Labor Party Standing Committee thread: Endorsement voting

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

I think that we should have regular votes for party positions.

[LastVoter]

I think that we should have regular votes for party positions.

[Adam Griffin]

I think that we should have regular votes for party positions.

I agree. I think 4-month terms are appropriate, and elections could coincide with the Presidential elections. They do not have to be aligned perfectly with Presidential elections, but could be within the same month.

[Gass3268]

I agree and I'll work on creating some official party by-laws tomorrow so we can have them in writing. 

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I agree and I'll work on creating some official party by-laws tomorrow so we can have them in writing. 

Thank you.

[Donerail]

On behalf of the Imperial Dominion of the South I formally welcome y'all to the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex!

[Zanas]

And as my campaign for Southern Region Legislature has successfully ended, I hereby welcome you to a more and more working class and liberties friendly region !

If you'll allow me, I'll address a speech at the Convention in a few days for both thanking my fellow citizens and push forward a few of my agendas.

I agree on the 4-month term for Party official positions, of which I could see a Chairperson, a Vice-chair, a Secretary General (in charge of logistics and recruitment). Maybe we could elect a Politburo of our own that could propose a platform that would be voted by our Congress or Convention.

I think we should have our Party elections two weeks after the Presidential elections. That way we could by then have analysed what went right and wrong during said campaign, and therefore make the necessary changes (or continuities). Less than two weeks might lead to unwanted results where an unsuccessful candidate could get thrown away in despair.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

I would agree with waiting for the chair elections to be held after the presidential elections.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

I think we should have a Whip.

[Gass3268]

Here are the By-laws!!!

Labor Party By-laws

•   Establishment of regular conventions
-   Convention will start one month before the Atlasia Presidential Election
-   The location of the convention will rotate among the five regions of Atlasia in the fallowing order: Mideast, Imperial Dominion, Pacific Northeast and Midwest
-   Establishing the next convention shall employ the fallowing process:
o   Each Member is given 24 hours to nominate one city in the given region assigned for the next convention
o   Top three nominations will be put on a ballot
o   Members will be given 24 hours ton select their choice   
-   Each convention will have the fallowing agenda
1.   Updating and amending the party by-laws
2.   Election of the new Politburo
3.   Updating and amending the party platform
4.   Endorsements for the upcoming Atlasia Federal Elections
5.   Special and irregular business put forward by the Chairman
6.   Establishing the date and city for the upcoming convention
•   Creation and amending of party by-laws
-   By-laws will be presented to the members
-   Members will then be allowed to make objections and suggest changes to the by-laws
-   If there are no objections, the by-laws will be automatically approved
-   If there are objections, 24 hours will be given for the members to discuss and make changes as a group, more time can be given by the Chairman if necessary
-   Then a 24 hour vote will take place to approve or reject the by-laws
•   Creation and amending of the of party platform
-   The Vice Chair will have the task of the initial creation of the party platform
-   Platform will be presented to the members
-   Members will then be allowed to make objections and suggest changes to the platform
-   If there are no objections, the platform will be automatically approved
-   If there are objections, 24 hours will be given for the members to discuss and make changes as a group, more time can be given by the Chairman if necessary
-   Then a 24 hour vote will take place to approve or reject the platform
•   Election of the politburo
-   Members will have 24 hours to declare that they wish to have the fallowing positions: Chairman, Vice-Chairman & General Secretary
-   We will then have a 24 hour election for Chairman
-   The elected Chairman will then have the ability to make his selection for Vice-Chairman, General Secretary and any other position he wishes to create
-   If two members object to the selections made by the Chairman, then the appointments will have to be confirmed by the party
-   If the appointment is rejected, the process is repeated
•    Role of the Politburo
-   Chairman:
o   The official leader of the party, unless there is a Labor Party President
o   Is in charge of the convention process and all of the actives that take place
o   Giving the Vice Chairman and the General Secretary goals and objectives for their given jobs
o   Is allowed to create appoint other party officials as he or she sees fit
-   Vice Chairman
o   Takes over for the Chairman if the Chairman requests a leave of absence or has been absent for 24 during the convention
o   Is in charge of party political strategy
o   Is also the party whip, responsible for getting party members out to vote for the right candidates in elections, that party members vote the right way in the legislatures and governors approve/veto the correct bills
-   General Secretary
o   Takes over for the Chairman and Vice Chairman if the Chairman and Vice Chairman both have requested a leave of absence or has been absent for 24 during the convention
o   Is in charge of party recruitment with the goal of growing the party
o   Is also in charge of candidate requirement for all levels of government
•   Endorsement and primary procedure
-   All Labor party members are automatically endorsed by the party, except for the following situations in which there will be a Labor Party Primary:
o   There are more Labor party members running then open spots in a given election, then we have a primary
o   A Labor party member is a party of a cross party ticket for President or Governor
-   Primaries
o   Primaries will take place 3 weeks before the respective election
o   Voting will last for 3 days
o   The loser is not allowed to run as an independent and remain a member of the Labor Party
-   Regular Endorsements
o   If there are not enough Labor Party members running for a given election, we will then endorse candidates from other parties
o   Endorsement elections will take place 3 weeks before the respective election
o   In order to receive the endorsement of the Labor Party, the candidate from the other party has declare that he or she wishes to receive or party’s endorsement at least 24 hours before the endorsement election takes place 
o   Voting will last for 3 days
-   Convention Endorsements
o   Follow’s the same procedures as regular endorsements, except it takes place during the convention
o   Only deals with the upcoming Federal Elections for President and Senate

[Gass3268]

I've spent the last 3 hours working on this, so if someone wants to make it look better, that would be great, lol! =p

[Zanas]

Wow what a piece of work !

