Please be Advised: Southeastern Elections

[Bacon King]

Both DWTL and SPC are invalid voters in the Southeast for this month's regional elections, per the Southeastern Constitution.

In the initiatives thread, DWTL voted, SPC responded, then DWTL made a post quoting the first two posts which have since been deleted. SPC then voted, five minutes before the earliest time voting was slated to begin. He then posted again in response to DWTL's last post

Also, in the elections thread, both of them voted before they could have legally done so.

Southeastern Constitution Article VII, Section IV:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

SPC and DWTL have both deleted a post in the initiatives thread so clause three above is violated and their votes are invalid. They also both posted more than once, violating clause two as well. Similarly, in the regional election thread their current votes are early and thus invalid, and if they vote again it will be a second post in the thread which would be invalidated by clause two.

Therefore, in accordance with the Southeastern Consitution, DWTL and SPC's are invalid to vote in either the "August Initiatives Election" or the "August Regional Elections" threads.

Now, there's the separate issue that Gov. Adams didn't specify the time the election was to begin, he just quoted the part of the Constitution that says what hours the Governor can start the election (between midnight and 11:59 AM Central time). However, this doesn't look like it will be a problem since the only votes have been before midnight and after noon. As long as he closes at an appropriate time I think everything's okay with that.

[Bacon King]

Evidence!

violations in August Initiatives Election Thread:

Bailout Refusal: Aye
Filthy South: Nay
Magistrate Titles: Aye
Regional Legislature: AYE
Governor's Plantation: Aye
KoTBP Act: Aye
Southeast Removal: Aye
Special Election: Aye
Great Magistrate: Aye

You're not supposed to vote early.

Cant'read, will vote at appropriate time later

Bailout Refusal Act
The Dirty South refuses to receive any money offered to our region in the 2009 Atlasian Economic Relief and Recovery Bill
[X] Aye
[  ] Nay
[  ] Abstain

Filthy South Bill
All references to "Dirty South" in any legal documents, titles, and official events of the region shall henceforth be replaced with "Filthy South".
[  ] Aye
[X] Nay
[  ] Abstain

Magistrate Title and Powers Amendment
1. The title of "Magistrate" shall henceforth also be optionally referred to as "Judicial Overlord". During court proceedings it shall be the choice of the reigning Magistrate to decide which title he or she will be referred to.
2. Groveling to the Magistrate during court shall be considered lawful behavior that may not be punished by law.
3. The Magistrate may require those involved in court proceedings to wear silly hats while in court.
[X] Aye
[  ] Nay
[  ] Abstain

Regional Legislature Amendment
Article I, Section 9 is amended to read:

9. Should the Governor vacate his office for any reason, the Lieutenant Governor shall become Governor and may serve out the remainder of the Governor's term. If the Lieutenant Governor should for any reason vacate his position, a special election shall be immediately held to fill the seat for the remainder of the term. If the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor vacate their positions at the same time, a special election shall be held to fill both positions for the remainder of the term. The Speaker of the Assembly shall assume the duties of Governor on a provisional basis until a citizen of the region is elected to hold the position for the remainder of the term.

Inserted after Article I:

Article II: Regional Legislative Authority
1. The legislative power of the Southeast shall be vested in the Southeast Regional Legislature.
2. The Regional Legislature shall be composed of three members, each of whom shall be registered citizens residing in the Southeast Region.
3. The Regional Legislature shall have the power to choose its own officers, including a Speaker, and judge the qualifications of its members.
4. Elections to the Regional Legislature shall take place on the second to last weekend of January, March, May, July, September, and November.
5. The method of election shall be approval voting.
6. In the event that more candidates are elected than there are seats to be filled, a runoff election shall be held the following weekend between all elected candidates with the fewest preferences.
7. In the runoff election, voters will only be allowed to preference one candidate.
8. If after the runoff election there is still more elected candidates than there are seats to be filled, then from among those elected candidates who are tied for the fewest preferences the winner(s) shall be determined by a game of chance agreed upon by all those candidates affected.
9. Vacancies in the Regional Legislature shall be filled in a manner specified by Law, and until such determination is made, by Gubernatorial appointment.

