Talk Elections

People of the Northeast,

My name is Poirot and I am running in the special election as an independent candidate to represent you at the Assembly.

I have recently immigrated to this country and region because this is a land (fantasyland even!) of opportunity. This explains why I have a funny accent and my English is not always perfect and clear. I apologize in advance. I want to give back to the community by holding public office and contribute to the prosperity of the region. My main concern will be to focus on the economic and budgetary impact of legislation.

I am not a household name across the region, so why have I decided to run? Mainly because of two democratic things. First, I saw there was only the appointed representative running in the special election. I believe voters deserve a choice at election time. Only having one candidate on the ballot is not a healthy democracy. By submitting my candidacy I offer voters a choice.

Second, I was surprised to see the appointed representative sponsoring a bill to amend the constitution and modify the bill of rights. This is playing with the fundamental law and doing so while being appointed to the assembly and not yet elected made me uneasy. This action could have waited a little to have more democratic legitimacy.    

My opponent in this race has a lot of support from the region's political establishment but it is YOU the voters that will have the final say. So I humbly ask for you vote.

Thank you kindly.

Policies?

I personally would much rather have a positive speech that outlined your policies and idealogy instead of your only contention being I'm new and I oppose my opponant

Barnes is a close friend of mine and has done much good for Atlasia.

I get that you're establishing a character (of sorts), but perhaps could you tell us what, if any, policies you intend to sponsor or support? I'm very keen on helping along new talent, so if you're stances are good, I might just advocate for you.

Please let us all know. Good new talent keeps this game alive.

I'm sorry if I have hurt anybody's feelings with my intro.

Here are some proposals and opinions on some topics I've seen discussed in threads.

Energy: something I propose is looking at hydro-electricity from Canada. They sell their power cheap and we could get a long term supply agreement. But I like if local communities are on board with this (like if we need power lines). Same thing with windmills, it is important for me that local communities accept them.

School curriculum: if it not has been done before, I would propose mandatory three years of a foreign language learning in high school and one year of economic studies (basic concepts, making a budget, smart credit use)

Tourism: spend to team up with tourism businesses for a promotional campaign targeting geographical markets near our borders (people who don't have to spend too much in transportation to visit our beautiful region)

Minimum wage: I jumped when I saw the minimum wage rate. I find this high. I think some of the benefits from the higher hourly rate for workers will be lost to an increase in inflation. I mean prices will go up because of higher employment costs. People who were working at the new minimum wage will have to be paid more (their job paid them more than the minimum before and will need to be paid higher than minimum now). This will lead to a general higher cost of living. It would be unfair to workers to cut the minimum wage so I would freeze it for some time instead of automatically indexing it.

About enlarging the St-Lawrence seaway: I am not sold on this. I have concerns about the environmental impact of this project. Will have to see if a new clause about the environment could come into play here. Also I foresee a high cost for the enlargment and still need to be convinced by a cost-benefit analysis.

Environment clause in the Bill of rights: I need reassurance that it would not open a floodgate of legal recourses against the government or industries .

Now that I've heard some of your policies I might vote for you over Barnes, but I haven't decided yet...

As my recent record as Secretary of External Affairs shows, I haven't much time to dedicate to Atlasia. But the name of a famous detective as one's username is high on my priorities list of candidate qualities. For that, you are to some extent endorsed.

Mr. Poirot, I don't even think you're eligible to vote this election.

In defense of our new member, I will say that I understand why there may be concern with an unelected, interim representative proposing such significant changes without the consent of the voters instead of acting more as a placeholder, but within our system of government, we allow anyone to introduce legislation anyway. Anyone in the Northeast can petition the Assembly to debate a bill, so whether Barnes does this officially as a Representative or unofficially as a citizen would make little difference. I also think that debate is healthy, too often in regions do we struggle to come up with a new idea. I say keep 'em coming, from all the candidates in this race. :)

Good luck!

I absolutely agree. I welcome Poirot to this race and hope for a fun and interesting campaign (or what's left of one).

I will say in my defense that interim representatives are given all the powers of a regular rep. and my proposed amendment is an issue I feel very strongly about and if my term in the assembly is only one week, I want to put it forward for the public to see. Just because I was not elected by voters does not mean I do not have a duty to this region and I feel like I would be failing in that duty if I didn't advocate for the causes I believe in. Whether or not the voters agree with me will be made clear in one day. :)

I'm not sure about regional law, but federally, you have to be registered for a week before you can vote. Poirot's only been in for a few days, hasn't he?

Well then good luck to him.

Oh. OK. Good luck, Poirot!

Just to make it clear, I was a registered voter for more than a week when I declared my candidacy.

I will have to talk with an image consultant to figure out if I come across too harsh. As for changing the constitution I had asked if citizens needed to vote on this to be adopted so I knew it was not only the assembly deciding. That is why I chose to use the way it was brought up, by an appointee representative, and use the democracy issue.

