Talk Elections

Fix the Constitution Act
The Mideast Constitution is hereby amended to read as follows:

We, the people of the States of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, the Provinces of Nunavut and Ontario, and the city of Nyman, in order to found a more permanent government, establish, protect the general welfare, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, and preserve the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity, and trusting in the inherent equality of all men and women, do hereby ordain and establish this Constitution for the Commonwealth of the Mideast.

Section 1: All executive powers granted herein shall be vested in the Governor of the Mideast, who shall be chosen for a term of four months together with a Lt. Governor.

No person shall be Governor who is not a citizen of the Republic of Atlasia, nor who  has been a resident of this Region for fewer than thirty days at the time of his inauguration. No person shall be Lt. Governor who is not qualified to serve as Governor of this region.

Section 2: Elections for Governor and Lt. Governor shall be held every fourth month, in the months of January, May, and September. The method for electing the Governor shall be Standard Transferable Vote unless otherwise specified by law.

Candidates for Governor shall run jointly with a candidate for Lt. Governor and shall appear jointly on the ballot together. The candidate for Lt. Governor whose name appears on the ballot with the successful candidate for Governor shall be elected.

Section 3: The Governor shall have the exclusive authority to carry out all acts in association with the enforcement of the laws passed under this Constitution; to appoint members of the Superior Court; to fill vacancies in the Assembly, and the Lt. Governorship; to administer all elections and referendums mandated herein; to command the militia in times of war; to appoint, with the consent of the Assembly, the heads of any executive departments which may be established by law; and to approve, or veto, all acts passed by the legislative power of this Region.

It shall be the duty of the Governor, or of any officer appointed by him for the purpose with the consent of the Assembly, to maintain the Mideast Regional Wikipedia, particularly those pages concerning the laws and government of this region.

The Governor shall, from time to time, and at least once in his term, address the citizens of the Mideast on the state of the Region.

Whenever the Regional Senator of the Mideast should become unable to continue to represent this Region in the Atlasian Senate, it shall fall upon the Governor to appoint a replacement with the consent of the Assembly.

Section 4: Should the Governor, by reason of death, impeachment, or resignation, become unable to execute the powers of his office, the Lt. Governor shall assume the office of Governor for the remainder of his term. If there be no Lt. Governor at the time of the vacancy, the presiding officer of the Assembly will assume the Governorship.

Should the Governor become temporarily unable to execute the duties of his office, he may designate the Lt. Governor as Acting Governor for a period not greater than fourteen days.

Section 5: Should the Governor or Lt. Governor, or any other member of the executive branch, be guilty of high crimes or misdemeanors, or be absent from the Fantasy Elections Subforum for more than fourteen days at one time, they may be removed from office by the Assembly.

Section 1: All judicial powers herein established shall be vested in a Superior Court.

The Superior Court shall be composed of a Judge nominated by the governor with the consent of the Assembly. No person shall serve as Judge who is not a citizen of the Republic of Atlasia nor who has been a resident of this Region for fewer than thirty days.

Section 2: The Superior Court shall have jurisdiction over all disputes arising under the laws of this Region or the Constitution of the Mideast, and shall have the authority to nullify acts of the executive and legislative branches of this government which it finds to be in conflict with this Constitution.

Section 1: The legislative authority of this Region shall be vested in an Assembly, which shall be composed of five Representatives elected every second month by the citizens of the Mideast.

No person shall be elected to the Assembly who is not both a citizen of the Republic of Atlasia and a resident of the Mideast Region.

Unless otherwise specified by law, the Representatives of the Assembly shall be elected at-large by the entire population of the Mideast.

Section 2: The Assembly shall determine its own methods of proceedings, and shall have the power to select its own officers and to judge the qualifications of its members.

Section 3: The Assembly shall have the authority to lay and collect taxes within the Mideast; to fund the functions of government; to call forth the militia in times of war, and provide for the regulation of the same; to make laws to provide for the safety and welfare of the public; to provide for the edification of the populace; to construct roads, bridges, and other features of infrastructure; to impeach, by a 4/5 vote, members of the executive and judicial branches of government, though the sentence for a successful impeachment shall not exceed removal from office and a one year ban on officeholding within the Mideast; to confirm gubernatorial appointments for executive and judicial office; to regulate commerce; and to take all other actions which they deem necessary for the defense of this Constitution and the liberties of the people.

No power granted herein to the Assembly shall ever be assumed by any of the other branches of government.

Section 4: Every bill having been passed by the Assembly shall, before it becomes law, be presented to the Governor of the Mideast; if he approves of it, he shall sign it and it will become law; but if he disapproves, he may veto it, and it shall be returned to the Assembly. If the Assembly then passes the bill once more by a 4/5 vote it shall become law regardless of the Governor's opinion.

Section 5: Whenever the Assembly shall be equally divided over a measure, the Lt. Governor of the Mideast may vote to decide the issue. Should the Lt. Governor be at that time serving as Acting Governor, however, he shall be prohibited from exercising this power.

Section 6: The Assembly shall be responsible for passing an annual budget enumerating the expenditures of the Mideast government for the coming year.

The budget will go into effect on the first day of July in the year in which it is passed and will cease to be operative on the first day of July the following year unless otherwise provided for by law.

Section 1: Any resident of one of the states of this Region, who shall be considered eligible to vote in elections for federal office, and having been a resident of this region for a period of seven days or more, shall likewise be eligible to participate in all elections and referendums conducted in the Mideast.

Section 2: Voters shall be permitted to edit their ballots until twenty minutes after posting them in the Regional Voting Booth. No voter shall edit their ballot after the official end of the voting period.

Section 3: No person shall campaign in the thread in which voting shall occur. If a person does so they shall have their vote(s) counted as invalid and shall be subject to further trial and punishment as the law may provide. A person's username and signature are exempt from this clause.

Section 4: All elections and public referendums shall be administered by the Governor of the Mideast, or by the person acting as Governor. If the Governor is unable to administer the election, then the Lt. Governor, the presiding officer of the Assembly, or the Judge of the Superior Court will do so, with responsibility progressing in the given order.

Section 5: Elections for Governor and Lt. Governor shall be held in the months of January, May, and September; elections for the Assembly shall be held in the months of January, March, May, July, September, and November. Voting shall begin between 00:01 on the third Thursday of the given month and 00:00 on the first Friday thereafter, and will conclude exactly 72 hours afterwards.

All elections for regional office will be conducted on the principle of a Single Transferable Vote. When the election is for a single office, the quota for election shall be a majority of the votes cast; when it is for multiple offices, the quota for election shall be the quotient of the total votes cast divided by the number of offices to be filled. All surpluses will be redistributed proportionally according to the next-highest preferences of the ballots in question.

Section 6: Whenever a public referendum is to be held, the officer administering the election shall immediately open a thread in the Fantasy Elections Board in which the measure to be voted on can be read and discussed. After approximately 72 hours time, the officer shall then open the voting booth. Voting will continue for exactly 72 hours, except when the referendum is on a proposed amendment to the federal Constitution, in which case the vote shall continue for exactly 168 hours.

In all referendums, citizens will vote either "aye" (or yes), "nay" (or no), or "abstain". The referendum will only be considered to have passed if a majority of voters voted "aye".