Article III: Legislation
1. All ordinary legislation shall first be considered in the Regional Legislature.
2. Legislation shall be considered by the Regional Legislature upon petition of any Regional Legislature member, the Governor, or two Southeast citizens.
3. Should the Regional Legislature pass ordinary legislation by a majority vote, then the Governor may sign such legislation into Law, or veto such legislation. A veto may be overturned upon the unanimous vote of the Regional Legislature.
4. The Governor shall have seven days to sign or veto ordinary legislation passed by the Regional Legislature. After seven days, legislation which the Governor has not signed or vetoed shall be considered as Law.
5. Should the Regional Legislature pass legislation that subsequently enters law, whether sign by the governor or via a veto override, and a group of 3 or more citizens publicly protest the measure in either the Southeast Regional Legislature or a separate thread, a public referendum shall be held on that legislation. All public referenda shall come to a vote in accordance with Article IV, Section 1 of this Constitution.

All subsequent articles shall be renumbered accordingly.
[X] Aye
[  ] Nay
[  ] Abstain

Governor's Plantation Act
The home of the governor is hereby officially known as "The Governor's Plantation"

[X] Aye
[  ] Nay
[  ] Abstain

Monument to KoTBP Act
The Dirty South region shall invest a total not to exceed $20 million on building a statue, to be located on the Governor's Plantation, to honor Fmr. Gov. KoTBP
[  ] Aye
[X] Nay
[  ] Abstain

Southeast Removal Act
WHEREAS the Southeast was boring and unexciting region

WHEREAS the region was reborn into a new era in August 2008

WHEREAS the region dually adopted the new "Dirty South" to signify the rebirth

WHEREAS the term "Dirty South" is still not used on most official proclamations

The Dirty South region formally drops its dual-name and shall henceforth only be known as the Dirty South
[X] Aye
[  ] Nay
[  ] Abstain

Why the Need for Special Election Act?
To amend the current text of Article I, Section 9 of the Dirty South Constitution which currently reads:

Should the Governor vacate his office for any reason, the Lieutenant Governor shall become Governor and may serve out the remainder of the Governor's term. If the Lieutenant Governor should for any reason vacate his position, a special election shall be immediately held to fill the seat for the remainder of the term. If the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor vacate their positions at the same time, a special election shall be held to fill both positions for the remainder of the term

to

Should the Governor vacate his office for any reason, the Lieutenant Governor shall become Governor and may serve out the remainder of the Governor's term.  During this time, the now acting governor may appoint a Lieutenant Governor of their own.  If the Lieutenant Governor should for any reason vacate his position, the governor shall appoint a new lieutenant governor to finish out the rest of a term.
[X] Aye
[  ] Nay
[  ] Abstain

Monument to the Greatest Magistrate 3V4R!!!1111ONE2 Act
The region shall invest a total not to exceed $200 trillion on building a statue one billion cubits tall, the foot of which is to be firmly planted upon the Governor's Plantation, to honor the glory of Magistrate John Dibble.
[  ] Aye
[X] Nay
[  ] Abstain

Bailout Refusal: Aye
Filthy South: Nay
Magistrate Titles: Aye
Regional Legislature: AYE
Governor's Plantation: Aye
KoTBP Act: Aye
Southeast Removal: Aye
Special Election: Aye
Great Magistrate: Aye

You're not supposed to vote early.

Cant'read, will vote at appropriate time later

Sorry, I misread too. You were right.

Violations in the Elections Thread:

Governor
Daniel Adams

Lt. Gov.
PiT

Governor
[ ] Daniel Adams (RPP-FL)
[X] Write in: PiT (The Physicist)

Lieutenant Governor
[ ] PiT (The Physicist) (RPP-LA)
[X] Write-in: Daniel Adams

[Јas]

lol

[DownWithTheLeft]

Oh well, now if the assembly fails because of this non-sense then we'll move for an emergency vote.  We can't keep pushing it back on technicalities

[Bacon King]

Oh well, now if the assembly fails because of this non-sense then we'll move for an emergency vote.  We can't keep pushing it back on technicalities

The Constitution is just a technicality?

