Northeast Assembly Thread II

[cinyc]

The new Assembly is in session.  Do we elect a speaker now or wait for the Governor to name a Lt. Governor before electing a speaker?

[cinyc]

The new Assembly is in session.  Do we elect a speaker now or wait for the Governor to name a Lt. Governor before electing a speaker?

I will be naming Cincinnatus as Lt Governor shortly. Tonight most likely. Then he'll open a vote for Speaker. The holidays are a hard time to start a new session of the Assembly.

Which is one reason for my Uniform December Election Day Amendment.

[cinyc]

I will run for Speaker.

[cinyc]

[X] cinyc

[cinyc]

Thank you, Mr. Lt. Governor.  We will start debate on the Uniform December Election Day Amendment in a separate NE1 thread within the hour. 

Northeast Representatives are encouraged to place their proposed legislation in the proposed legislation thread.  I will generally be taking things up in the order proposed for the NE2 slot.

[cinyc]

I am resigning from the Assembly and leaving Atlasia.

That's too bad.  Thank you for your service in the Assembly!

[cinyc]

When will the next regular Assembly election take place?

February 20/21-23

[cinyc]

The last session of the Northeast Assembly is now history.  The new session of the Northeast Assembly starts today.  Northeast Representatives elected in the recent election are encouraged to swear in using the official swear-in thread on in the Atlas Fantasy Government forum. 

I trust our new Governor will name his Lieutenant Governor shortly and we will then commence electing a new Speaker.

[cinyc]

I will accept the nomination.

[cinyc]

[X] cinyc

[cinyc]

Thank you, Mr. Lieutenant Governor.  There is currently no legislation in the queue.  The Northeast Assembly Legislation Introduction Thread is currently on page 3 of the Regional Governments board.  It is open for Representatives and others to post new legislation for the Assembly's consideration.

[cinyc]

The Speaker has deregistered.  Under the SOAP, the Lt. Governor needs to open up nominations for Speaker.  He can't run in the election.

Mr. Lt. Governor, please do the honors.

Also, what happened to the posts with our most recent legislation.  Was it deleted?

[cinyc]

The Speaker has deregistered.  Under the SOAP, the Lt. Governor needs to open up nominations for Speaker.  He can't run in the election.

Mr. Lt. Governor, please do the honors.

Also, what happened to the posts with our most recent legislation.  Was it deleted?

I would request we wait until SirNick's replacement is appointed - I have a few people lined up and am waiting on a response. I'm sure it will be quick.

As for the debate? Seems like Nick deleted everything on his way out.

Is there any way we can get the posts back?  Perhaps one of the mods can help.

The SOAP says, "At the beginning of each term of the Assembly, and at any time when the office is vacant, the first order of business of the Assembly shall be to elect the Speaker."  In other words, we can't do anything until we elect another speaker.  Please be quick or we'll have to move on without you.  I think your appointment is permanent this time, as it is February.

[cinyc]

I respectfully decline the nomination.

I nominate Matt From VT.  He told me he wants the job.

[cinyc]

When do we have the vote on speaker?

After the 24 hour nomination period has passed - but only if there is more than one nominee.  Otherwise, the sole nominee becomes speaker without a vote.

[cinyc]

Unless the version of the SOAP that's on the Wiki has been subsequently amended but not updated on the Wiki, there's no need for an election.

Role of Speaker Section 5 states: "At the close of nominations, if only one member has been nominated, he shall immediately be declared to have been elected."

Only one member has been nominated.  So Matt should be declared elected Speaker.

[cinyc]

Thank you, my dear friends! It would appear that the former speaker went down the unfortunate route of deleting all of the recent debate threads. As soon as I figure out where we are in terms of bills, then we can get back to work.

See Governor Sawx's post above.  There were three bills on the floor when the purge began.  You should start there.

[cinyc]

Should the Assembly start up again now we've got new members in

The new Assembly convenes tomorrow.

[cinyc]

I am out of a job because the new Assembly is now in session.  Elected officials should swear in again on the swear-in thread, even if they did it last session.  Good luck to the new Assembly!

[cinyc]

Nominations are closed. Members have 24 hours to vote for a Speaker (until 9:03, April 2)

Ballot:
[ ] dkrol

If only one person is nominated, there is no need for a vote.  That person is automatically named Speaker.

[cinyc]

Unfortunately, the proposed Amendment to the Constitution passed by the last Assembly wasn't put up for a vote in the June elections.  In order to make sure that we satisfy the Northeast Constitution, somebody probably needs to re-propose it and the Assembly needs to revote on it.  If this is done before July 10, the referendum should be put to the voters July 24-26, under my reading of the Northeast Constitution.  And it probably should have a better name this time - Assembly Inactivity Amendment or something like that, perhaps?

If the Governor or one of the Northeast Representatives doesn't place this into the queue, I will consider doing so by citizen initiative.

Thanks.