Section 7: Candidates for Regional office must declare themselves as such in the appropriate thread by 00:01 on the Tuesday preceding the election in order to appear on the ballot. In order for a gubernatorial ticket to appear on the ballot, both the candidate for Governor and the candidate for Lt. Governor must declare their candidacies before this time.

Any qualified citizen of the Mideast may declare their intention to accept write-in votes at any time prior to or during the election, either by announcing so in the appropriate thread or by casting a write-in vote in their own name.

No candidate will be permitted to appear on the ballot who does not meet the qualifications for officeholding set forth in this Constitution. Write-in votes for persons Constitutionally unqualified to hold office will not be counted.

Section 8: If a citizen, meeting the Constitutional requirements for the exercise of the franchise, will be unable to access the Mideast Voting Booth during the time of the election, he or she may request an Absentee Ballot from the Governor. Said ballot shall be cast in a voting booth created for the purpose on the Fantasy Elections board, and may be edited at any time prior to the commencement of the election.

Section 9: All citizens elected to serve in the Regional Government will take office on the first Friday following their election.

Prior to assuming office, all regional officeholders will swear the following oath: "I, [state name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of [state office name] and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Mideast Region."

Section 1: No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection under the laws of this Region.

Section 2: The right of the people to keep and bear arms of a nature reasonable for self defense shall not be infringed.

Section 3: No person shall be held in slavery or involuntary servitude except as punishment for a crime of which they have been duly convicted.

Section 4: The privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be denied except in times of public rebellion or natural disaster, and then only in a manner consistent with law.

Section 5: No branch of the Regional government shall conscript any person into the service of the Armed Forces except in times of war, public rebellion or natural disaster, and then only in a manner consistent with law.

Section 6: No soldier shall, in times of peace, be quartered in any house or building without the consent of the owner, nor in times of war except in a manner consistent with the law.

Section 7: The Armed Forces shall not be used for law enforcement or policing duties except in times of public rebellion or in the interests of public safety, and then only in a manner consistent with Law.

Section 8: No branch of the Regional government shall issue a law or declaration respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or expression, or of the press.

Section 9: No branch of government shall restrict freedom of association, nor the right to peacefully assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.

Section 10: No law shall be passed requiring a voter to denote their State of fantasy residence during an election.

Section 11: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, communications and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall be issued, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or Affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Section 12: The right to trial by jury shall be preserved and such trial will be as open and swift as justice shall allow. No person shall be tried for the same offense twice, nor shall any person be compelled to bear witness against himself. In cases of criminal prosecution, the accused shall enjoy the right to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation and the witnesses against him; to bring witnesses in his own defense; and to have the assistance of counsel in his defense.

Section 13: Private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation.

Section 14: The right of the people to privacy outside of the public sphere shall not be infringed.

Section 15: No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the armed forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger.

Section 16: In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed a hundred dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the Mideast Region, than according to the rules of the common law.

Section 17: No person, either accused or convicted of a crime, shall be subjected to excessive bail, nor excessive fines, nor cruel or unusual punishment.

Section 18: An educated populace being essential to the maintenance of a Republican society, it shall be the duty of this government to maintain publicly funded schools, which shall be open to all citizens under the age of 18.

Section 19: No law shall be passed by this government prohibiting any action which is not directly harmful to the public well being.

Section 20: Persons in employment shall have the right to organize for the purpose of collective bargaining, with such exceptions as the law may provide on grounds of vital Regional interests.

Section 21: No citizen shall be denied the right to the elective franchise except as the result of conviction of a crime under the laws of this Region, nor shall any citizen be deprived of the rights enumerated herein on the basis of race, class, creed, or sexuality.

Section 22: The holding of multiple offices under this government shall be prohibited.

Section 23: The enumeration of certain rights in this Constitution shall not be construed to deny or disparage those natural liberties herein unlisted.

Section 1: The Assembly, whenever it shall deem it necessary, may propose Amendments to this Constitution which, upon their ratification by a public referendum, shall become operative as part of this Constitution.

Section 2: Whenever 4/5 of the Assembly or 1/4 of the registered voters of this Region shall consider it desirable to improve this Constitution more fully, the Governor shall call for a Constitutional Convention to propose revisions to this document, or to replace it entirely.

Section 3: This Constitution, and all Laws passed under its authority, shall be the supreme law of the land, except when it may conflict with the federal Constitution, in which case the latter shall be supreme.

Section 1: Budget
The Mideast Government shall be responsible for passing an annual budget. This budget must be on the Governor's desk by July 1st of each year.
The Mideast Budget may not exceed 100% of total revenue brought in per fiscal year. Any surplus that is accumulated shall be entered into the “Mideast Emergency Fund.”
In case of emergency in which the Mideast Government needs to pass a budget greater than 100% of total revenue, the Assembly may approve such a budget with a 2/3rds majority and/or cover some or all of the deficit with money from the “Mideast Emergency Fund.”
If the Mideast Assembly fails to pass an annual budget, the Assembly shall be required to suspend all other legislation in debate until appropriate measures are taken.

Fix the Constitution Act
The Mideast Constitution is hereby amended to read as follows:

... (omitted to save space, nothing changed here)

Section 1: The legislative authority of this Region shall be vested in an Assembly, which shall be composed of five Representatives elected every second month by the citizens of the Mideast.

No person shall be elected to the Assembly who is not both a citizen of the Republic of Atlasia and a resident of the Mideast Region.

Unless otherwise specified by law, the Representatives of the Assembly shall be elected at-large by the entire population of the Mideast.

Section 2: The Assembly shall determine its own methods of proceedings, and shall have the power to select its own officers and to judge the qualifications of its members.

Section 3: The Assembly shall have the authority to lay and collect taxes within the Mideast; to fund the functions of government; to call forth the militia in times of war, and provide for the regulation of the same; to make laws to provide for the safety and welfare of the public; to provide for the edification of the populace; to construct roads, bridges, and other features of infrastructure; to impeach, by a 4/5 vote, members of the executive and judicial branches of government, though the sentence for a successful impeachment shall not exceed removal from office and a one year ban on officeholding within the Mideast; to confirm gubernatorial appointments for executive and judicial office; to regulate commerce; and to take all other actions which they deem necessary for the defense of this Constitution and the liberties of the people.

No power granted herein to the Assembly shall ever be assumed by any of the other branches of government.

Section 4: Every bill having been passed by the Assembly shall, before it becomes law, be presented to the Governor of the Mideast; if he approves of it, he shall sign it and it will become law; but if he disapproves, he may veto it, and it shall be returned to the Assembly. If the Assembly then passes the bill once more by a 4/5 vote it shall become law regardless of the Governor's opinion.

Section 5:
1. The Governor shall be assisted in his duties by a Lieutenant Governor
2. If a bill has been voted on by the Assembly and a tie remains, the Lieutenant Governor shall, under certain conditions, be able to break the tie by voting on it within a period of two days after the final vote by the Assembly has been declared.
3. The previous clause shall only come to effect when at least one of the following situations hold:
a. There is a vacancy
b. One or more Assembly member is grossly inactive. Gross inactivity is defined as having at least four consecutive days where no post was made in an Assembly thread, or missing two consecutive votes
c. There is a tie where all Assembly members participated in the voting, with one or more members abstaining
4. Should the Lt. Governor be at that time serving as Acting Governor, however, he shall be prohibited from exercising this power.