I was asked for policies so I'm trying to point out differences on issues discussed or proposed to give people an idea where I stand. I am aware my position on the wage is probably not popular.

Thank you wolfentoad, Goldwater, cathcon for your words of encouragement. I am collecting partial endorsements and stitching them together to make full ones. :)

Thank you Snowbal, Alfred Jones, Napoleon for your good luck wishes.

To everyone who visits my campaign office, Poirot offers Belgian waffles and Belgian fries on the table over there. Serve yourselves.

Endorsed. (Though I'm not sure if you want an endorsement from the forum's most right-wing poster)

As someone who actually does come across too harsh, I have to say I don't see anything for you to worry about, you're doing fine. :)

I accept all endorsements. Thanks.

I have chosen a campaign song.

Take a chance on me by Abba.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mftz4gY7okk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mftz4gY7okk)

I chose this because I acknowledge a notoriety gap and maybe I'm not the obvious, "safe choice". So sending a message to undecided voters, yes you should take a chance on me. 

I will be supporting my old friend Barnes in the election, but I think you'll do just fine around here. Keep at it and good luck!

Well that's pretty!

Wait, are you assigning him that logo, or are you letting him use it at his discretion

Woohoo, a campaign logo! That's very kind. I was lacking a logo and sign. I had no designer on my team. I will put it in my signature.

You, voters of the Northeast, have to elect a representative. Before you cast your ballot I ask you to think if it's better to send an independent to the assembly or someone from a party representing the majority of representatives. I believe an independent voice would bring more political diversity.

Some could say I lack the political experience. To them I say we always need to start somewhere and remember this is a special election. Another election will come in a short time. The rest of this term is an ideal period to give me a chance. I'm asking you to "take a chance on me".

Thank you kindly for your time. 

I know this might seem a little late, Poirot, but I would like to ask you a question:

What is your opinion on The Medical Research Act that's currently being debated in the assembly?

Here is my opinion on the medical research act.

I agree on the need for pharmaceutical companies to be registered, that needs to be done for health and safety issue at least.

I think it's true pharmas spend a lot on marketing and lobbying. Taking prescription drugs should be a medical decision and not a sales job.

I cannot agree on deciding the areas of research for the companies. Maybe some areas will never be profitable or would needs decades to discover something, and a panel would be responsible for this (not the companies themselves).

This is a complex issue and I don't think there is an easy solution. Some thoughts I have on this topic.

To help some specific areas of research we could fund university research centers for them to work in those areas.

On the commercialization side, we could limit direct marketing of drugs to people like some countries do. (perhaps less adequate at regional level) In return we could give longer patent protection for new drugs. Also maybe we could look at working with doctors to make sure their code of ethics protect them from being too influenced by the companies.

I hope I have answered your question.

I realize we won't be voting for the same person ;), but I wish you the best of luck now and in the future.

I congratulate Representative Barnes for his special election win.

The result was not a big surprise since a poll righlty predicted the final result.

I want to thank the visitors to my campaign thread, people who had words of encouragement, supporters, and voters; voters who decided to give me their trust and also all others who showed up to vote and exercise their democratic right. I am proud of having offered voters a choice. As a super wisdom person said: It's not really an election if there is only one candidate. And I can say I had the three most important things in a campaign: logo, song, and free food. :)

Thank you kindly.   

You ran a great campaign and should be proud. It's always a bit more difficult to gain traction as an independent - especially if regions that traditionally lean one way predominantly - and yet you took on the challenge. I'm sure you'll have a great future in Atlasia.

Your campaign was excellent and you made the election interesting.  I hope you continue to stay involved with the game and take on more challenges and opportunities. :)

You did well. I liked your campaign sign.

You have a bright future. Contact Homelycooking.

Some nice comments there!

All the credit for the logo goes to wolfentoad66.
I'm grateful to him. I didn't expect someone would make me a logo. It was very generous of him.

Are you gonna be running in the upcoming Northeast Assembly General Election?

Well, I just finished a short campaign and I don't have a lot of time to decide if I embark on another one. I have to think about this.

I think you should. :) Barnes was probably too tough for anyone to win against, because he is doing a great job, but don't let the loss deter you.

I agree completely! You have obvious talent and would make the region all that much better by running in future races.

To give an answer to people who have enquired, I have decided not to run in the upcoming general election.

You overeact alot on these type of things.

Hello

It seems just like yesterday I was running in a special election for the Northeast assembly. I didn't win but it was an enriching and fun experience. Now there is another special election scheduled. It is with great excitement that I announce my candidacy to fill a vacant seat in the November special election.

This is my second time around and I'll try to make it better. I'm in New Britain Connecticut for my official launch but I will tour the region in the upcoming days and talk about current policy issues and topics.

Visitors to my campaign can get free leek soup. I know it's not as popular as junk food but it warms you up on a cold November day.   

I'm itching (especially my upper lip) to start. My logo should be unveiled soon. Don't forget to vote, the election is Movember 16th. I hope I can count on your support.