And I see you used some of the denominations I had used. In my mind, it was more the Secretary General that had the role of whip, for me it's a most strategic role, one that knows basically every member, knows when to address them by PM if they don't show up for a vote, makes them proposals of offices to run for that fit into the party's strategies, and is also able to browse the whole forum a bit to recruit new members. (in that prospect, maybe we should contact Spanish Moss and explain the game, he could be a good recrue) It is a role best fitted for someone who spends a lot of time on the forum, and is here frequently, and preferably who has some seniority in the game and the party to know everyone. I know I wouldn't run for it now !

If the Vice-Chair is in charge of political strategy, he has to look into each region to see what's going on, what is being discussed and voted, and adapt the party's stances on that. I don't know who it will be, but in order to elaborate our first platform I think we might consider having a three person committe working on it, otherwise it might prove too much work for one only.

And then the Chair is in charge of the whole, impulsing momentum to the party, proposing the main orientations, and settling disputes or difficulties.

I have other things but I have to go eat now, so I'll stop by later

[Gass3268]

Anybody eles have any thoughts on the by-laws?

[Zanas]

Do we have to automatically endorse people in every election ? I mean our candidates are ok, and sometimes other parties' candidates why not, but does it need to be a rule ? As it's written in the by-laws, it seems as if we're required to endorse as many people as there are seats available in each election.

Also, there are two other alternatives to the election of the Politburo that we might consider :
- 3-member tickets are running as a bloc (Chair, VC, SG), one member cannot be on two different tickets, we vote on the tickets, that would as a consequence reduce the number of candidacies, or even prevent that we ever had two tickets running against each other, which can strengthen party unity but also reduce internal debate and renewal
- we have a separate election for each position, a member can or cannot run for different positions, which would maximize the amount of candidacies, but could get a bit frustrating if someone who ran for all three positions gets two of them and has to choose, or gets one whereas someone who dedicated oneself to a position in particular doesn't.

Again I really think the Vice-Chair is a more political as in ideological role, and Secretary General deals with logistics and personnel. The Chair of course deals with both and rules.

[LastVoter]

Do we have to automatically endorse people in every election ? I mean our candidates are ok, and sometimes other parties' candidates why not, but does it need to be a rule ? As it's written in the by-laws, it seems as if we're required to endorse as many people as there are seats available in each election.

Also, there are two other alternatives to the election of the Politburo that we might consider :
- 3-member tickets are running as a bloc (Chair, VC, SG), one member cannot be on two different tickets, we vote on the tickets, that would as a consequence reduce the number of candidacies, or even prevent that we ever had two tickets running against each other, which can strengthen party unity but also reduce internal debate and renewal
- we have a separate election for each position, a member can or cannot run for different positions, which would maximize the amount of candidacies, but could get a bit frustrating if someone who ran for all three positions gets two of them and has to choose, or gets one whereas someone who dedicated oneself to a position in particular doesn't.

Again I really think the Vice-Chair is a more political as in ideological role, and Secretary General deals with logistics and personnel. The Chair of course deals with both and rules.

My opinions are bolded.

[LastVoter]

I think all voting should be 72 hours.

[Adam Griffin]

I think all voting should be 72 hours.

No other major issues. I think the part in regards to enforcing Labor candidates not to run as Independents might be an issue, though.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

I'm not sure if we could actually force people out of the party.

[Napoleon]

I'm not sure if we could actually force people out of the party.

Freedom to assemble?

[Gass3268]

I've fixed up the structure a bit and revised parts (text in bold) to reflect the wishes of the party:

Labor Party By-laws

Establishment of regular conventions
- Convention will start one month before the Atlasia Presidential Election
- The location of the convention will rotate among the five regions of Atlasia in the fallowing  order: Mideast, Imperial Dominion, Pacific Northeast and Midwest
- Establishing the next convention shall employ the fallowing process:
   o Each Member is given 24 hours to nominate one city in the given region assigned for the next convention
   o Top three nominations will be put on a ballot
   o Members will be given 24 hours ton select their choice   
- Each convention will have the fallowing agenda
   1. Updating and amending the party by-laws
   2. Election of the new Politburo
   3. Updating and amending the party platform
   4. Endorsements for the upcoming Atlasia Federal Elections
   5. Special and irregular business put forward by the Politburo
   6. Establishing the date and city for the upcoming convention
   7. Selection of by-laws and platform committee for the next convention