Section 6: The Assembly shall be responsible for passing an annual budget enumerating the expenditures of the Mideast government for the coming year.

Section 7: A member of the Assembly who has missed five consecutive final votes, which lasted at least 48 hours, without having previously posted a leave of absence shall be automatically and immediately removed from office. Additionally, if any member of the Assembly has not posted in any Mideast Assembly Thread for seven consecutive days, during which time they have missed two final votes lasting at least 48 hours, without having posted a leave of absence for this period, then a vote may be taken to remove the Assemblyperson from office.

The budget will go into effect on the first day of July in the year in which it is passed and will cease to be operative on the first day of July the following year unless otherwise provided for by law.

Fix the Constitution Act
The Mideast Constitution is hereby amended to read as follows:

... (omitted to save space, nothing changed here)

Section 1: The legislative authority of this Region shall be vested in an Assembly, which shall be composed of five Representatives elected every second month by the citizens of the Mideast.

No person shall be elected to the Assembly who is not both a citizen of the Republic of Atlasia and a resident of the Mideast Region.

Unless otherwise specified by law, the Representatives of the Assembly shall be elected at-large by the entire population of the Mideast.

Section 2: The Assembly shall determine its own methods of proceedings, and shall have the power to select its own officers and to judge the qualifications of its members.

Section 3: The Assembly shall have the authority to lay and collect taxes within the Mideast; to fund the functions of government; to call forth the militia in times of war, and provide for the regulation of the same; to make laws to provide for the safety and welfare of the public; to provide for the edification of the populace; to construct roads, bridges, and other features of infrastructure; to impeach, by a 4/5 vote, members of the executive and judicial branches of government, though the sentence for a successful impeachment shall not exceed removal from office and a one year ban on officeholding within the Mideast; to confirm gubernatorial appointments for executive and judicial office; to regulate commerce; and to take all other actions which they deem necessary for the defense of this Constitution and the liberties of the people.

No power granted herein to the Assembly shall ever be assumed by any of the other branches of government.

Section 4: Every bill having been passed by the Assembly shall, before it becomes law, be presented to the Governor of the Mideast; if he approves of it, he shall sign it and it will become law; but if he disapproves, he may veto it, and it shall be returned to the Assembly. If the Assembly then passes the bill once more by a 4/5 vote it shall become law regardless of the Governor's opinion.

Section 5: The Lt. Governor shall be permitted to participate in the proceedings of the Assembly, but he shall have no vote unless they be equally divided, and then only in the event of a vacancy in the legislature, or the absence of one or more Representatives for a period exceeding four days, or whenever the entire Assembly shall have voted on the proposal in question.

Whenever the Lt. Governor shall serve as Acting Governor of the Mideast, he shall temporarily forfeit his membership in the Assembly.

Section 6: The Assembly shall be responsible for passing an annual budget enumerating the expenditures of the Mideast government for the coming year.

The budget will go into effect on the first day of July in the year in which it is passed and will cease to be operative on the first day of July the following year unless otherwise provided for by law.

Section 7: Whenever any Representative shall have been absent from the Assembly for a period exceeding seven days, during which time at least two bills should have been brought to a vote, without posting a Leave of Absence for the same, he shall be subject to expulsion from the legislature at the discretion of the Assembly.

Should any Representative be absent from the Assembly for a period exceeding twenty-one days, during which time at least five bills should have been brought to a vote, he shall be considered to have forfeited his seat in the legislature.

Section 10. Should the Assembly pass legislation, and that legislation becomes law, and at least 25% of the population publicly protest the measure in a separate thread, a public referendum shall be held on that legislation.

Section 11. Initiatives may be proposed for public referendum with the support of at least 25% of the number of registered voters in the Mideast.

Section 1: The legislative authority of this Region shall be vested in an Assembly, which shall be composed of five Representatives elected every second month by the citizens of the Mideast.

No person shall be elected to the Assembly who is not both a citizen of the Republic of Atlasia and a resident of the Mideast Region.

Unless otherwise specified by law, the Representatives of the Assembly shall be elected at-large by the entire population of the Mideast.

Section 2: The Assembly shall determine its own methods of proceedings, and shall have the power to select its own officers and to judge the qualifications of its members.

Section 3: The Assembly shall have the authority to lay and collect taxes within the Mideast; to fund the functions of government; to call forth the militia in times of war, and provide for the regulation of the same; to make laws to provide for the safety and welfare of the public; to provide for the edification of the populace; to construct roads, bridges, and other features of infrastructure; to impeach, by a 4/5 vote, members of the executive and judicial branches of government, though the sentence for a successful impeachment shall not exceed removal from office and a one year ban on officeholding within the Mideast; to confirm gubernatorial appointments for executive and judicial office; to regulate commerce; and to take all other actions which they deem necessary for the defense of this Constitution and the liberties of the people.

No power granted herein to the Assembly shall ever be assumed by any of the other branches of government.

Section 4: Every bill having been passed by the Assembly shall, before it becomes law, be presented to the Governor of the Mideast; if he approves of it, he shall sign it and it will become law; but if he disapproves, he may veto it, and it shall be returned to the Assembly. If the Assembly then passes the bill once more by a 4/5 vote it shall become law regardless of the Governor's opinion.

If any bill should be presented to the Governor, and he should fail to either sign or veto it within five days of its passage, it shall become law irrespective of his judgement.

Section 5: Whenever the Assembly shall be equally divided over a measure, the Lt. Governor of the Mideast may vote to decide the issue. Should the Lt. Governor be at that time serving as Acting Governor, however, he shall be prohibited from exercising this power.

Section 6: The Assembly shall be responsible for passing an annual budget enumerating the expenditures of the Mideast government for the coming year.

The budget will go into effect on the first day of July in the year in which it is passed and will cease to be operative on the first day of July the following year unless otherwise provided for by law.

Section 4: All elections and public referendums shall be administered by the Governor of the Mideast, or by the person acting as Governor. If the Governor is unable to administer the election, then the Lt. Governor, the presiding officer of the Assembly, or the Judge of the Superior Court will do so, with responsibility progressing in the given order.

Section 1: All executive powers granted herein shall be vested in the Governor of the Mideast, who shall be chosen for a term of four months together with a Lt. Governor.

No person shall be Governor who is not a citizen of the Republic of Atlasia, nor who  has been a resident of this Region for fewer than thirty days at the time of his inauguration. No person shall be Lt. Governor who is not qualified to serve as Governor of this region.

Section 2: Elections for Governor and Lt. Governor shall be held every fourth month, in the months of January, May, and September. The method for electing the Governor shall be Standard Transferable Vote unless otherwise specified by law.

Candidates for Governor shall run jointly with a candidate for Lt. Governor and shall appear jointly on the ballot together. The candidate for Lt. Governor whose name appears on the ballot with the successful candidate for Governor shall be elected.

Section 3: The Governor shall have the exclusive authority to carry out all acts in association with the enforcement of the laws passed under this Constitution; to appoint members of the Superior Court; to fill vacancies in the Assembly, and the Lt. Governorship; to administer all elections and referendums mandated herein; to command the militia in times of war; to appoint, with the consent of the Assembly, members of the Superior Court, the heads of any executive departments which may be established by law, and a Lt. Governor in case of a vacancy in the office; and to approve, or veto, all acts passed by the legislative power of this Region.