Thank you kindly.

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You seem like a nice kid. A bit weird, but at least you care.

While in Worcester Mass. for a political meeting, I unveil my logo for the Movember election. Poirot has a characteristic moustache so I decided to combine this with Movember since the election will be in November. I hope my logo is fun and original; it doesn't mean my candidacy is not serious.   

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In case it needs more explanation, Movember takes place in November. Men let moustaches grow to raise funds and awareness for men's health like prostate cancer.
Poirot doesn't need a specific month to have a moustache. He has it all year long. 

You just lost the election, according to Scott, with out an election

oh, I misunderstood what he meant by that, oops

Those people pushing for capital relocation could modify their project to make it acceptable to more people, it could be changing location or the costs involved. Then they show the new version project for people's approval. 

Proposing a modified project would show politicians have listened and done their homework. I say it is more acceptable that way.

The unaltered amendement would be legal, so acceptable legally. It's just pushing really hard on voters and them maybe accept it just because they are tired to hear about this is less noble.   

I had a campaign event this morning in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Inspired by the Bi-Lingual act being discussed in the Assembly I discussed my opinion on this, school curriculum and language.

I find it important to learn a second language. However I would like parents to have a choice in the language. For example, in this town 45% of residents have French or French Canadian ancestors, so they could be interested in learning French. If the Northeast region decides Spanish must be learned, there could be Spanish for all in primary school and then in high school students could choose another language. That could be a compromise.

Also I would maybe reduce the number of mandatory years of a second language study in high school by one or two. I would like the school curriculum to have time for other topics, like world geography and economics. The economics class is for teaching personal finance like budgeting, credit cards and mortgages so young adults can make smart choices, and learn basic economic principles.

While on the topic of languages I propose the region makes Englisg the official language if it's not already. It is basically to signal English is the common language, and governement debate, the judiciary and laws are made in it.

In the afternoon I visited Vinalhaven in Maine. I showed support to residents who suffer from the wind turbines noise. Their quality of life should not suffer.

A recent study concluded that noise from windfarms has a significant impact on sleep and mental health on those living nearby. To insure the well being of our citizens, I will make sure the maximum night noise level rules are applied and propose that future wind turbines not be built within three quarter miles of homes. Protecting health is important.

Thank you kindly.

Hi all

I end this day in Barre Vermont. I want to put forward my option of importing hydroelectricity to reduce our use of fossil fuel. Quebec has a surplus of hydroelectricity and maybe Atlantic Canada could want to export also. The rates are low nowadays so it would be a good time to sign a long term deal at a good price. This option could serve well our border areas; we just need to have good connection to the grid. It might need some investment if the capacity needs to be increased.

This concludes a busy day in which I visited three states.

From Lake Placid NY, site of the 1980 miracle on ice

November is not the only period associated with facial hair. During Spring we have hockey playoffs beards.

I am proposing to make ice hockey our region's official winter sport.

Vote for the Mo, vote Poirot.

This evening I'm in Nashua New Hampshire. I've stated in the past that I find the minimum wage at a high level. This could have effects like small businesses cutting working hours of workers to maintain profitability, Higher wage costs could also incite companies to go overseas.

Our region should be an attractive place to invest and the government has a role in creating a good economic environment. I am in favor of a freeze of the minimum wage since it is already at a high level.   

I applaud efforts of our regional elected officials to get federal relief funds following the hurricane. People in affected areas can count on me if elected to join them in putting pressure and making sure money is not tied up in bureaucracy.

I'm in New York City to witness the situation (and take great pictures showing a caring politician). This city and the area needs to rebuild which leads me to talk about infrastructure. There is a great need for infrastructure: repair bridges, invest in public transit, have modern schools, etc. This take a lot of money. In the budget there is money set aside for the relocation of the capital. I am against relocating the capital. Let's keep it in New York City. We should instead use this money to fix our crumbling infrastructure and help hurricane damaged areas.

The campaign is having a party night in Atlantic City NJ. All are invited. On stage Shalamar will perform Second time around. It is my campaign theme song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrFBsQZNL0c (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrFBsQZNL0c)

I chose this because it is my second time around running for Northeast assembly and the singer has a moustache (a distinctive thing in my advertising).

the second time is so much better, baby
and I'll make it better than the first time

People can learn the choregraphy steps and join in dancing. Since the campaign is in its final days, instead of fundraising for the political campaign, guests are invited to make donations to the Movember charity.
http://us.movember.com/ (http://us.movember.com/)

We will be distributing badges and pins with this.
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I don't have the rights to this design, but I do for my campaign logo and people are invited to use and post it to support my campaign.

Vote for the Mo, Vote Poirot!   

Your enthusiasm and thoroughness are admirable, Poriot. If you are to be elected I am sure you would provide a new and insightful viewpoint to the Assembly. It is for that reason you have my endorsement.

Thank you for your endorsement Senator Simfan. I hope this gives some mo to my Mo campaign so close to voting day.

