did was change the way elections work for the House...

     Oh. I'm slightly confused now.

Yea I just split the House into four groups, A, B, C and D.  I know some people wanted it to have no regions, so I made this one for the sole purpose of no regions.

[Devilman88]

I mean, I guess I sort of see the reasoning to staggering the elections if you're going to do away with regions, but why not just keep regions and allow dual office holding? There's no harm in that.

That was my plan, for House members. In the Article that passed it states, "No Person shall be eligible to run for the House who has not attained one hundred or more posts. A Representative may not hold any other federal or executive office in Atlasia for the duration of their term." So any house member could hold an office that is federal or like a governor, but they could be Assembly members.

I only came up with the other plan because some wanted to take the region out of the Article that passed.

[Devilman88]

I mean, I guess I sort of see the reasoning to staggering the elections if you're going to do away with regions, but why not just keep regions and allow dual office holding? There's no harm in that.

That was my plan, for House members. In the Article that passed it states, "No Person shall be eligible to run for the House who has not attained one hundred or more posts. A Representative may not hold any other federal or executive office in Atlasia for the duration of their term." So any house member could hold an office that is federal or like a governor, but they could be Assembly members.

I only came up with the other plan because some wanted to take the region out of the Article that passed.

Fair enough. I wasn't really directing the comment at you, just to everyone in general. If we're going to take out regions then staggering elections makes sense to me, but I still don't see it as necessary nor do I see regions as inherently harmful.

I'm with you there, but I like the idea of holding the elections outside the regions, like this one has it.

[Devilman88]

I mean, I guess I sort of see the reasoning to staggering the elections if you're going to do away with regions, but why not just keep regions and allow dual office holding? There's no harm in that.

Although I do find massive upheaval elections slightly more...exciting. Especially because we forget that this is still a parliamentary government, with dissolution of Parliament, etc. It just has a more Americanized name.

Purple State, can you work your magic and make the changes I brought up sound better.

[Devilman88]

I mean, I guess I sort of see the reasoning to staggering the elections if you're going to do away with regions, but why not just keep regions and allow dual office holding? There's no harm in that.

Although I do find massive upheaval elections slightly more...exciting. Especially because we forget that this is still a parliamentary government, with dissolution of Parliament, etc. It just has a more Americanized name.

Purple State, can you work your magic and make the changes I brought up sound better.

I think the problem with your idea of staggered elections is that, under this proposal, there is a parliament form of government. Essentially, a vote of no confidence or timed dissolution of the Parliament is necessary to bring elections. So they all have to be at the same time. Unless we do away with the parliamentary part of this proposal and look to turn it into a more American version of governance.

That's really up to all of you. I would be happy to remove regions, bring Dan's motion to a vote, and join that with a motion to strike the PM and other parliament references from the proposal outline.

I have no clue, I think in the end it would make the elections more exciting if we elected the Senators and Reps outside of the regions or at least some one them. I'm just trying to be fair to the people that said they didn't want regions.

[Devilman88]

I mean, I guess I sort of see the reasoning to staggering the elections if you're going to do away with regions, but why not just keep regions and allow dual office holding? There's no harm in that.

Although I do find massive upheaval elections slightly more...exciting. Especially because we forget that this is still a parliamentary government, with dissolution of Parliament, etc. It just has a more Americanized name.

Purple State, can you work your magic and make the changes I brought up sound better.

I think the problem with your idea of staggered elections is that, under this proposal, there is a parliament form of government. Essentially, a vote of no confidence or timed dissolution of the Parliament is necessary to bring elections. So they all have to be at the same time. Unless we do away with the parliamentary part of this proposal and look to turn it into a more American version of governance.

That's really up to all of you. I would be happy to remove regions, bring Dan's motion to a vote, and join that with a motion to strike the PM and other parliament references from the proposal outline.

I have no clue, I think in the end it would make the elections more exciting if we elected the Senators and Reps outside of the regions or at least some one them. I'm just trying to be fair to the people that said they didn't want regions.