[cinyc]

Governor Sawx has nominated me to the vacant CJO post.  The Assembly must vote to confirm.  I think traditionally, the Assembly has held a hearing to question the CJO, usually in a separate post.  I would be more than happy to answer your questions.

[cinyc]

FYI - the Assembly needs to elect a speaker for the new Assembly.  The vote is to be opened by the Lieutenant Governor, if the governor has named one.

[cinyc]

The Northeast Election Codification Commission has completed its work.  Here is our report.  First, our proposed omnibus Northeast Election law (which takes up 2 posts), then our explanation of our proposed changes (in a third post):

Consolidated Northeastern Election Law
1) Filling vacancies
 A) Assembly
  i) When a vacancy arises in the Assembly three or more weeks before the next regularly scheduled Assembly election, the vacancy shall be filled by a special election.
  ii) The special election shall be held in the same manner and procedure as a regular election for the whole Assembly.
  iii) If the date of the vacancy is two days or less before a Friday, the election shall be held on the next weekend.
  iv) Upon the certification of the results by the appropriate election administrator, the elected candidate shall be eligible to assume their seat.
  v) The governor may appoint a person to fill the vacated seat.  The term of the appointed representative shall expire on the swearing-in of the newly elected representative.
  vi)  When a vacancy arises in the Assembly less than three weeks before the next regularly scheduled Assembly election, the vacancy shall be filled by gubernatorial appointment.
 B) Regional Senator
  i) If a vacancy should arise for the Northeast Senate seat, a special election shall take place to fill the vacancy. The polling booth shall be opened at 12:00:00AM Eastern Standard Time on the Friday after the vacancy occurs, unless the date of the vacancy is two days or less before that Friday, in which case, the polling booth shall be opened at 12:00:00AM Eastern Standard time the following Friday.  The polling booth shall close at 11:59:59PM the following Sunday.  The victor shall be seated immediately. The Governor may appoint an interim Senator to fill the seat in the time between the arising of the vacancy and election of a new Senator.
  ii) If there are less than three weeks before the next regularly scheduled regional Senate election when the vacancy occurs, the Governor may forgo the special election and appoint a Senator subject to confirmation by the Legislative Assembly.
 C) Governor
  i) Northeast Governor vacancies shall be filled in the manner described in Article III, Sections 6-7 of the Northeast Constitution.  As of the time of this law, those provisions state:
"6. If the office of Governor is to become vacant at some point while he or she is in office, the Lieutenant Governor shall assume the role of Acting Governor until a special election may be held. During this time, the Acting Governor shall retain their position as Lieutenant Governor and Representative. However, they shall not be able to exercise any of their duties as Lieutenant or as Representative during this time. If the vacancy occurs less than three weeks before the next regularly scheduled election, the Lieutenant Governor shall immediately become the Governor and serve for the remainder of the term - vacating their other offices.

7. In the event that the office of Governor falls vacant three or more weeks before the next scheduled gubernatorial election, a special election shall be held to fill the remainder of the term. The election shall be held on the first Friday following the vacancy, except where the Friday falls within two days of the position becoming vacant, in which case the election will take place the following Friday, and be held in the same manner as a regular gubernatorial election. Upon certification of the results, the Governor-elect shall immediately assume office upon swearing in."
2) Voting Booth
 A) Text of Voting Booth
  Section i.
   a. The voting guideline outlined in Section ii of this act applies to all regional elections held within the Northeast, but not those conducted by the Northeast for the federal government, such as constitutional amendments.
   b. The relevant administrator of the election shall be charged with posting the guideline outlined in Section ii in the voting booth.
   c. The provision allowing for the None of the Above option is repealed.
  Section ii.
   a. The voting guideline shall appear as follows:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

b. When a referendum is placed on the ballot, the following language shall be inserted:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

 B) Voting Booth Rules
  i)  Once a ballot has been posted in the voting booth thread, the voter shall have 20 minutes from the posting of the ballot to edit his post as necessary; but no ballot shall be counted as valid which has been edited more than 20 minutes after being posted in the voting booth thread.
  ii) No voter may make any post in the voting booth that is not the voter's ballot, nor make multiple posts in the voting booth. Such action will result in the invalidation of any applicable ballots.
  iii)  For a ballot to be counted in a regional election, it must be cast in the same language by which it was presented to the voter.
  iv) In the event that the polls shall not have been opened by 7:00 am Eastern Standard Time on the day appointed for the election to begin, any member of the Atlasian Supreme Court, the Registrar General, Secretary of Federal Elections, Governor or the Lieutenant Governor of the Northeast has the authority to open the polls and conduct the vote.
  v) In referendums and proposed constitutional amendment votes, voters shall vote either Aye or Nay.