I have noticed the Mideast region could increase its sales tax if the proposed budget is adopted.
Our sales tax would be lower. Perhaps some mideasteners would be interested in paying less tax and saving money. I propose to help our retailers and local chambers of commerce that want to lure customers from out of region (people living near our border and not a great effort to them to shop in our region) by coordinating and paying a share of promotional efforts.

This is a small expense since it will be very local. I make this proposal in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This state has practically all of our border with the mideast.

It's from Wilmington in Delaware that I end my campaign. I encourage everyone in the Northeast to go vote during the voting period.

Thank you kindly to everyone who followed my campaign activities.

Congratulations, Mr. Assemblyman!

Congratulations, Representative Poirot.  I look forward to working with you in the Assembly. :)

Congratulations. I'm glad to have played a part in your victory.

Congratulations! :D

Thank you to people who have left congratulations messages and to the people of the Northeast for electing me. I didn't think I could get that many votes. I hope I can live up to expectations in working in the assembly. I'm nervous so I'm afraid of stuttering.

I want to congratulate snowball and sirnick for their campaign and contributing to this special election. Having three candidates run in a special election is a sign of a healthy democracy in our region. You are good citizens interested in public affairs.

It was an exhaustive and enriching campaign; I have visited every state and met some of you. November was an ideal month for me, being Movember. With your vote you have proved that facial hair is not a liability in elections.

Thank you kindly.

Welcome to my office.

I've been busy setting it up, trying to find my way in the Assembly and following a legislation 101 seminar. Quite a life change but exhilarating.

Belated congratulations, by the way. Here's to a fun game! ;D

It's time for an update. I will tell you how I voted on the bills presented to the Assembly.

I supported the Smarter Spending Act and the Northeast Independence Act. The latter is asking for the creation of a sub-board for the Northeast region.

I voted for the proposed Rainy Day Fund Act but it failed. I voted for it because I thought it would be more binding to set rules for the emergency fund in a separate Act. The contribution was based on the revenues so the amount is more secure and permanent. The way it is now, we put money in the emergency fund when making the budget and it is based on the surplus. If there is no surplus there could be no money set aside in the emergency fund. There is a risk at each budget drawing time that the emergency fund is forgotten or eliminated.

I voted for an Amendment to the SOAP. It was to extend budget debate time. In case you don't know, soap is not for washing. Politics is not that clean. It stands for Standing Order on Assembly Procedure.

I supported the wiki resolution. It was sent to the Senate on the topic of the wiki lacking updates. Finally, I voted for an amendment for the Vacancy Filling Act. I ensured there were a minimum of days during a special election.
 

I am very pleased to report that one of my proposal during my November campaign has become law. It aims to protect people from the noise of windfarms by requiring they are built at a certain distance from residential areas. I thank the Representatives and Governor for adopting this.

I also have taken action on another campaign proposal. During a meeting in Pennsylvania I talked about attracting Mideast citizens living near our border to come shop in our region following a rise in their sales tax rate. I created a logo and posted it in my signature for publicity and try to give a boost to our local businesses.

So our idea as a region to help our economy is to steal consumers away from another region. I don't really feel this is what we want to promote, a every region for themselves kind of thing. Another possibility is raise taxes here.

Please back up that statement with facts. Our unemployment rate is lower than that of the Northeast Region and the lowest in all Atlasia.

Our employment has gone up a bit following the hurricane.

I should have put more context to my logo. During my campaign I said I would support effort by businesses near the border to attract Mideast shoppers and hopefully increase sales. That was at a time of a sales tax hike in the Mideast budget. It is aimed at those angry of paying more in sales tax and living near the border, it reminds them the sales tax in lower in the Northeast.

It is not a major economic development policy. It is just benefiting on short term anger of having to pay more tax. The difference in sales tax is not that big so it will probably have very low long term effect if the saving is minor. I was just using current events.

Sorry, I was thinking of something else at the time. Corrected

Okay, I'm glad you clarified and recognized the mistake. We all make them. :)

I have a new logo for the upcoming assembly election. The voting booth should open December 21st. The vote takes place the weekend before Christmas so my logo incorporates Holiday season's spirit.

The free food available at my office are exquisite Belgian chocolates.

Damn you! Do I still get chocolate even if I don't explicitly endorse you?

Bribery!

Yes, chocolate is freely available on the table near the door to all visitors. There is no commitment asked or paper to sign to get it. If you don't want to be seen near the office, you could send one of your aides.

Yay!

I took all the chocolate, by the way.

Since chocolates are a popular item and goes fast, we wish to inform visitors of a new chocolate policy. Each visitor is allowed a maximum of three chocolates. Thank you for your cooperation. 

too late XD

I have a sort of inforercial on the airwaves. It is to remind people that yes we are during the pre-holiday season, busy with shopping and planning but it is also time to vote. Note that the video starts with December 21 which is the day voting booth opens. It subliminally means on December 21st don't forget to vote Poirot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuXD6f79YMg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuXD6f79YMg)

Two bills I have proposed have passed. They were campaign promises I had made in my November campaign.