It shall be the duty of the Governor, or of any officer appointed by him for the purpose with the consent of the Assembly, to maintain the Mideast Regional Wikipedia, particularly those pages concerning the laws and government of this region.

The Governor shall, from time to time, and at least once in his term, address the citizens of the Mideast on the state of the Region.

Whenever the Regional Senator of the Mideast should become unable to continue to represent this Region in the Atlasian Senate, it shall fall upon the Governor to appoint a replacement with the consent of the Assembly.

Section 4: Should the Governor, by reason of death, impeachment, or resignation, become unable to execute the powers of his office, the Lt. Governor shall assume the office of Governor for the remainder of his term. If there be no Lt. Governor at the time of the vacancy, the presiding officer of the Assembly will assume the Governorship.

Should the Governor become temporarily unable to execute the duties of his office, he may designate the Lt. Governor as Acting Governor for a period not greater than fourteen days.

Section 5: Should the Governor or Lt. Governor, or any other member of the executive branch, be guilty of high crimes or misdemeanors, or be absent from the Fantasy Elections Subforum for more than fourteen days at one time, they may be removed from office by the Assembly.

Section 1: The legislative authority of this Region shall be vested in an Assembly, which shall be composed of five Representatives elected every second month by the citizens of the Mideast.

No person shall be elected to the Assembly who is not both a citizen of the Republic of Atlasia and a resident of the Mideast Region.

Unless otherwise specified by law, the Representatives of the Assembly shall be elected at-large by the entire population of the Mideast.

Section 2: The Assembly shall determine its own methods of proceedings, and shall have the power to select its own officers and to judge the qualifications of its members.

Section 3: The Assembly shall have the authority to lay and collect taxes within the Mideast; to fund the functions of government; to call forth thea militia in times of war, and provide for the regulation of the same; to make laws to provide for the safety and welfare of the public; to provide for the edification of the populace; to construct roads, bridges, and other features of infrastructure; to impeach, by a 4/5 vote, members of the executive and judicial branches of government, though the sentence for a successful impeachment shall not exceed removal from office and a one year ban on officeholding within the Mideast; to confirm gubernatorial appointments for executive and judicial office; to regulate commerce; and to take all other actions which they deem necessary for the defense of this Constitution and the liberties of the people.

No power granted herein to the Assembly shall ever be assumed by any of the other branches of government.

Section 4: Every bill having been passed by the Assembly shall, before it becomes law, be presented to the Governor of the Mideast; if he approves of it, he shall sign it and it will become law; but if he disapproves, he may veto it, and it shall be returned to the Assembly. If the Assembly then passes the bill once more by a 4/5 vote it shall become law regardless of the Governor's opinion.

Section 5: Whenever the Assembly shall be equally divided over a measure, the Lt. Governor of the Mideast may vote to decide the issue. Should the Lt. Governor be at that time serving as Acting Governor, however, he shall be prohibited from exercising this power.

Section 6: The Assembly shall be responsible for passing an annual budget enumerating the expenditures of the Mideast government for the coming year.

The budget will go into effect on the first day of July in the year in which it is passed and will cease to be operative on the first day of July the following year unless otherwise provided for by law.

Section 1: The legislative authority of this Region shall be vested in an Assembly, which shall be composed of five Representatives elected every second month by the citizens of the Mideast.

No person shall be elected to the Assembly who is not both a citizen of the Republic of Atlasia and a resident of the Mideast Region.

Unless otherwise specified by law, the Representatives of the Assembly shall be elected at-large by the entire population of the Mideast.

Section 2: The Assembly shall determine its own methods of proceedings, and shall have the power to select its own officers and to judge the qualifications of its members.

Section 3: The Assembly shall have the authority to lay and collect taxes within the Mideast; to fund the functions of government; to call forth the militia in times of war, and provide for the regulation of the same; to make laws to provide for the safety and welfare of the public; to provide for the edification of the populace; to construct roads, bridges, and other features of infrastructure; to impeach, by a 4/5 vote, members of the executive and judicial branches of government, though the sentence for a successful impeachment shall not exceed removal from office and a one year ban on officeholding within the Mideast; to confirm gubernatorial appointments for executive and judicial office; to regulate commerce; and to take all other actions which they deem necessary for the defense of this Constitution and the liberties of the people.

No power granted herein to the Assembly shall ever be assumed by any of the other branches of government.

Section 4: Every bill having been passed by the Assembly shall, before it becomes law, be presented to the Governor of the Mideast; if he approves of it, he shall sign it and it will become law; but if he disapproves, he may veto it, and it shall be returned to the Assembly. If the Assembly then passes the bill once more by a 4/5 vote it shall become law regardless of the Governor's opinion.

Section 5: Whenever the Assembly shall be equally divided over a measure, the Lt. Governor of the Mideast may vote to decide the issue. Should the Lt. Governor be at that time serving as Acting Governor, however, he shall be prohibited from exercising this power.

Section 6: The Assembly shall be responsible for passing an annual budget enumerating the expenditures of the Mideast government for the coming year.

The budget will go into effect on the first day of July in the year in which it is passed and will cease to be operative on the first day of July the following year unless otherwise provided for by law.

The Mideast Budget may not exceed 100% of total revenue brought in per fiscal year. Any surplus that is accumulated shall be entered into the “Mideast Emergency Fund.”  In case of emergency in which the Mideast Government needs to pass a budget greater than 100% of total revenue, the Assembly may approve such a budget with a 2/3rds majority and/or cover some or all of the deficit with money from the “Mideast Emergency Fund.”

If the Mideast Assembly fails to pass an annual budget, the Assembly shall be required to suspend all other legislation in debate until appropriate measures are taken.

(In any case, 2/3 of 5 is 3.33, which rounds down to 3, so this threshold accomplishes very little.)

Third, I don't think it's necessary to establish a "Mideast Emergency Fund" in the actual text of the Constitution: this could be better provided for by law and only adds unnecessary length to the document. Fourth, from a stylistic standpoint, the proposed text is somewhat bulky. In the interests of brevity and maintaining uniformity throughout the Constitution, I think this should be condensed, such inelegant phrases as "and/or" removed, and percentages replaced with fractions or with their everyday equivalents.

My best thought for a compromise would be allowing the public to call a referendum on any budget that contains expenditures exceeding the total sum of collected revenue. Perhaps, to increase transparency on this issue, we could mandate the budget be given its own thread in the Fantasy Elections Board as well.

Section 3: The Governor shall have the authority to carry out all acts in association with the enforcement of the laws passed under this Constitution; to fill vacancies in the Assembly; to administer all elections and referendums mandated herein; to command the militia in times of war; to appoint, with the consent of the Assembly, members of the Superior Court, the heads of any executive departments which may be established by law, and a Lt. Governor in case of a vacancy in the office; to issue, except in cases of impeachment, pardons and reprieves for crimes committed under the laws of this Region, which shall be permanent upon their issuance, though he shall have no power to pardon himself; and to approve, or veto, all acts passed by the legislative power of this Region.

It shall be the duty of the Governor, or of any officer appointed by him for the purpose with the consent of the Assembly, to maintain the Mideast Regional Wikipedia, particularly those pages concerning the laws and government of this region.