[cinyc]

(Continued)

3) Vote Counting
 A) Counting Rules
  i) After the close of polls, the ‘total valid poll’ shall be calculated, this being the total number of valid votes cast in the election.
  ii) The ‘quota’ (i.e. the number of votes required to be deemed elected) shall then be calculated as the whole number (disregarding any attached fraction) resulting from the following equation:
[Total Valid Poll/(Number of seats to be filled + 1)] + 1
  iii) A first count shall then be made quantifying the total number of first preferences each valid candidate did receive. Any candidates receiving more than or equal to the quota shall be deemed elected.
  iv) A surplus shall be re-allocated from each elected candidate to their preferences in order. The amount that each vote shall be worth for allocation shall be calculated as the number resulting from the following equation: {[(Total Value of Candidate's Votes - Quota) / (Total Value of Candidate's Vote)] x Value of each vote
  v) Steps 3 and 4 shall be repeated until the amount of candidates needed are elected. Should no candidates receive more than the quota, the candidate with the least amount of votes shall be eliminated.
  vi) Should any tie-breaking be necessary, the tie shall be broken by the number of second preference votes. If further tie-breaking is needed, the tie shall be broken by a Condorcet Count.
 vii)  A candidate only needs to meet the quota, rather than exceed it, in order to be considered elected.
 viii) Write-in votes are only counted for a candidate if he or she publicly declares a willingness to receive write-in votes for the relevant office before the polls close in the Candidate Declaration Thread or writes in his or her own name on the ballot for the said office.
 B) Validity Rules
  i) A voter's ballot is valid only if the voter -
   a) is registered with the Registrar General as a voter of a Northeastern state 7 days prior to the day appointed for the election to begin;
   b) does not edit or delete a vote more than 20 minutes after it is originally cast; and
   c) does not write anything other than their vote in the voting booth.
  ii) Posts made by an election official in an election thread to administer that election must be separate from a post used to cast that official's ballot and does not count as posts for the purposes of subsection (i)(c).
 C) Vote Counting and Disputes
  i) As soon as possible after a vote has concluded, an official count shall be posted in the same thread as the vote by the official conducting the vote.  Any attempts to vote that are disallowed shall be listed in that same post along with the reason for the disallowal. In the event that that two or more candidates shall have received the largest number of approvals in a non-runoff gubernatorial election, then a runoff shall be held in a separate thread.
  ii) Only a person who voted or attempted to vote in an election has standing to dispute the determination of the official conducting that vote. The  Chief Judicial Officer of the region shall make a determination of both fact and law. Appeals to the Supreme Court of Atlasia are allowed only if there is a question of federal law involved.
 D)  Special Election With No Winner
  i) In the event of a special election in which no candidate declares in the candidacy declaration thread or accepts write-in votes, the Governor shall have two weeks time to appoint a replacement after voting closes
  ii) The replacement shall be agreed to by the majority of Assembly, which shall have its presiding officer declare an immediate swearing in as soon as possible after the Assembly votes.
  iii) The replacement appointed will thereafter be considered a member of the body. As such, no duties nor respect allowed other members of the body shall be denied to the appointed one.
 D) Candidate Declaration Rules
  i)   Valid declarations of candidacy for scheduled Northeast elections must be posted in the Candidate Declaration Thread no more than two months prior to the scheduled election.
  ii) Valid declarations of candidacy for special Northeast elections must be posted in the Candidate Declaration Thread after the vacancy occurs but at least one day before the election is set to begin.
  iii)  Only valid declarations of candidacy will be listed on the ballot.
4) Campaigning for Invalidation of Votes
 A) Definition of Crime
  i) It shall be a crime against the Northeast Region for any Northeast citizen to instruct or encourage a voter who has already cast his or her ballot in an election for a regional office to take an action that would have the effect of invalidating the ballot.
  ii) The above provision applies to any election for Northeast Governor or Lieutenant Governor, any vote on a Proposition, Initiative, Recall, Regional Constitutional Amendment or other regional referendum, election or plebiscite.
  iii) The instruction or encouragement of a voter shall be interpreted to include any action which indicates the possibility of invalidating a vote to affect a Northeast election.
 B) Trial and Punishment
  i) Trial of this crime shall be by the Chief Judicial Officer of the Northeast region.
  ii) The Judge may admit evidence of the crime at his own discretion.
  iii) Sentencing of the crime shall be by the Judge; He may impose the following as punishment, depending upon the severity of the offense:
Up to a two month ban from holding any office under the Northeast Region.
  iv) Appeals to a Federal Court shall only be allowed where there is a matter of federal law involved.
5) All prior Northeast election laws, including but not limited to the Assembly Special Elections Act 2015, Amendment to the Senate Vacancy Act, Regional Voting Regulations Act 2014 (Revised), Constitutional Amendment Explanation Act, Northeast Electoral Clarity Act, Vote Sanctity Act, Candidacy Declaration Act, Northeastern Voting Regulations, Official Ballot Language Act, Preferential Voting Act and Campaigning for Invalidation of Votes Initiative, are repealed.  The Supremacy Act and Report of the Statutory Review Commission are repealed to the extent those laws impact Northeast election law.