IDS: Speaker PiT Commemoration Act

[Yelnoc]

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Sponsor: Yelnoc

The decision to expand the legislature from 3 to 5 seats in 2012 was well intentioned. Time, however, has proven that the IDS does not have the activity levels required to staff a 6-person regional government. A constant feature of Maxwell's tenure as Emperor has been a scramble to fill a vacant legislative seat. His apparent retirement from Atlasia forces us to confront an uncomfortable truth. There are simply two few of us active IDSers to justify the season of our regional government.

This Act will restore competitiveness to our regional elections and make calling old hands out of retirement to fill vacancies a thing of a past.

[Maxwell]

I talked with Yelnoc about this, it's a compromise of sorts, and it has my full support.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

This has my full support!

[Yelnoc]

Anyone else want to voice their opinions or initiate a discussion?

[Dereich]

While I agree that right now the region can only support 3 legislators, I don't think it'll be that way forever. Maybe we should set some kind of trigger for the legislature going back up to five? Something like:

4. Should the population of the IDS increase to over 40 voters, the legislature will revert to five members, elected in a set of 3 during odd numbered months and 2 in even numbered months.

[Yelnoc]

While I agree that right now the region can only support 3 legislators, I don't think it'll be that way forever. Maybe we should set some kind of trigger for the legislature going back up to five? Something like:

4. Should the population of the IDS increase to over 40 voters, the legislature will revert to five members, elected in a set of 3 during odd numbered months and 2 in even numbered months.

I would be ok with that. Here is the bill amended to reflect that change. Thoughts?

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[Associate Justice PiT]

     Thanks for the bill!

While I agree that right now the region can only support 3 legislators, I don't think it'll be that way forever. Maybe we should set some kind of trigger for the legislature going back up to five? Something like:

4. Should the population of the IDS increase to over 40 voters, the legislature will revert to five members, elected in a set of 3 during odd numbered months and 2 in even numbered months.

     When we were changing the system to accomodate the staggered voting, I remember that I considered making the number key to the number of citizens. I don't recall why we settled on the current system, though. It works fine on paper to key the size to the number running, but vacancies during the term can become problematic.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

We should be careful and view the history of previous triggers both here and in the Northeast regarding the size of the legislature. Other than that word of warning, this has my full support.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Why not make the trigger tied to the number of candidates running?

[Dereich]

We've tried that before. Technically the current law allows for the number of class 1 legislators to drop from 3 to 1 if not enough people are running, but even in an election where only 1 person ran we just filled the other two spots with write-ins.

[Yelnoc]

Why not make the trigger tied to the number of candidates running?

Then elections can only be so competitive. And depending on how that trigger is shaped, it could recreate the issue of making vacancies difficult to fill.

I like the pop 40 rule. It's simple, and if the IDS's population ever actually gets up to 40 then it can handle two additional seats.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

We've tried that before. Technically the current law allows for the number of class 1 legislators to drop from 3 to 1 if not enough people are running, but even in an election where only 1 person ran we just filled the other two spots with write-ins.

Fair enough

[Yelnoc]

Please vote on the following bill.

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***

Aye

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Aye

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Probably a good idea. The cotton field days are dead and so is activity at points.

Am I still in the legislature?

[Maxwell]

Probably a good idea. The cotton field days are dead and so is activity at points.

Am I still in the legislature?

yes

[Dereich]

Aye

[Pingvin]

Aye

[Yelnoc]

The bill passes with 4 ayes and 1 not voting and awaits the Emperor's signature.

[Maxwell]

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x Maxwell

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Aye, FTR. I wasn't aware I was still in the legislature, but now I know i am!