A National Conversation - Electoral Reform

[Clyde1998]

As I promised in the campaign - in the event of the amendment failing, I'd hold a open forum where people can suggest ideas for a new voting system.

If you wish to keep the present system, then please say on this thread.

Any ideas?

[Clyde1998]

What I suggested in the debate was a Mixed Member Proportional System.

As an idea:

• An increase to the number of seats.
• Five seats coming from a regional vote - with the current regional voting system.
• Seven seats coming from a national list - this will make the Senate more proportional.
• Three seats coming from a district vote - using the same voting system as the regional vote.
• The regional and national list votes should take place at the same time, and the district vote should take place at a different time (mid-term).

Just an early idea.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

My greatest fear is that the results will have removed the air from the balloon. I'm sure there are interested people, but I do think a lot of the more passionate reformers are going to be less inclined to participate for a while.

[Türkisblau]

My greatest fear is that the results will have removed the air from the balloon. I'm sure there are interested people, but I do think a lot of the more passionate reformers are going to be less inclined to participate for a while.

This. We just had a very popular reform amendment that served as the primary policy goal of a president that won in a landslide as well as enjoyed support from the leaders of 2 major parties. Can we also talk about how long the Electoral Reform Amendment was worked on by the Commission that created it as well as how much it was tweaked by the Senate?

If Atlasia couldn't come to a consensus on that, then I can't fathom how we're going to be able to even reach one on another reform package. It's all just very discouraging.

[Hatman 🍁]

I support a 5-5-5 plan:

5 MMP (party list)
5 District
5 Regional

[Dr. Cynic]

My greatest fear is that the results will have removed the air from the balloon. I'm sure there are interested people, but I do think a lot of the more passionate reformers are going to be less inclined to participate for a while.

This. We just had a very popular reform amendment that served as the primary policy goal of a president that won in a landslide as well as enjoyed support from the leaders of 2 major parties. Can we also talk about how long the Electoral Reform Amendment was worked on by the Commission that created it as well as how much it was tweaked by the Senate?

If Atlasia couldn't come to a consensus on that, then I can't fathom how we're going to be able to even reach one on another reform package. It's all just very discouraging.

It's extremely hard to reform anything around here. Almost as bad as if we were an actual country.

[Talleyrand]

I support a 5-5-5 plan:

5 MMP (party list)
5 District
5 Regional

I'll take this over the current system. My only fear is increasing the number of offices in that case. Is there any way this could be prevented?

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I support a 5-5-5 plan:

5 MMP (party list)
5 District
5 Regional

I'll take this over the current system. My only fear is increasing the number of offices in that case. Is there any way this could be prevented?

It's interesting that those who were concerned about the lack of candidates are supportive of a system that will require a LOT more candidates, even than the proposal that was defeated.

[Former Lincoln Assemblyman & Lt. Gov. RGN]

I support a 5-5-5 plan:

5 MMP (party list)
5 District
5 Regional

I'll take this over the current system. My only fear is increasing the number of offices in that case. Is there any way this could be prevented?

Agree, however it can be also great if we reduce the number of seats in Hatman's plan or Clyde's.

[free my dawg]

I support a 5-5-5 plan:

5 MMP (party list)
5 District
5 Regional

I'll take this over the current system. My only fear is increasing the number of offices in that case. Is there any way this could be prevented?

Agree, however it can be also great if we reduce the number of seats in Hatman's plan or Clyde's.

Seconded. We have enough activity problems as is.

[Lief 🗽]

Party list is a boring system in a game like this one. There's really no need to hold an election, just check what the current registration statistics are.

[Hatman 🍁]

Well, I'd be open to replacing the 5 MMP members with STV members.

If you want something smaller, we could do a 5-3-3 plan.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

My greatest fear is that the results will have removed the air from the balloon. I'm sure there are interested people, but I do think a lot of the more passionate reformers are going to be less inclined to participate for a while.

This. We just had a very popular reform amendment that served as the primary policy goal of a president that won in a landslide as well as enjoyed support from the leaders of 2 major parties. Can we also talk about how long the Electoral Reform Amendment was worked on by the Commission that created it as well as how much it was tweaked by the Senate?

If Atlasia couldn't come to a consensus on that, then I can't fathom how we're going to be able to even reach one on another reform package. It's all just very discouraging.

This is actually the third time in two years that something similar has happened. Atlasians want reform, but are firmly divided along many different points that make cobbline together the necessary majorities extremely difficult.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

The South reduced its legislature by two, so whilst still a net increase, we could go up to twelve and be even for the year.