The original form of my proposed Official Language Act met opposition. There was no desire to have an official language. The bill was reduced in scope to only be one aspect and became the official ballot language act.

I also proposed to make ice hockey the official winter sport of the region. At the suggestion of a citizen, we dropped winter and hockey became the official sport.

I have proposed the No Tax Account Act to encourage saving and let them enjoy the fruits of their savings. There is a limit of 2,500$ contribution per fiscal period. There is some reluctance in the assembly so it's not sure if it will pass or it could also be vetoed. 

I wanted to address the capital relocation amendment of 2013 to change the constitution. Debate in the assembly was unexpectedly cut short.

It was said that I voted for the last budget and when I went to reply debate time had ended:


I have checked and I did not vote for the last budget (Nov-March). I was not sitting in the assembly at the time. I wanted to correct this fact. I don't see why it would matter since money set aside from the surplus is when and if the constitution is changed.

I voted against this bill. This plan looks extremely costly and money could be used to better the lives of the citizens like spending in education and social areas, infrastructure needing repairs. When there were proposals like electrifying railroads, we could not do it because we didn't have money. I don't feel capital relocation is a priority or a good move.

I dont mind Buffalo receiving aid to develop its economy but capital relocation is not the best solution. We could regionalize some services there or favor that city if new offices need to be build. In moving everything we will lose a lot of expertise from personnel. Trying to find private companies and help them locate in Buffalo would be aid less costly.

Buffalo is less easily accesible than New York City and on the limit of the Mideast. There is talk of possible annexation of Canada. If that happens the northeast will probably get the easternmost parts of Canada and Buffalo will be less accessible to even more people.

So we don't need to change the constitution to help Buffalo and the relocation plan is money not well spent. The capital is already well established in New York City, it's a transportaion hub and better located to a vast majprity of our citizens..

I apologize for wrongly stating that you voted for the budget.  However, as Simfan said, the government could have made a lot of money just by selling the properties we have now in NYC.  The money we would get from selling off those assets (land, buildings, etc.) could be used to pay for the new capital, and the remainder could be taken from the surplus which, as has been previously stated, is expected to triple.

Also, I don't see why accessibility needs to be such of a concern, seeing as how Nyman is more easily accessible to people on the East coast than those on the West coast but no one makes a fuss over it.  We originally considered Hartford, CT to be the new capital location for its accessibility, but decided against it because it simply doesn't need new development as much as Buffalo does.

I offered to compromise with you on this, but you did not put anything on the table.  I am still inviting you to offer a better way or a better location to develop the new capital.

There will be plenty of time to talk about this, as the amendment will be considered again very soon...

I have not made a decision about this.

It has been more than a week since the Northeast No Tax Accounts Act was passed in the assembly. The Governor didn't take action on this, so after a week of waiting it has becomes law.
Start saving so you can put money in your account when they start being offered to the public soon.

Yeah.  I pretty much "abstained" on the Northeast No Tax Accounts Act, so it is law now.

Poirot, I'm not sure if I can legally include your name on the Assembly ballot at this point...

EDIT: Nevermind, you made the deadline with two days to spare. :)

I like the banner!

Thank you. I would define it as love-ly. I like the cute dogs on your banner.

some human interest story to try and make emotional connection between the candidate and the voters:

We had a boxer dog when I was little. Sadly it died hit by a delivery truck on the street in from of the house. And no, before someone asks, we did not eat him. I am against dog eating.

Now excuse me, I have campaign(s) to run.   

I have declared my candidacy for the Northeast assembly and also for the regional Senate seat. I know it is difficult to win as an independent candidate in the senate but it is worth a try. When I look at the census, the Northeast has the most independents. I need some "independent solidarity" and support from members of the different parties. The TPP party holds already many senate seats and I think it would be good to have a broader diversity in light of the growing dominance from one party.

My campaign(s) theme is based on love, hearts and things of that nature since it is Valentine's Day just before the election. It is a symbol of my love affair with the region. For campaign logo I am using this:
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My campaign song is Love is in the air
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HswyA9tZD9I (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HswyA9tZD9I)

I have not forgotten to court the growing latino population. I also have Love is in the air in Spanish!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnV_xLpp6Xo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnV_xLpp6Xo)

The last promotional item is the official campaign food. It is Hershey's Kisses, because of kiss and there is a regional debate in Lancaster PA. My food can get quite popular with visitors to the office so I have to set a limit of six per visitor.
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Very clever with Valentines Day right around the corner. ;)

Good luck! Endorsed in your quest for the Assembly!

Thank you. Don't forget to take your share of chocolate. Scott and Napoleon can also have up to six since they visited before I made that announcement.

Actually, I quietly stashed a few in my pocket when I visited your office earlier. ;) Very tasty - now all you need is some alcohol and we'll be set.