The Governor shall, from time to time, and at least once in his term, address the citizens of the Mideast on the state of the Region.

Whenever the Regional Senator of the Mideast should become unable to continue to represent this Region in the Atlasian Senate, it shall fall upon the Governor to appoint a replacement with the consent of the Assembly.

Section 6: The Assembly shall be responsible for passing an annual budget enumerating the expenditures of the Mideast government for the coming year.

The budget will go into effect on the first day of July in the year in which it is passed and will cease to be operative on the first day of July the following year unless otherwise provided for by law.

Any surplus unspent revenue that is accumulated shall be entered into the “Mideast Reserve Fund.”  The Assembly may approve a budget greater than 100% of annual revenue received only  upon a vote to do so by 2/3rds or greater of the voting members of the Assembly, and may cover some or all of the deficit with money from the “Mideast Reserve Fund.”

If the Mideast Assembly fails to pass an annual budget, the Assembly shall be required to suspend all other legislation in debate until appropriate measures are taken.

Section 6: The Assembly shall be responsible for passing an annual budget enumerating the expenditures of the Mideast government for the coming year.

The budget will go into effect on the first day of July in the year in which it is passed and will cease to be operative on the first day of July the following year unless otherwise provided for by law.

The Assembly may approve a budget greater than 100% of annual revenue received only upon a vote to do so by 2/3rds or greater of the voting members of the Assembly.

If the Mideast Assembly fails to pass an annual budget, the Assembly shall be required to suspend all other legislation in debate until the budget has been addressed.

If you can't count on the representatives of the region to be reasonable, then the people should elect new representatives.

Fix the Constitution Act
The Mideast Constitution is hereby amended to read as follows:

We, the people of the States of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, the Provinces of Nunavut and Ontario, and the city of Nyman, in order to found a more permanent government, establish, protect the general welfare, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, and preserve the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity, and trusting in the inherent equality of all men and women, do hereby ordain and establish this Constitution for the Commonwealth of the Mideast.

Section 1: All executive powers granted herein shall be vested in the Governor of the Mideast, who shall be chosen for a term of four months together with a Lt. Governor.

No person shall be Governor who is not a citizen of the Republic of Atlasia, nor who  has been a resident of this Region for fewer than thirty days at the time of his inauguration. No person shall be Lt. Governor who is not qualified to serve as Governor of this region.

Section 2: Elections for Governor and Lt. Governor shall be held every fourth month, in the months of January, May, and September. The method for electing the Governor shall be Standard Transferable Vote unless otherwise specified by law.

Candidates for Governor shall run jointly with a candidate for Lt. Governor and shall appear jointly on the ballot together. The candidate for Lt. Governor whose name appears on the ballot with the successful candidate for Governor shall be elected.

Section 3: The Governor shall have the authority to carry out all acts in association with the enforcement of the laws passed under this Constitution; to fill vacancies in the Assembly; to administer all elections and referendums mandated herein; to command the militia in times of war; to appoint, with the consent of the Assembly, members of the Superior Court, the heads of any executive departments which may be established by law, and a Lt. Governor in case of a vacancy in the office; to issue, except in cases of impeachment, pardons and reprieves for crimes committed under the laws of this Region, which shall be permanent upon their issuance, though he shall have no power to pardon himself; and to approve, or veto, all acts passed by the legislative power of this Region.

It shall be the duty of the Governor, or of any officer appointed by him for the purpose with the consent of the Assembly, to maintain the Mideast Regional Wikipedia, particularly those pages concerning the laws and government of this region.

The Governor shall, from time to time, and at least once in his term, address the citizens of the Mideast on the state of the Region.

Whenever the Regional Senator of the Mideast should become unable to continue to represent this Region in the Atlasian Senate, it shall fall upon the Governor to appoint a replacement with the consent of the Assembly.

Section 4: Should the Governor, by reason of death, impeachment, or resignation, become unable to execute the powers of his office, the Lt. Governor shall assume the office of Governor for the remainder of his term. If there be no Lt. Governor at the time of the vacancy, the presiding officer of the Assembly will assume the Governorship.

Should the Governor become temporarily unable to execute the duties of his office, he may designate the Lt. Governor as Acting Governor for a period not greater than fourteen days.

Section 5: Should the Governor or Lt. Governor, or any other member of the executive branch, be guilty of high crimes or misdemeanors, or be absent from the Fantasy Elections Subforum for more than fourteen days at one time, they may be removed from office by the Assembly.

Section 1: All judicial powers herein established shall be vested in a Superior Court.

The Superior Court shall be composed of a Judge nominated by the governor with the consent of the Assembly. No person shall serve as Judge who is not a citizen of the Republic of Atlasia nor who has been a resident of this Region for fewer than thirty days.

Section 2: The Superior Court shall have jurisdiction over all disputes arising under the laws of this Region or the Constitution of the Mideast, and shall have the authority to nullify acts of the executive and legislative branches of this government which it finds to be in conflict with this Constitution.

Section 1: The legislative authority of this Region shall be vested in an Assembly, which shall be composed of five Representatives elected every second month by the citizens of the Mideast.

No person shall be elected to the Assembly who is not both a citizen of the Republic of Atlasia and a resident of the Mideast Region.

Unless otherwise specified by law, the Representatives of the Assembly shall be elected at-large by the entire population of the Mideast.

Section 2: The Assembly shall determine its own methods of proceedings, and shall have the power to select its own officers and to judge the qualifications of its members.

Section 3: The Assembly shall have the authority to lay and collect taxes within the Mideast; to fund the functions of government; to call forth a militia in times of war, and provide for the regulation of the same; to make laws to provide for the safety and welfare of the public; to provide for the edification of the populace; to construct roads, bridges, and other features of infrastructure; to impeach, by a 4/5 vote, members of the executive and judicial branches of government, though the sentence for a successful impeachment shall not exceed removal from office and a one year ban on officeholding within the Mideast; to confirm gubernatorial appointments for executive and judicial office; to regulate commerce; and to take all other actions which they deem necessary for the defense of this Constitution and the liberties of the people.

No power granted herein to the Assembly shall ever be assumed by any of the other branches of government.

Section 4: Every bill having been passed by the Assembly shall, before it becomes law, be presented to the Governor of the Mideast; if he approves of it, he shall sign it and it will become law; but if he disapproves, he may veto it, and it shall be returned to the Assembly. If the Assembly then passes the bill once more by a 4/5 vote it shall become law regardless of the Governor's opinion.

If any bill should be presented to the Governor, and he should fail to either sign or veto it within five days of its passage, it shall become law irrespective of his judgement.

Section 5: The Lt. Governor shall be permitted to participate in the proceedings of the Assembly, but he shall have no vote unless they be equally divided, and then only in the event of a vacancy in the legislature, or the absence of one or more Representatives for a period exceeding four days, or whenever the entire Assembly shall have voted on the proposal in question.

Whenever the Lt. Governor shall serve as Acting Governor of the Mideast, he shall temporarily forfeit his membership in the Assembly.

Section 6: The Assembly shall be responsible for passing an annual budget enumerating the expenditures of the Mideast government for the coming year.

The budget will go into effect on the first day of July in the year in which it is passed and will cease to be operative on the first day of July the following year unless otherwise provided for by law.

