Proportional Representation Bill [Passed]

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Urgh, I hate countback too.  Are special elections really so awful in the case of a resignation?

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Honestly, my final vote wouldn't swing at all on whether it's countback or special elections.  It's just that I strongly prefer special elections than having a 3-month-old opinion stand.

If Senator Lieberman resigns mid-term, should Ned Lamont get to replace him by default cause he got the second most number of votes?  Ugh.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

I appreciate the Vice President's desire to pass this bill under any form necessary, but I have faith that we can come up with a better solution to vacancies than countback.

If permitted, on behalf of the Northeast, I vote Nay.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

I'm going to abstain for now.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Upon further consideration, I'm changing my vote from abstain to nay.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

I may be alone on this one, but Atlasia is so intensely election-centric that I think it should take something more than a simple vote by the Senate to significantly change the way Senators are elected.

Changing elections is, for the most part, changing the rules of "the game."  And anything that changes the rules of the game should be run by the public at large.  I'm open to changing the rules, but only after a strong consensus has been reached.  I don't think six senators and the signature of a president is necessarily enough.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

I may be alone on this one, but Atlasia is so intensely election-centric that I think it should take something more than a simple vote by the Senate to significantly change the way Senators are elected.

Changing elections is, for the most part, changing the rules of "the game."  And anything that changes the rules of the game should be run by the public at large.  I'm open to changing the rules, but only after a strong consensus has been reached.  I don't think six senators and the signature of a president is necessarily enough.

The Bill is essentially tied to the End to Districts Amendment cuurently also on the Senate floor. Indeed 6 Senators and the President would be enough to pass this bill, but the the bill is incumbent upon pasage of the Amendment which will require (at a minimum) 7 Senators and a majority vote in 4 of Atlasia's 5 regions.

That is why I've been urging consensus, because that's the only way to get any constitutional reform passed.

I was actually speaking to the fact that if both were passed (and the amendment ratified), then the Senate could, in the future, fundamentally change the game with the approval of a scant 7 people total—which is what, fewer than 10%?  That is what I oppose.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Indeed, back to the original topic of the filling with vacancies: it appears as though the "party selection" option, which defaults back to a by-election in case of non-affiliated Senators, seems the best bet here.  I think I could support that method.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Aye.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Aye.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

This vote is open until 1:09:19 PM tomorrow (for you Rob).

Has Rob even voted once in the past month? If he has he couldn't have voted more than 2 or 3 times.

Last seen on the Senate floor September 7, 2007, voting against Brandon's amendments to the Educational Funding Clarification Bill.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Aye.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

A very shaky sounding Aye. 

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

A great day, a day of a fair electoral system with PR is coming!

Half fair, half region-based, anyway.