[DownWithTheLeft]

Oh well, now if the assembly fails because of this non-sense then we'll move for an emergency vote.  We can't keep pushing it back on technicalities

The Constitution is just a technicality?

It was an honest mistake that shouldn't cost the great citizens of our regions.  I've had enough we this, we have the votes this assembly is going through

[Alexander Hamilton]

The assembly should go through as it has the votes, either now or a special vote next week. Imagine if CA's Prop 8 only passed because of some technicality that through out a few thousand votes or something. It would be one of the biggest outrages ever.

[Daniel Adams]

I think there would be a pretty strong case for an emergency initiative on the legislature proposal if it were clear it would have been victorious but for the invalidation of DWTL and SPC's votes. I will make a decision based on that criterion once the voting booth is closed.

[Bacon King]

The assembly should go through as it has the votes, either now or a special vote next week. Imagine if CA's Prop 8 only passed because of some technicality that through out a few thousand votes or something. It would be one of the biggest outrages ever.

Keep in mind that the assembly vote failed last month, but DWTL got it forced on the ballot again this month. To make your analogy more accurate, it would be like Proposition 8 failed but its organizers just stuck it right back on the ballot and pledged to keep doing it until it passed. How is that not the outrageous thing?

Besides, the biggest problem here was that DWTL and SPC voted too early, not to mention the whole business of deleting posts. I don't really see how ignoring the starting time of an election is a "technicality." To complete your analogy, Hamilton, it's like Proposition 8 failed and then its organizers put it on the ballot again, but in that election too many people show up at five AM before the polls open and just slip ballots under the door instead. Those votes don't count, but is it really only a "technicality" that they don't?

[DownWithTheLeft]

The analogy is flawed, its more like the poll workers open the doors at 5 AM and had the machines running but weren't supposed to.  BTW, the intiative would have passed had Gov. Adam's been around to vote.  Even if the governor does not want to go it alone, three citizens can petition for an emergency assembly and DWTL+SPC+and either PiT, Duke, any other RPP member will be sufficent

[Хahar 🤔]

Keep in mind that the assembly vote failed last month, but DWTL got it forced on the ballot again this month. To make your analogy more accurate, it would be like Proposition 8 failed but its organizers just stuck it right back on the ballot and pledged to keep doing it until it passed. How is that not the outrageous thing?

"Sorry, you voted the wrong way" referenda have a long and proud history. There's one in Ireland on October 2nd.

[Daniel Adams]

The assembly should go through as it has the votes, either now or a special vote next week. Imagine if CA's Prop 8 only passed because of some technicality that through out a few thousand votes or something. It would be one of the biggest outrages ever.

Keep in mind that the assembly vote failed last month, but DWTL got it forced on the ballot again this month. To make your analogy more accurate, it would be like Proposition 8 failed but its organizers just stuck it right back on the ballot and pledged to keep doing it until it passed. How is that not the outrageous thing?

The assembly proposal was not "forced on the ballot" by DWTL. It was re-proposed by PiT, the author of the legislation, and duly received the constitutionally required quorum of signatures. There was nothing questionable about it, and neither did DWTL have any rôle in it beyond signing the proposal.

Besides, the biggest problem here was that DWTL and SPC voted too early, not to mention the whole business of deleting posts. I don't really see how ignoring the starting time of an election is a "technicality." To complete your analogy, Hamilton, it's like Proposition 8 failed and then its organizers put it on the ballot again, but in that election too many people show up at five AM before the polls open and just slip ballots under the door instead. Those votes don't count, but is it really only a "technicality" that they don't?