Section 7: Whenever any Representative shall have been absent from the Assembly for a period exceeding seven days, during which time at least two bills should have been brought to a vote, without posting a Leave of Absence for the same, he shall be subject to expulsion from the legislature at the discretion of the Assembly.

Should any Representative be absent from the Assembly for a period exceeding twenty-one days, during which time at least five bills should have been brought to a vote, he shall be considered to have forfeited his seat in the legislature.

Section 1: Any resident of one of the states of this Region, who shall be considered eligible to vote in elections for federal office, and having been a resident of this region for a period of seven days or more, shall likewise be eligible to participate in all elections and referendums conducted in the Mideast.

Section 2: Voters shall be permitted to edit their ballots until twenty minutes after posting them in the Regional Voting Booth. No voter shall edit their ballot after the official end of the voting period.

Section 3: No person shall campaign in the thread in which voting shall occur. If a person does so they shall have their vote(s) counted as invalid and shall be subject to further trial and punishment as the law may provide. A person's username and signature are exempt from this clause.

Section 4: All elections and public referendums shall be administered by the Governor of the Mideast, or by the person acting as Governor. If the Governor is unable to administer the election, then the Lt. Governor, the presiding officer of the Assembly, or the Judge of the Superior Court will do so, with responsibility progressing in the given order.

Section 5: Elections for Governor and Lt. Governor shall be held in the months of January, May, and September; elections for the Assembly shall be held in the months of January, March, May, July, September, and November. Voting shall begin between 00:01 on the third Thursday of the given month and 00:00 on the first Friday thereafter, and will conclude exactly 72 hours afterwards.

All elections for regional office will be conducted on the principle of a Single Transferable Vote. When the election is for a single office, the quota for election shall be a majority of the votes cast; when it is for multiple offices, the quota for election shall be the quotient of the total votes cast divided by the number of offices to be filled. All surpluses will be redistributed proportionally according to the next-highest preferences of the ballots in question.

Section 6: Whenever a public referendum is to be held, the officer administering the election shall immediately open a thread in the Fantasy Elections Board in which the measure to be voted on can be read and discussed. After approximately 72 hours time, the officer shall then open the voting booth. Voting will continue for exactly 72 hours, except when the referendum is on a proposed amendment to the federal Constitution, in which case the vote shall continue for exactly 168 hours.

In all referendums, citizens will vote either "aye" (or yes), "nay" (or no), or "abstain". The referendum will only be considered to have passed if a majority of voters voted "aye".

Section 7: Candidates for Regional office must declare themselves as such in the appropriate thread by 00:01 on the Tuesday preceding the election in order to appear on the ballot. In order for a gubernatorial ticket to appear on the ballot, both the candidate for Governor and the candidate for Lt. Governor must declare their candidacies before this time.

Any qualified citizen of the Mideast may declare their intention to accept write-in votes at any time prior to or during the election, either by announcing so in the appropriate thread or by casting a write-in vote in their own name.

No candidate will be permitted to appear on the ballot who does not meet the qualifications for officeholding set forth in this Constitution. Write-in votes for persons Constitutionally unqualified to hold office will not be counted.

Section 8: If a citizen, meeting the Constitutional requirements for the exercise of the franchise, will be unable to access the Mideast Voting Booth during the time of the election, he or she may request an Absentee Ballot from the Governor. Said ballot shall be cast in a voting booth created for the purpose on the Fantasy Elections board, and may be edited at any time prior to the commencement of the election.

Section 9: All citizens elected to serve in the Regional Government will take office on the first Friday following their election.

Prior to assuming office, all regional officeholders will swear the following oath: "I, [state name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of [state office name] and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Mideast Region."

Section 10. Should the Assembly pass legislation, and that legislation becomes law, and at least 25% of the population publicly protest the measure in a separate thread, a public referendum shall be held on that legislation.

Section 11. Initiatives may be proposed for public referendum with the support of at least 25% of the number of registered voters in the Mideast.

Section 1: No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection under the laws of this Region.

Section 2: The right of the people to keep and bear arms of a nature reasonable for self defense shall not be infringed.

Section 3: No person shall be held in slavery or involuntary servitude except as punishment for a crime of which they have been duly convicted.

Section 4: The privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be denied except in times of public rebellion or natural disaster, and then only in a manner consistent with law.

Section 5: No branch of the Regional government shall conscript any person into the service of the Armed Forces except in times of war, public rebellion or natural disaster, and then only in a manner consistent with law.

Section 6: No soldier shall, in times of peace, be quartered in any house or building without the consent of the owner, nor in times of war except in a manner consistent with the law.

Section 7: The Armed Forces shall not be used for law enforcement or policing duties except in times of public rebellion or in the interests of public safety, and then only in a manner consistent with Law.

Section 8: No branch of the Regional government shall issue a law or declaration respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or expression, or of the press.

Section 9: No branch of government shall restrict freedom of association, nor the right to peacefully assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.

Section 10: No law shall be passed requiring a voter to denote their State of fantasy residence during an election.

Section 11: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, communications and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall be issued, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or Affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Section 12: The right to trial by jury shall be preserved and such trial will be as open and swift as justice shall allow. No person shall be tried for the same offense twice, nor shall any person be compelled to bear witness against himself. In cases of criminal prosecution, the accused shall enjoy the right to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation and the witnesses against him; to bring witnesses in his own defense; and to have the assistance of counsel in his defense.

Section 13: Private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation.

Section 14: The right of the people to privacy outside of the public sphere shall not be infringed.

Section 15: No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the armed forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger.

Section 16: In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed a hundred dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the Mideast Region, than according to the rules of the common law.

Section 17: No person, either accused or convicted of a crime, shall be subjected to excessive bail, nor excessive fines, nor cruel or unusual punishment.

Section 18: An educated populace being essential to the maintenance of a Republican society, it shall be the duty of this government to maintain publicly funded schools, which shall be open to all citizens under the age of 18.

Section 19: No law shall be passed by this government prohibiting any action which is not directly harmful to the public well being.

Section 20: Persons in employment shall have the right to organize for the purpose of collective bargaining, with such exceptions as the law may provide on grounds of vital Regional interests.

Section 21: No citizen shall be denied the right to the elective franchise except as the result of conviction of a crime under the laws of this Region, nor shall any citizen be deprived of the rights enumerated herein on the basis of race, class, creed, or sexuality.

Section 22: The holding of multiple offices under this government shall be prohibited.

Section 23: The enumeration of certain rights in this Constitution shall not be construed to deny or disparage those natural liberties herein unlisted.

Section 1: The Assembly, whenever it shall deem it necessary, may propose Amendments to this Constitution which, upon their ratification by a public referendum, shall become operative as part of this Constitution.

Section 2: Whenever 4/5 of the Assembly or 1/4 of the registered voters of this Region shall consider it desirable to improve this Constitution more fully, the Governor shall call for a Constitutional Convention to propose revisions to this document, or to replace it entirely.

Section 3: This Constitution, and all Laws passed under its authority, shall be the supreme law of the land, except when it may conflict with the federal Constitution, in which case the latter shall be supreme.