I'm sorry to be disappointing to you. You can still have Hershey's kisses.

The Griffgraph balance of power aristocracy watch shows by regions one party is overrepresented relative to population.   

If I am elected to Senate I plan on introducing a bill to have a national No tax on savings plan based on the No tax accounts Act adopted in the Northeast. This will encourage citizens to save money and plan for future expenses. People will be allowed to put a couple thousand dollars per year into the plan. Since contributions are made with after tax dollars, withdrawals are tax free. Income generated inside the plan from the savings is tax free. Citizens work hard to earn money and will be able to benefit more from the income generated by their savings. The yearly contribution will be low enough so that big income earners can't put big sums in the plan.

The mechanisms of this type of account is based on the TFSA, to learn more how it works
http://www.tfsa.gc.ca/ (http://www.tfsa.gc.ca/)

There was an international deal on capital and liquidity requirements for financial institutions called Basel III to make them more resistent to shocks. Requirements have been watered down and institutions were given more time to comply probably because of the banks lobbying. I would like Atlasia to be a world leader in the world scene on this and try to return to the terms of the original accord.

(some explanation here)
http://www.standard.co.uk/business/markets/nick-goodway-no-wonder-the-banks-cheer--basel-iii-is-business-as-usual-8442480.html (http://www.standard.co.uk/business/markets/nick-goodway-no-wonder-the-banks-cheer--basel-iii-is-business-as-usual-8442480.html)

Citizens can post on the Senate Protest and Analysis thread. I would like to try and make it a more inviting place to encourage participation. It starts by a more friendly name: the Senate Coffee shop. This reflects a place less formal where citizens can gather, comment on what is going on, debate, even meet the senators in a friendly environment. There will be a tv always turned on the politics channel.

It is difficult for regions to increase their revenues by increasing tax rates for the richer because the federal tax rates are already very high. I have heard comments on very high federal tax rates a few times. More money could be useful to regions, it could spur debate on choosing different projects in the regional assemblies. I propose a decrease in some federal income tax rate to leave room for regions to increase theirs and get more revenues. It would be for the different regions to decide if they tax to replace all the federal tax or not. The possible transfer of federal tax room to the regions would be done months before taking place so regions have time to decide on their tax structure during their budget debates and have a coordinate change between levels of government.

Maybe move the protest and analysis thread to the main board? I would support that.

Anyway, re: Nix's claim: he once claimed the Liberal Party held too many offices when he was a member of the party. Perhaps his own words dont apply to elections he runs in? It is getting hard for someone like me to taken and that doubletalk seriously. You have been an Independent voice and I don't always agree with you but you will have my vote.

No he was the Chair. I may have been interim Chair when he stepped down and before electing Scott but I don't remember how accurate that is. And Oakvale was more insistent on being centrist as opposed to center-left, compared to what I thought we should be. Truth.

On a regional issue, I support a promising energy project. It is the construction of a transmission line underwater and underground from lake Champlain to the New York area. It would bring 1,000 megawatts. Cleaner energy, diversity of supply, should help consumer rates.

Reference:
http://www.chpexpress.com/about.php (http://www.chpexpress.com/about.php)

The cost estimate is $2.1 billion. I don't know what the future will be but if we move to public utilities to do this project, I would be willing to support financing this. 

1,000 MW? That's nothing.

To give an idea, I have found the Arthur Kill Generating Station on Staten Island is 842 MW.

Some businesses are starting to charge extra for consumers who receive their monthly statements / bills by mail instead of using electronic statements by computers. I want consumers to have the choice between the two at no extra cost. Older people and poorer ones could have more trouble with electronic statements. Businesses are already saving money by the growing use of electronic communication. I will protect consumer's choice by forbidding charging extra to consumers to get monthly bill or statement on paper. 

I would first pass a law against cramming then against this, I mean it does cost more for a company to send bills through the mail, all this would do is tempt some businesses, especially actualsmall businesses to stop sending these things by mail altogether. Allowing charge but capping it and outlawing cramming (I just realized this is a good idea, I will write a law for this) is what I would do and will.

Happy Valentine's day

The campaign is ending. I would like to thank everyone who have read my words here. (I gave food and words) Running for a national office was interesting because we can talk about different issues. I represent renewal in national politics and I have tried to bring new topics. I hope you enjoyed my campaign.

I can actually say Vote for me many times since I am appearing more than once on ballots.

Thank you kindly. 

I guess there was not enough love in the air. Or that the love was not shared equally.

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As I clean my office, packing my documents and pictures, I listen to Bonnie Raitt's I can't make you love me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW9Cu6GYqxo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW9Cu6GYqxo)

I remember the good memories of the different campaigns, people met, assembly work, the campaigns. I want to thank people who encouraged me or supported me.

I was against the capital amendment so you would think that I would be happy it failed again. I thought it would mean the end of the project. The voting period was not even ended that people pushing for this had already started with the shenanigans. It is frustrating that they won't respect the will of the people.