It is manifest, I think, that DWTL and SPC were confused as to the time the voting booths were to be opened. That is partly my fault, as you write in your original post, because I didn't make it clear when the voting was to begin. Your analogy fails because DWTL and SPC did not vote early in mala fide, as one supposes people slipping votes under the door would.

[Meeker]

The assembly should go through as it has the votes, either now or a special vote next week. Imagine if CA's Prop 8 only passed because of some technicality that through out a few thousand votes or something. It would be one of the biggest outrages ever.

It would also be, you know, the law, which some of us care about.

[DownWithTheLeft]

If BK is so sure the DS does not want an assembly I'm sure he'll have problem seeing it defeated next week in a special election

[Bacon King]

For the record, I agree with Gov. Adams that there is reason for an emergency vote if aside from DWTL and SPC invalidating their votes the amendment would have passed.

However, I'd like to point out anyway that the first part of the Legislature Amendment and the "Why the need for a Special Election?" amendments are directly contradictory. Best be glad it's not getting approved this time because it would have just been a legal nightmare anyway!

But anyways Daniel, I did use a bit of hyperbole in making my point there, of course. Although you didn't specify the exact time voting started they still posted before the earliest time you said, so it is pretty clear the guys weren't following directions!

And while PiT may have been the one proposing it, it's also pretty obvious that DWTL is the driving force behind all this. I don't think there's any debating that.

And DWTL, I don't think I've ever made any claims as to what I think the Southeastern people want, I just oppose it because it's a really horrible idea as I've elucidated dozens of times by now.

[DownWithTheLeft]

Well, we actually seem to be on the same page about this issue, other than that fact I am the driving force behind them, I am one of many

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Leading members of Regional Protection Party in not knowing laws of own Region shock. lolz. I mean, why invent satire in this place...

[DownWithTheLeft]

Leading members of Regional Protection Party in not knowing laws of own Region shock. lolz. I mean, why invent satire in this place...

Sorry I don't have the time you and Xahar do to sit and memorize constitutions or even the read the fine print

[Marokai Backbeat]

Leading members of Regional Protection Party in not knowing laws of own Region shock. lolz. I mean, why invent satire in this place...

Sorry I don't have the time you and Xahar do to sit and memorize constitutions or even the read the fine print

Yeah, reading is for losers.

[Bacon King]

Leading members of Regional Protection Party in not knowing laws of own Region shock. lolz. I mean, why invent satire in this place...

Sorry I don't have the time you and Xahar do to sit and memorize constitutions or even the read the fine print

or even read the post at the top of the voting thread, lol

[DownWithTheLeft]

This is assembly is getting done, whether now or special election.  Period.  I have commanded and my word shall be law

[Lief 🗽]

The disrespect for the law and the constitution by the leaders of the RPP is... well... not exactly shocking, but still probably a bad thing.

[SPC]

The disrespect for the law and the constitution by the leaders of the RPP is... well... not exactly shocking, but still probably a bad thing.

The constitution says that the governor can convene emergency votes when necessary.

[Daniel Adams]

The disrespect for the law and the constitution by the leaders of the RPP is... well... not exactly shocking, but still probably a bad thing.

Oh, this is ridiculous.

This entire incident has been amicably resolved. DWTL and SPC have both recognized (at least tacitly) that their votes are invalid, and Bacon King has agreed that there should be an emergency vote if this prevents the legislature proposal from being approved. No one here has intentionally disrespected the law or the Constitution. I'd ask non-Southeasterners to kindly avoid posting such mindless conjectures. 

[John Dibble]

People, the most important thing about this election is voting for my giant statue - need I remind you that anyone who votes against building the statue is a filthy communist and a traitor to our region.

Building this monument will create tens of thousands - maybe even hundreds of thousands - of jobs that our citizens so desperately need in both the public and private sectors. Even before the statue is completed, no doubt we will experience an influx of tourism and the revenue that will no doubt accompany it, for people will come far and wide to see the spectacle. They will no doubt cower in fear of my visage long after I am dead, and shall surely be in awe of the region that was capable of building such a wonder.