Article VII: Balanced Budget Amendment
     1)The Mideast Government shall be responsible for passing an annual budget. This budget must be on the Governor's desk by July 1st of each year.
    2)The Mideast Budget may not exceed 100% of total revenue brought in per fiscal year. Any surplus that is accumulated shall be entered into the “Mideast Emergency Fund.”
    3)In case of emergency in which the Mideast Government needs to pass a budget greater than 100% of total revenue, the Assembly may approve such a budget with a 2/3rds majority and/or cover some or all of the deficit with money from the “Mideast Emergency Fund.”
    4)If the Mideast Assembly fails to pass an annual budget, the Assembly shall be required to suspend all other legislation in debate until appropriate measures are taken

Section 3: The Governor shall have the authority to carry out all acts in association with the enforcement of the laws passed under this Constitution; to fill vacancies in the Assembly; to administer all elections and referendums mandated herein; to command the militia in times of war; to appoint, with the consent of the Assembly, members of the Superior Court, the heads of any executive departments which may be established by law, and a Lt. Governor in case of a vacancy in the office; to issue, except in cases of impeachment, pardons and reprieves for crimes committed under the laws of this Region, which shall be permanent upon their issuance, though he shall have no power to pardon himself; and to approve, or veto, all acts passed by the legislative power of this Region.

Fix the Constitution Act
The Mideast Constitution is hereby amended to read as follows:

We, the people of the States of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, the Provinces of Nunavut and Ontario, and the city of Nyman, in order to found a more permanent government, establish justice, protect the general welfare, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, and preserve the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity, and trusting in the inherent equality of all men and women, do hereby ordain and establish this Constitution for the Commonwealth of the Mideast.

Fix the Constitution Act
The Mideast Constitution is hereby amended to read as follows:

We, the people of the States of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, the Provinces of Nunavut and Ontario, and the city of Nyman, in order to found a more permanent government, establish justice, protect the general welfare, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, preserve the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity, and trusting in the inherent equality of all men and women, do hereby ordain and establish this Constitution for the Commonwealth of the Mideast.

Section 1: All executive powers granted herein shall be vested in the Governor of the Mideast, who shall be chosen for a term of four months together with a Lt. Governor.

No person shall be Governor who is not a citizen of the Republic of Atlasia, nor who  has been a resident of this Region for fewer than thirty days at the time of his inauguration. No person shall be Lt. Governor who is not qualified to serve as Governor of this region.

Section 2: Elections for Governor and Lt. Governor shall be held every fourth month, in the months of January, May, and September. The method for electing the Governor shall be Standard Transferable Vote unless otherwise specified by law.

Candidates for Governor shall run jointly with a candidate for Lt. Governor and shall appear jointly on the ballot together. The candidate for Lt. Governor whose name appears on the ballot with the successful candidate for Governor shall be elected.

Section 3: The Governor shall have the authority to carry out all acts in association with the enforcement of the laws passed under this Constitution; to fill vacancies in the Assembly; to administer all elections and referendums mandated herein; to command the militia in times of war; to appoint, with the consent of the Assembly, members of the Superior Court, the heads of any executive departments which may be established by law, and a Lt. Governor in case of a vacancy in the office; to issue, except in cases of impeachment, pardons and reprieves for crimes committed under the laws of this Region, which shall be permanent upon their issuance, though he shall have no power to pardon himself; and to approve, or veto, all acts passed by the legislative power of this Region.

It shall be the duty of the Governor, or of any officer appointed by him for the purpose with the consent of the Assembly, to maintain the Mideast Regional Wikipedia, particularly those pages concerning the laws and government of this region.

The Governor shall, from time to time, and at least once in his term, address the citizens of the Mideast on the state of the Region.

Whenever the Regional Senator of the Mideast should become unable to continue to represent this Region in the Atlasian Senate, it shall fall upon the Governor to appoint a replacement with the consent of the Assembly.

Section 4: Should the Governor, by reason of death, impeachment, or resignation, become unable to execute the powers of his office, the Lt. Governor shall assume the office of Governor for the remainder of his term. If there be no Lt. Governor at the time of the vacancy, the presiding officer of the Assembly will assume the Governorship.

Should the Governor become temporarily unable to execute the duties of his office, he may designate the Lt. Governor as Acting Governor for a period not greater than fourteen days.

Section 5: Should the Governor or Lt. Governor, or any other member of the executive branch, be guilty of high crimes or misdemeanors, or be absent from the Fantasy Elections Subforum for more than fourteen days at one time, they may be removed from office by the Assembly.

Section 1: All judicial powers herein established shall be vested in a Superior Court.

The Superior Court shall be composed of a Judge nominated by the governor with the consent of the Assembly. No person shall serve as Judge who is not a citizen of the Republic of Atlasia nor who has been a resident of this Region for fewer than thirty days.

Section 2: The Superior Court shall have jurisdiction over all disputes arising under the laws of this Region or the Constitution of the Mideast, and shall have the authority to nullify acts of the executive and legislative branches of this government which it finds to be in conflict with this Constitution.

Section 1: The legislative authority of this Region shall be vested in an Assembly, which shall be composed of five Representatives elected every second month by the citizens of the Mideast.

No person shall be elected to the Assembly who is not both a citizen of the Republic of Atlasia and a resident of the Mideast Region.

Unless otherwise specified by law, the Representatives of the Assembly shall be elected at-large by the entire population of the Mideast.

Section 2: The Assembly shall determine its own methods of proceedings, and shall have the power to select its own officers and to judge the qualifications of its members.

Section 3: The Assembly shall have the authority to lay and collect taxes within the Mideast; to fund the functions of government; to call forth a militia in times of war, and provide for the regulation of the same; to make laws to provide for the safety and welfare of the public; to provide for the edification of the populace; to construct roads, bridges, and other features of infrastructure; to impeach, by a 4/5 vote, members of the executive and judicial branches of government, though the sentence for a successful impeachment shall not exceed removal from office and a one year ban on officeholding within the Mideast; to confirm gubernatorial appointments for executive and judicial office; to regulate commerce; and to take all other actions which they deem necessary for the defense of this Constitution and the liberties of the people.

No power granted herein to the Assembly shall ever be assumed by any of the other branches of government.

Section 4: Every bill having been passed by the Assembly shall, before it becomes law, be presented to the Governor of the Mideast; if he approves of it, he shall sign it and it will become law; but if he disapproves, he may veto it, and it shall be returned to the Assembly. If the Assembly then passes the bill once more by a 4/5 vote it shall become law regardless of the Governor's opinion.

If any bill should be presented to the Governor, and he should fail to either sign or veto it within five days of its passage, it shall become law irrespective of his judgement.

Section 5: The Lt. Governor shall be permitted to participate in the proceedings of the Assembly, but he shall have no vote unless they be equally divided, and then only in the event of a vacancy in the legislature, or the absence of one or more Representatives for a period exceeding four days, or whenever the entire Assembly shall have voted on the proposal in question.

Whenever the Lt. Governor shall serve as Acting Governor of the Mideast, he shall temporarily forfeit his membership in the Assembly.

Section 6: The Assembly shall be responsible for passing an annual budget enumerating the expenditures of the Mideast government for the coming year.

The budget will go into effect on the first day of July in the year in which it is passed and will cease to be operative on the first day of July the following year unless otherwise provided for by law.


The Assembly may approve a budget greater than 100% of annual revenue received only upon a vote to do so by 2/3rds or greater of the voting members of the Assembly.