Congratulations to the new representatives. I have never seen so many people interested in running.

Thank you kindly 

Its unfortunate the Assembly will no longer have you around. I'd go so far as to say its unfortunate the Senate won't have you as a new addition. I've disagreed with some of your proposals (and vice-versa) but you have always been respectful and given intelligent arguments to defend your position. That earns my respect! I hope you remain an active citizen and don't hesitate when you get the urge to re-enter the political fray in this period of surging activity.

You know Poirot, there is still a chance for you to return to the Assembly this session. ;)

Oh, I'm sorry to hear you weren't reelected to the assembly Poirot, I thought you were.

I vote nay on the ratification decentralization amendment. I had questions on how this will be applied, how much freedom regions will have in the method of ratification they choose and since I am left with the same questions unanswered, I vote nay.


I would add that it would be prudent in the amendment to include an emergency clause if after  a certain period of time a region doesn't decide on the amendment because of inactivity or whatever that the federal government could open a voting booth for the citizens of that region to vote.   

People of this great land,

I am running for one of the seats of at-large Senator. This is my first time facing the national electorate. I have served as Northeast representative for three months (November to February). I also had a failed bid at regional senator. If elected in the Senate I will use my eyes to scrutinize legislation and I will be active in debates. I will post my thoughts on legislation so you can get to know me better.

One thing I will like to improve is information to voters about constitutional amendments. After the Senate passes one it is sent to regions. Citizens can notice there is a voting booth open but there is no effort to explain the amendment, there is just the text posted. I would like the senate to accompany the text of the amendment with a summary, explaining the reason behind the change, the parts that are added or deleted from the current constitution. That would give some background information to voters who have to make a decision. If voters have questions I will try to investigate and find answers for them, because when questions are left unanswered, it's more likely people will vote No. Voters are not constitutional experts so information is important.

On the ratification regionalization amendment, I would have liked to see some parameters set for the regions. I would put a deadline for regions to make a decision. A region choosing to decide by legislature could put the amendment in the queue and it could take a lot of time to come up with a decision. I would suggest also an emergency clause for the federal government to have the right to open a regional voting booth in case a legislature becomes inactive or simply ignores the amendment.

Stay tuned for more.
Thank you kindly.

This! And good luck. :) I have always liked what I have seen from you.

If in the Senate I would vote for the Libertas Doesn't Understand Fusion Voting Act. It is to repeal fusion ballot act. Fusion voting (or a form of it if it was not the real thing) hasn't been used in some time so I have no problem getting rid of it. I'm like Libertas, I don't understand fusion voting. I'm not exactly sure what it is and what it would mean for our ballots but I lean on the negative side.

I am for the Give the Secretary of Federal Elections a Break Amendment. I am for only voting on ballots and no commenting. If we can't make rules on what is acceptable on the write in line because of free speech or determining what is considered campaining, I would have no objection of removing the write-in line for federal ballots. In federal elections there is no problem in the number of candidates running and if someone wants to get elected, he just has to declare.

Another issue to keep ballots clean, transparent and public is not allowing translation of ballots. This is adding unnecessary work to the SoFE and is not public, transparent voting since when you look at a translated ballot often you can't be sure of the order of preference.

The goal is not to nullified votes. I would be willing to give a warning instead of voided a ballot for first offense. I have the same position for sending a pm if there is a no pm list. People are not always aware of rules or can make a mistake. Perhaps we could let one or two elections go before applying stricter rules so citizens not actively following the latest developments or new citizens can have the time to be aware of voting rules.     

There is a common market deal between Atlasia and Canada coming for debate. I am generally positive on international trade deals. If we are going to have more integration with our northern neighbor, we should take the occasion to have less barriers to free trade. The first thing  I will look for when analyzing this deal is less control by Canadian agricultural marketing boards like for dairy and poultry products. This supply side management needs to be changed and be less protectionnist. Atlasian agricultural businesses will benefit from this. If I am a Senator I will ask if it is included in the agriculture agreement. I want also to make sure our businesses have better access to public procurement in Canada by their lower level governments and state agencies and that there are not too many exceptions.

I'm less enthusiastic about Canadian provinces being matched with Atlasian regions for election purposes than I was once. I thought it was an exciting idea combined with the amendment about drawing four districts for new senators since it gave many possibilities to draw districts that would depart from looking like the regions. Since that amendment failed, it it just matching Canadian territory with regions and because the IDS doesn't have a border with Canada it's a bit strange and I find it less interesting.

My campaign song is For your eyes only by Sheena Easton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGrptJTswNg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGrptJTswNg)

I need to raise funds to pay for a tv ad. In exchange for donations, donors receive a eyes cap.
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I wish to encourage savings by individuals in creating a federal version of the Northeast No tax accounts. Income received from money put in this type of financial account is not taxed. The creation of this savings plan is a medium term goal. I am not making a short term goal because there is the Napoleon tax cuts bill being debated and I figure there will not be an appetite for another proposal that will lower revenues of the federal coffers.

