Secret Ballot Procedure Bill

[King]

Sorry King, no hard feelings. 

None taken.  At least we can see this get repealed in four months after the system fails and the election is stolen somehow have a secret ballot system.

[Colin]

Abstain on the King amendments.

[Sam Spade]

Aye to all the King amendments.

Isn't this session over with as of tomorrow afternoon?  Or am I confused.

(there are precautions that will allow this bill to be introduced first next session, but I'm just curious)

[Gabu]

Isn't this session over with as of tomorrow afternoon?  Or am I confused.

Yes, it is.  We're definitely going to run out of time for this bill and the other one still waiting for a vote.

[Gabu]

Nay to the first two, Aye on the last two.

For anyone voting "Aye" on the first two, I have to ask if you've read my exchange with King, in which I explain why the single PM account is entirely unnecessary.

[Peter]

Last night, in a fit of boredom, I decided to play a little game on paper with the provisions of this Bill:

What would have happened if we actually had this in the last election?

First, to form the Electoral Committee:

Vice President - vacant
PPT - Gabu
SoFA - True Democrat - running, thus recused

Reserves:

SecState - Siege - running, thus recused
AG - MHS2002 - running, thus recused
SecDef - Emsworth - running, thus recused
SecTre - vacant

D1 - Supersoulty - running, thus recused
D2 - PBrunsel
D3 - King - running, thus recused
D4 - Preston
D5 - Gabu - PPT

ME - Jedi - running, thus recused
MW - DanX - running, thus recused
NE - Colin - running, thus recused
SE - Sam - running, thus recused
Pac - vacant (noting that MAS had resigned, we only had 9 Senators)

Thus you can quickly see that the only allowable Committee is Gabu, PBrunsel, Preston. If one of these persons had been unwilling or unable due to other absence to participate, we actually could not have formed a Committee.

In any regular Senate election it is not unreasonable to assume half the Senate is recused due to their conflict of interest. When this is then coupled with the Presidential election, we quickly run out of available office holders. Any of those who are allowed to sit on the Committee must be willing to confirm their availability a week in advance, and then must be willing to go through the painful process of:

1. Actually convening as a group. Anybody who thinks getting 3 people online at the same time is easy just needs to ask the Supreme Court about its recent deliberations, especially if we have to work across large time differences or persons who usually do not spend large amounts of time on AIM or other messenging softwares.
2. Then counting the votes in the precise and painstaking way that will be needed to ensure accurate results.

My guess is that if a committee is able to be formed, it may take several days before results are declared, and any post-election litigation that could occur might actually run past Inauguration Day. In effect, the two week buffer built into the Constitution to ensure that legal disputes are settled could be lost.

In effect, this legislation stacks the deck against the Forum Affairs Dept from the outset by leaving us with very few options to form a Committee in an election with a large field. The result could be a total train wreck with a victor not declared for some days, or even worse, no Committee at all and thus the entire set of secret votes thrown out from the start.

It is the opinion of this Interim Secretary of Forum Affairs that my Department cannot with any confidence report to you that an election conducted with this measure as it stands would necessarily be practicable. The Senate has much work to do on this legislation before it is allowed out of this chamber.

[Colin]

Last night, in a fit of boredom, I decided to play a little game on paper with the provisions of this Bill:

What would have happened if we actually had this in the last election?

First, to form the Electoral Committee:

Vice President - vacant
PPT - Gabu
SoFA - True Democrat - running, thus recused

Reserves:

SecState - Siege - running, thus recused
AG - MHS2002 - running, thus recused
SecDef - Emsworth - running, thus recused
SecTre - vacant

D1 - Supersoulty - running, thus recused
D2 - PBrunsel
D3 - King - running, thus recused
D4 - Preston
D5 - Gabu - PPT

ME - Jedi - running, thus recused
MW - DanX - running, thus recused
NE - Colin - running, thus recused
SE - Sam - running, thus recused
Pac - vacant (noting that MAS had resigned, we only had 9 Senators)

Thus you can quickly see that the only allowable Committee is Gabu, PBrunsel, Preston. If one of these persons had been unwilling or unable due to other absence to participate, we actually could not have formed a Committee.

In any regular Senate election it is not unreasonable to assume half the Senate is recused due to their conflict of interest. When this is then coupled with the Presidential election, we quickly run out of available office holders. Any of those who are allowed to sit on the Committee must be willing to confirm their availability a week in advance, and then must be willing to go through the painful process of:

1. Actually convening as a group. Anybody who thinks getting 3 people online at the same time is easy just needs to ask the Supreme Court about its recent deliberations, especially if we have to work across large time differences or persons who usually do not spend large amounts of time on AIM or other messenging softwares.
2. Then counting the votes in the precise and painstaking way that will be needed to ensure accurate results.

My guess is that if a committee is able to be formed, it may take several days before results are declared, and any post-election litigation that could occur might actually run past Inauguration Day. In effect, the two week buffer built into the Constitution to ensure that legal disputes are settled could be lost.

In effect, this legislation stacks the deck against the Forum Affairs Dept from the outset by leaving us with very few options to form a Committee in an election with a large field. The result could be a total train wreck with a victor not declared for some days, or even worse, no Committee at all and thus the entire set of secret votes thrown out from the start.

It is the opinion of this Interim Secretary of Forum Affairs that my Department cannot with any confidence report to you that an election conducted with this measure as it stands would necessarily be practicable. The Senate has much work to do on this legislation before it is allowed out of this chamber.

Very good analysis Peter. I think this is the best speech that we have thus had against using the secret ballot or having a committee formed in the way provisioned by this act.

[Emsworth]

A mere formality: This bill is hereby reintroduced to the Senate floor.

Many Senators have suggested that secret balloting should also be considered by the Voting Reform Commission. Therefore, I invite any Senator who is inclined to do so to make a motion to suspend debate on this bill. Debate would recommence when the Commission reports.

[Colin]

I motion to suspend debate on this bill until such a time as a commission has been established and that this said commission has created a formal final report on the issue of the secret ballot.

[MHS2002]

I motion to suspend debate on this bill until such a time as a commission has been established and that this said commission has created a formal final report on the issue of the secret ballot.

I second.

[King]

I third, fourth, and fifth it.

[Sam Spade]

Since King is not three people, I fourth this motion.

[Emsworth]

There appears to be no debate on, or opposition to, the motion.

The question is on the motion suspend debate on the bill until the Voting Reform Commission's report is issued. All those in favor, say Aye; those opposed, say No.

[MHS2002]

Aye

[DanielX]

Aye

[Colin]

Aye

[Sam Spade]

Aye

[True Democrat]

Just a quick question, who is on the committee?

[Colin]

Just a quick question, who is on the committee?

It hasn't been fully decided yet but if you look here you will be able to see a draft version of who will be one this commission. It will probably change since I have a few amendments to that resolution that I would like to propose.

[King]

Aye

[Emsworth]

With five Ayes, the motion is passed.

Debate on the Secret Ballot Procedure Bill is hereby suspended until such time as the Voting Reform Commission issues a final report.