Understood, and I have no direct problem with this. But it goes against the proposal outline in the first post of this page. We can either alter the proposal and pass your motion or we can let it be and, if we abolish the regions, simply make the seats popularly elected.

If we do abolish the regions or change it to elect them outside the regions would need to come up with a way 15 House members are elected in one election cycle.  We could have a system where people vote for party they want to have in the House and then each party sends members to the house by the percentage that got in the election.  For example:

Party A: 40% ----> Would send 6 members to house
Party B: 35% ----> Would send 5 members to house
Party C: 20% ----> Would send 3 members to house
Party D: 5% ------> Would send 1 member to house

Then each party can hold an election on which member(s) they want to send to the House.

[Devilman88]

I'm sorry if I am being a pain, but I am trying to make this better. I really don't like the way the Senators and House members are elected.
please read over this new Article 1 and tell me what you think:

Article 1: The Congress of Atlasia

Section 1: Formation of the Senate
1. 1. The Senate shall be composed of five Senators, each with a term of six months. All Senators shall be elected national by popular vote.
2. No Person shall be eligible to run for Senate who has not attained two hundred or more posts, and is not a registered voter in the Region that they represent. A Senator may not hold any other public office in Atlasia for the duration of their term.
3. The Senate shall choose their other officers, and also a President pro tempore, who shall act as President of the Senate in the absence of the President and who shall manage the everyday business of the Senate.
4. The President of the Republic of Atlasia shall be the President of the Senate, but shall have no vote unless they be equally divided.

Section 2: Formation of the House
1. The House of Representatives, herein referred to as House, shall be made up of sixteen Representatives, each with a term of two months. All Representatives shall be elected national via party vote.(See Sec 5 for details)
2. No Person shall be eligible to run for the House who has not attained one hundred or more posts, and is not a registered voter in the Region that they represent. A Representative may not hold any other federal or executive office in Atlasia for the duration of their term.
3. The House shall elect a Speaker of the House who shall be responsible for chairing debate that occurs within the House and for managing every day business.

Section 3: Congressional Rules and Legislation
1. The separate chambers of Congress may establish their own rules of procedure, and with the concurrence of two-thirds of its number, respectively, may expel a member of the same chamber.
2. Each chamber shall have fulfilled a quorum if a majority of its members are capable of discharging their offices and sworn into office. A quorum in each chamber shall have voted on any Resolution, Bill, Impeachment or Constitutional Amendment for it to be considered valid.
3. For any Bill or Resolution to pass the Congress, it shall have gained a majority in a valid vote in each respective chamber. Before the Bill or Resolution becomes Law, it shall be presented to the PPT, Speaker, and sponsors of the Bill or Resolution from each chamber for conference, unless it be concerning the rules for the proceedings of a chamber. Upon resolution of any differences between the separate versions of legislation, the Bill or Resolution shall be returned to both chambers for approval. If passed by both chambers separately, the revised Bill or Resolution shall then be presented to the President of the Republic of Atlasia. If the President approves, he shall sign it, and it shall become Law. If the President does not approve, he shall return the Bill with his objections to the Congress, and it shall not become Law. Upon reconsidering the Bill, if each chamber shall approve the legislation by two-thirds of its number, it shall become Law. If a Bill is not returned to the Congress by the President within seven days after it shall have been presented to him, it shall become Law regardless.

Section 4: Elections to the Senate
1. Elections for the Senate shall be held in the months of January and July;
2. Elections shall be held from midnight Eastern Standard Time on the third Friday of a given month and shall conclude exactly 72 hours later.
3. If a vacancy shall occur in the Senate, then a special election shall be called to fill the remainder of the vacated term within one week of the vacancy occurring; Such special election shall be held from midnight Eastern Standard Time on a Friday and shall conclude exactly 72 hours later. However, if a vacancy shall occur when there is a person due to assume that office within two weeks, then no special election shall be necessary.
5. The Senate shall have necessary power to determine regulations for the procedure of and the form of Senate elections and shall have necessary power to determine a procedure for declaration of candidacy for such elections. All elections to Senate shall be by public post.
6. Senators elected in ordinary elections to Congress shall take office at noon Eastern Standard Time on the Friday following their election. Those elected in special elections to the Senate shall take office as soon as the result of their election or appointment has been formally declared.