If the Mideast Assembly fails to pass an annual budget, the Assembly shall be required to suspend all other legislation in debate until the budget has been addressed.

Section 7: Whenever any Representative shall have been absent from the Assembly for a period exceeding seven days, during which time at least two bills should have been brought to a vote, without posting a Leave of Absence for the same, he shall be subject to expulsion from the legislature at the discretion of the Assembly.

Should any Representative be absent from the Assembly for a period exceeding twenty-one days, during which time at least five bills should have been brought to a vote, he shall be considered to have forfeited his seat in the legislature.

Section 1: Any resident of one of the states of this Region, who shall be considered eligible to vote in elections for federal office, and having been a resident of this region for a period of seven days or more, shall likewise be eligible to participate in all elections and referendums conducted in the Mideast.

Section 2: Voters shall be permitted to edit their ballots until twenty minutes after posting them in the Regional Voting Booth. No voter shall edit their ballot after the official end of the voting period.

Section 3: No person shall campaign in the thread in which voting shall occur. If a person does so they shall have their vote(s) counted as invalid and shall be subject to further trial and punishment as the law may provide. A person's username and signature are exempt from this clause.

Section 4: All elections and public referendums shall be administered by the Governor of the Mideast, or by the person acting as Governor. If the Governor is unable to administer the election, then the Lt. Governor, the presiding officer of the Assembly, or the Judge of the Superior Court will do so, with responsibility progressing in the given order.

Section 5: Elections for Governor and Lt. Governor shall be held in the months of January, May, and September; elections for the Assembly shall be held in the months of January, March, May, July, September, and November. Voting shall begin between 00:01 on the third Thursday of the given month and 00:00 on the first Friday thereafter, and will conclude exactly 72 hours afterwards.

All elections for regional office will be conducted on the principle of a Single Transferable Vote. When the election is for a single office, the quota for election shall be a majority of the votes cast; when it is for multiple offices, the quota for election shall be the quotient of the total votes cast divided by the number of offices to be filled. All surpluses will be redistributed proportionally according to the next-highest preferences of the ballots in question.

Section 6: Whenever a public referendum is to be held, the officer administering the election shall immediately open a thread in the Fantasy Elections Board in which the measure to be voted on can be read and discussed. After approximately 72 hours time, the officer shall then open the voting booth. Voting will continue for exactly 72 hours, except when the referendum is on a proposed amendment to the federal Constitution, in which case the vote shall continue for exactly 168 hours.

In all referendums, citizens will vote either "aye" (or yes), "nay" (or no), or "abstain". The referendum will only be considered to have passed if a majority of voters voted "aye".

Section 7: Candidates for Regional office must declare themselves as such in the appropriate thread by 00:01 on the Tuesday preceding the election in order to appear on the ballot. In order for a gubernatorial ticket to appear on the ballot, both the candidate for Governor and the candidate for Lt. Governor must declare their candidacies before this time.

Any qualified citizen of the Mideast may declare their intention to accept write-in votes at any time prior to or during the election, either by announcing so in the appropriate thread or by casting a write-in vote in their own name.

No candidate will be permitted to appear on the ballot who does not meet the qualifications for officeholding set forth in this Constitution. Write-in votes for persons Constitutionally unqualified to hold office will not be counted.

Section 8: If a citizen, meeting the Constitutional requirements for the exercise of the franchise, will be unable to access the Mideast Voting Booth during the time of the election, he or she may request an Absentee Ballot from the Governor. Said ballot shall be cast in a voting booth created for the purpose on the Fantasy Elections board, and may be edited at any time prior to the commencement of the election.

Section 9: All citizens elected to serve in the Regional Government will take office on the first Friday following their election.

Prior to assuming office, all regional officeholders will swear the following oath: "I, [state name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of [state office name] and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Mideast Region."

Section 10. Should the Assembly pass legislation, and that legislation becomes law, and at least 25% of the population publicly protest the measure in a separate thread, a public referendum shall be held on that legislation.

Section 11. Initiatives may be proposed for public referendum with the support of at least 25% of the number of registered voters in the Mideast.

Section 1: No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection under the laws of this Region.

Section 2: The right of the people to keep and bear arms of a nature reasonable for self defense shall not be infringed.

Section 3: No person shall be held in slavery or involuntary servitude except as punishment for a crime of which they have been duly convicted.

Section 4: The privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be denied except in times of public rebellion or natural disaster, and then only in a manner consistent with law.

Section 5: No branch of the Regional government shall conscript any person into the service of the Armed Forces except in times of war, public rebellion or natural disaster, and then only in a manner consistent with law.

Section 6: No soldier shall, in times of peace, be quartered in any house or building without the consent of the owner, nor in times of war except in a manner consistent with the law.

Section 7: The Armed Forces shall not be used for law enforcement or policing duties except in times of public rebellion or in the interests of public safety, and then only in a manner consistent with Law.

Section 8: No branch of the Regional government shall issue a law or declaration respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or expression, or of the press.

Section 9: No branch of government shall restrict freedom of association, nor the right to peacefully assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.

Section 10: No law shall be passed requiring a voter to denote their State of fantasy residence during an election.

Section 11: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, communications and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall be issued, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or Affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Section 12: The right to trial by jury shall be preserved and such trial will be as open and swift as justice shall allow. No person shall be tried for the same offense twice, nor shall any person be compelled to bear witness against himself. In cases of criminal prosecution, the accused shall enjoy the right to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation and the witnesses against him; to bring witnesses in his own defense; and to have the assistance of counsel in his defense.

Section 13: Private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation.

Section 14: The right of the people to privacy outside of the public sphere shall not be infringed.

Section 15: No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the armed forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger.

Section 16: In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed a hundred dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the Mideast Region, than according to the rules of the common law.

Section 17: No person, either accused or convicted of a crime, shall be subjected to excessive bail, nor excessive fines, nor cruel or unusual punishment.

Section 18: An educated populace being essential to the maintenance of a Republican society, it shall be the duty of this government to maintain publicly funded schools, which shall be open to all citizens under the age of 18.

Section 19: No law shall be passed by this government prohibiting any action which is not directly harmful to the public well being.

Section 20: Persons in employment shall have the right to organize for the purpose of collective bargaining, with such exceptions as the law may provide on grounds of vital Regional interests.

Section 21: No citizen shall be denied the right to the elective franchise except as the result of conviction of a crime under the laws of this Region, nor shall any citizen be deprived of the rights enumerated herein on the basis of race, class, creed, or sexuality.

Section 22: The holding of multiple offices under this government shall be prohibited.

Section 23: The enumeration of certain rights in this Constitution shall not be construed to deny or disparage those natural liberties herein unlisted.

Section 1: The Assembly, whenever it shall deem it necessary, may propose Amendments to this Constitution which, upon their ratification by a public referendum, shall become operative as part of this Constitution.

Section 2: Whenever 4/5 of the Assembly or 1/4 of the registered voters of this Region shall consider it desirable to improve this Constitution more fully, the Governor shall call for a Constitutional Convention to propose revisions to this document, or to replace it entirely.

Section 3: This Constitution, and all Laws passed under its authority, shall be the supreme law of the land, except when it may conflict with the federal Constitution, in which case the latter shall be supreme.