I would like to see another stab at bicameralism along the lines proposed by Duke, but under its own steam this time as opposed to leashed to last year's not so narrowly defeated reform effort.

Basic design:

Senate:
Five Regional Senate Seats
Led by a PPT (You'll see why Below) selected on the basis of merit

The People's House:
5 to 7 People's Representatives (At-Large, Party-List or MMP)
Led by a Speaker elected on a partisan basis

VP acts as an intermediary and legislation must pass both chambers.


Some regions function with as few as three members in their chamber, so it should be practical even with a larger amount of bills considered (maybe 3 to 5 at a time in each chamber). There will be added importance to the regional Senate elections as the interests of that region as it relates to the partisan majority in the House will become a factor in elections. At the same time and most of all, the current class b gets completely reborn as a new chamber, possibly a new voting method and takes on added importance as well.

THe big key would be simplicity and ease of the transition as well as the functionality of the chambers afterwards.

[Hatman 🍁]

I support bicameralism, but I fear it might not be a popular idea.

[Clyde1998]

The South reduced its legislature by two, so whilst still a net increase, we could go up to twelve and be even for the year.

I would like to see another stab at bicameralism along the lines proposed by Duke, but under its own steam this time as opposed to leashed to last year's not so narrowly defeated reform effort.

Basic design:

Senate:
Five Regional Senate Seats
Led by a PPT (You'll see why Below) selected on the basis of merit

The People's House:
5 to 7 People's Representatives (At-Large, Party-List or MMP)
Led by a Speaker elected on a partisan basis

VP acts as an intermediary and legislation must pass both chambers.


Some regions function with as few as three members in their chamber, so it should be practical even with a larger amount of bills considered (maybe 3 to 5 at a time in each chamber). There will be added importance to the regional Senate elections as the interests of that region as it relates to the partisan majority in the House will become a factor in elections. At the same time and most of all, the current class b gets completely reborn as a new chamber, possibly a new voting method and takes on added importance as well.

THe big key would be simplicity and ease of the transition as well as the functionality of the chambers afterwards.

I think this could work.

Maybe:
Senate - 5 Regional Seats
House - 3 Districts and 4 List seats in a MMP system.

12 national seats and having a majority in the Senate wouldn't lead to policies being forced though - debates would need to be won.

I don't know what sort of support this would get though...

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

It does seem like the major parties would still need to find a lot of candidates.

[Clyde1998]

It does seem like the major parties would still need to find a lot of candidates.

Regions - one in each = 5

Districts - one in each = 3
List - up to 5 (most likely) = 5

12 needed in total (maximum).

However, candidates in districts should be able to be on the list as well, should they choose - so it would reduce the number of candidates needed.

Also, the district and list vote would be at different times - so defeated candidates could run in the district/list election.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

While a party list might be a good idea in theory, for Atlasian purposes I don't think it's a great option. I do find the idea of a two-house legislature intriguing, though.

[free my dawg]

I'm still not a fan of bicameralism, to say the least. And at most I would only support one Senate seat added because of activity. Maybe we can have, say, 4 district seats and 2 At-Larges?

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Party lists would be the final nail in Atlasia's coffin. Don't do it.

[Cranberry]

Party lists would be the final nail in Atlasia's coffin. Don't do it.

Yeah, if you want elections to become boring, that's just the way to go.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I'm open to reform, and voted in favor of the amendment to abolish at-large seats. Most of the other reform ideas that have been tossed around do not hold much appeal to me, though. Party-list voting would be dull for most players and there's not enough interest to justify creating new seats. Bicameralism is one of the worst ideas every proposed in Atlasia and I have no idea why it interests anyone.

Here's an idea that I've mentioned a couple of times before. The entire Senate should run for re-election every two months, instead of having staggered four-month terms. This would raise the stakes of each election, especially midterms. It would also force Senators to be more responsive to their constituents. Complaints about low engagement between the Senate and the public have become common enough that there should be some interest in doing something about it.

I wouldn't opposed to changing the length of terms. Or at the very least in such a bicamerlist proposal listed above, having the lower house every two months precisely to better gauge the will of the people.

Yes, you always were a diehard uni-ist at heart.  

The major appeal for bicameralism is to create a new dynamic within the legislative branch itself. Think of it like this, we have at points changed election methods for both classes if you go back far enough, but the chamber itself has not changed that much in terms of how it functions. A bicameral system could reimbibe new purpose into each of the present "classes" and allow for a dynamic in the Atlasian legislative branch that is completely novel in that sense.