Section 5: Elections to the House of Representatives
1. Elections for the House shall be held on every odd numbered month of the year.
2. Elections shall be held from midnight Eastern Standard Time on the 2nd Thursday of a given month and shall conclude exactly 72 hours later.
3. On the 2nd Thursday each party shall hold an election for the party to vote on what member(s) of their party they want to send to the House.
3. The election held on the 3rd Thursday shall be of which party you want to be in the House. Once the election has conclude the percentage of vote a party has reviced is the percentage of the house that party controlls.(For example if Party A reviced 50% of the vote then they would send 8 members to the House)
5.. If a vacancy shall occur in the House, then the party that controlled that seat shall hold a special election to fill the remainder of the vacated term within one week of the vacancy occurring; Such special election shall be held from midnight Eastern Standard Time on a Friday and shall conclude exactly 72 hours later. However, if a vacancy shall occur when there is a person due to assume that office within two weeks, then no special election shall be necessary.
6. The House shall have necessary power to determine regulations for the procedure of and the form of elections over the election on the 2nd Thursday of each odd month. All elections shall be by public post
7. Each party shall have necessary power to determine regulations for the procedure of and the form of  elections and shall have necessary power to determine a procedure for declaration of candidacy for such elections over the election on the 3rd Thursday of each odd month. All elections to Congress shall be by public post.
8. Those elected in ordinary elections to Congress shall take office at noon Eastern Standard Time on the Friday following their election. Those elected in special elections to the Senate or appointed to the House shall take office as soon as the result of their election or appointment has been formally declared.




Section 6: Powers of the Congress (with some small edits later)
[insert the current Article 1, Section 5 here]

Section 7: Powers denied to the Congress (with some small edits later)
[insert the current Article 1, Section 6 here]

Section 8: Powers denied to the Regions (with some small edits later)
[insert the current Article 1, Section 7 here]

[Devilman88]

I don't have a problem with turning it into party lists. However, I would have the parties construct their lists prior to the election, not afterward.

We can change that, just switch the dates of the elections. If you would like to re-word it better then go ahead.

[Devilman88]

Well guys what do you think?

[Devilman88]

I would rather have elections just be about the individual candidates, I don't see any reason to change that.

The thing is, how would you election 15 or 16 people on one night?

Edit: I chanced it to make the party elections to go first.

[Devilman88]

     I pretty much agree with Hashemite.

While I was originally an advocate of party lists, thinking about it now, I feel like that would make elections pretty boring. The fact is, Atlasia has very few swing voters, and especially in a proportional system, I fear that every election would end up with each party party getting roughly the same number of votes. Maybe I'm wrong though.

     Two months or however long we make it is a long time in Atlasia. People come & go, & while drastic shifts are unlikely, the results of the elections would likely ebb & flow with the strength of the parties as well as marginal changes in turnout from election to election.

But you do reduce the excitement around these elections. Granted Senate elections could be extremely good, House elections would be pretty bland I would think.

Although the construction of party lists would be a lot of fun (they would have to be done publicly) and we would have to make a provision to include independents. Any ideas regarding independents? Do they need to win 1/16 of the vote to get the seat or something?

I have already come up with a system for 2nd election(one to how many seats a party gets).  I don't know how independents would play in. I guess they would have to try to work with other parties. Or make a party or something like that. But we can work on that if this passes.

[Devilman88]

We would have to make sure to part the instructions part in big, bold letters. I wouldn't want butterfly ballot complaints. But that is a very interesting proposal. I could live with that. Should we draft a new version of Article I using that method and no regionally elected seats?

Lets see what everyone else says first. Also if you don't mind tomorrow I would like to write up another way we could elect them by parties. We can see which one people like better and go from there. If you don't mind of course.