Creation and amending of party by-laws
- The Chairman, along with two party members appointed by the Chairman, will have the initial task of creating the party platform and will be in charge of initial changes in subsequent conventions 
- By-laws are then presented to the members
- Members will then be allowed to make objections and suggest changes to the by-laws
- If there are no objections, the by-laws will be automatically approved
- If there are objections, 24 hours will be given for the members to discuss and make changes as a group, more time can be given by the Politburo if necessary
- Then a 72 hour vote will take place to approve or reject the by-laws

Creation and amending of the of party platform
- The Vice Chair, along with two party members appointed by the Vice Chairman, will have the initial task of creating the party platform and will be in charge of initial changes in subsequent conventions 
- Platform are then presented to the members
- Members will then be allowed to make objections and suggest changes to the platform
- If there are no objections, the platform will be automatically approved
- If there are objections, 24 hours will be given for the members to discuss and make changes as a group, more time can be given by the Politburo if necessary
- Then a 72 hour vote will take place to approve or reject the platform

Election of the Politburo
- Members will have 24 hours to declare that they wish to have the fallowing positions: Chairman, Vice-Chairman & General Secretary
- The declared candidates will then have 24 hours to group together as a three-member ticket
- There will then be 24 hours for campaigning
- We will then have a 72 hour election for Chairman
- The elected Chairman will then have the ability to appoint other party members to positions he or she wishes to create 

Role of the Politburo
-Chairman:
   o The official leader of the party, unless there is a Labor Party President
   o Is in charge of the convention process and all of the actives that take place
   o Giving the Vice Chairman and the General Secretary goals and objectives for their given jobs
   o Is allowed to create appoint other party officials as he or she sees fit
   o In charge of creating and updating the by-laws at the party convention with the assistance of a personally appointed committee
- Vice Chairman:
   o Takes over for the Chairman if the Chairman requests a leave of absence or has been absent for 24 during the convention
   o Is in charge of party political strategy
   o Responsible for keeping up with business on the Federal and Regional levels and making sure that the Labor Party has an official stance on the issue, this will be done in collaboration with the rest of the Politburo and the advise of the members
   o In charge of creating and updating the platform at the party convention with the assistance of a personally appointed committee
-General Secretary
   o Takes over for the Chairman and Vice Chairman if the Chairman and Vice Chairman both  have requested a leave of absence or has been absent for 24 during the convention
   o Deals with logistics and personnel
   o Responsible for getting party members out to vote for the right candidates in elections, that party members vote the right way in the legislatures and governors approve/veto the correct bills
   o In charge of party recruitment with the goal of growing the party
   o In also in charge of candidate requirement for all levels of government

Endorsement and primary procedure
- All Labor party members are automatically endorsed by the party, except for the following situations in which there will be a Labor Party Primary:
   o There are more Labor party members running then open spots in a given election, then we have a primary
   o A Labor party member is a party of a cross party ticket for President or Governor, then we will also have a primary
   o A Labor party member lost a primary and proceeded to run as a independent
- Primaries
   o Primaries will take place 3 weeks before the respective election
   o Voting will last for 72 hours 
   o The loser is strongly encouraged not to run as an independent, as doing so will result in losing a position in the politburo, not being allowed to run in primaries or receive the party’s endorsement subsequent 3 Federal elections
- Non Endorsements
   o If there are not enough Labor Party members running for a given election, we will then endorse candidates from other parties, in order for our party to have endorsed the same number of candidates as openings
   o Endorsement elections will take place 3 weeks before the respective election
   o In order to receive the endorsement of the Labor Party, the candidate from the other party has declare that he or she wishes to receive or party’s endorsement at least 24 hours before the endorsement election takes place 
   o Voting will last for 72 hours
- Convention Endorsements
   o Will follow the same procedures as regular endorsements, except it takes place during the convention
   o Only deals with the upcoming Federal Elections for President and Senate

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Sure.

[Gass3268]

Anybody eles have any thoughts on what I posted?

[Zanas]

You'll say I'm picking, but are we deciding for the 3-position ticket solution ? I was more on the side of separate ballots for each position, as Seatown expressed, but I had stated all the possible ways of doing this. What do our comrades think ?

Your section on the by-laws says "party platform" in it : copy/paste malfunction I guess.

Maybe next 3 federal elections ban for a Labor running as an independent is a bit too much, as in 4 months a lot of water can run under bridges. Maybe just a ban on the next regular election to the position that member seeked and the next regular federal election might be enough.

I think we should maybe have some kind of By-laws Application Control Committee, and a Disciplinary Committee to discuss potential exclusions. Every serious Party got these. Maybe the first one could be entrusted solely to the GenSec, but the second should be a independent one, and no Politburo member should sit there. Maybe we should only write in the possibility to gather such a committee should there be a disciplinary hearing to organize and how it should be composed.

That's all for now, please all react so we can move on. Our convention seems to be in the foreplay stages still...

[Gass3268]

I'll make some changes later tonight. I would really like to think what the current leadership and elected officals think of these rules.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Nathan? You there?