I propose writing a guideline rule on how to count ballots with a double preference rank or a missing a rank in the order of preference. I'm not sure if there is a rule or if it's been left to the judgement of the election's officer. The rule would be the order of preference is valid and vote counts up until there is a repeat of a rank (giving two third rank for example) or up to a missing preference in the sequence (like voting 1,3,4).

Time for a pep talk to my team to give energy for the final stretch of the campaign. There was a poll published for the senate at-large election. My internal poll as me higher than that poll. The public poll shows I'm behind fifth place (there are five seats up for grabs) by 10%. With the margin of error, maybe we are not that far. The poll was also done before the tv ad so it ccould not measure the its effect. We need to continue working hard until the last day. People will reward us for our hard work. We can do this!

We will be distributing free eyes lapel pins on the street and to the campaign office visitors.
 
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The campaign food for volunteers and office visitors is roasted carrot fries (carrots are good for the eyes).

()

Damn, you couldn't have made sweet potato fries? ;)

Release of Poirot's "watching eyes" tv ad


Can you read this clearly?

Like Atlasia's Senate work, it is difficult to read and understand for most people. You need the eye of an expert. It's normal you don't follow Senate activities because you have a busy life, but you need someone to represent you and keep an eye on your interests.

I have the dedication for the work in the Senate, the sharp eye for legislation and the vision. I will look closely at issues and make things clear for you.

Between April 19 and 21 vote Poirot in the At-Large Senate election.
Let me be your watching eyes.

With the regionalization of constitutional amendment I suggest after the Senatevotes for an amendment, the role of liaison and follow up be given to the Vice President. He would be in charge of alerting the regions an amendment passed the Senate by posting it in the conference or regional executives thread. After this formal announcement he would be in charged of keeping track of regions going through process of adoption if a region forgets to act and needs some proding.

If elected I will be fiscally responsible. I haven't made costly spending promises to buy your votes. I think it's important that the government stays in a good budgetary situation.

I have seen the sample ballot. If you need help voting, I am at the bottom of the list of candidates, so it is easier to mark your first preference starting at the end of the list. ;)

I hope you will trust me to be your watching eyes in the Senate.
Thank you kindly.     

I like your ideas.  Endorsed.

Thank you for the endorsement! It is much appreciated.

Concession speech

The first results are coming in and it is clear I will finish last. Citizens have chosen other candidates to represent them. It was a group of strong candidates. I congratulate the winners  and wish them good luck in the demanding work of Senator.

It was my first national race and it gave me the opportunity to deliver my message to all the nation and meet people from all over the country. I am proud of my campaign. I had the three important element of official song, logo, and food. I also produced a tv ad. There were less visitors than anticipated in my campaign office. As a result I have carrot leftovers. This food will be donated to a local food bank.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the people who have updated the wiki over the last six months, wether it was part of their job, official volunteer or individual effort. Give them a big round of applause for their work.

Last, thank you to those who took the time to read what I had to say and looked at my campaign. Heartfelt thanks to those who gave me words of encouragement and my supporters.

Thank you kindly.

Needless to say, you ran an active and clean campaign that you should be proud of. You stood for ideas, many of them good, and if I am elected I would be happy to take that message to the Senate with me. Good luck in your future endeavors my friend. :)

News bulletin

Poirot was appointed to the Northeast assembly.

Cogratulations :)

Oh yeah! Congrats!

Hello everyone!

I have officially entered the race for the Senate regional seat of the Northeast. The election is in June and the term covers the summer. I know most of you want to go outside and enjoy the sun and it's not a period you are much interested about politics. I am willing to sacrifice the joys of outside sun to work inside in the Senate. I might bring a bit of sun inside, to the Sunate!

My first campaign stop is in Plattsburgh, New York. Tonight I will be at the Airborne Park Speedway to mingle with the local Saturday night race fans.

Before going there I wanted to talk about the Senate bill on same day registration. I understand the two sides. It can be frustrating for a new citizen to have its vote not counted because the citizen was not registered for seven days prior to the start of the election. That person might have to wait two months to participate in another election. On the other hand there is a possibility that many people are driven to the registering office only a few hours before the election to vote and never be seen again. That tactic could be used before any deadline, 1 day or 7 days, but the closer to the election the more it looks like trying to steal the election.

I would propose a compromise of these two views. Cutting it in half: make the waiting period for the right to vote three or four days instead of seven.         

My campaign activities today are about the Atlasia-Canada common market proposal. I will reiterate my positions on this topic discussed in the all-candidate Senate debate.

In my event in Rutland Vermont I spoke of free trade. I believe in free trade. My first ever vote in RL was in an election in which free trade was a big issue. In section IV of the Atlasia common market agreement, it is written that "all existing trade regulations agreed upon in NAFTA are retained unless otherwise stated". I believe we should be more ambitious and get rid of most trade regulations. For exemple the cultural industries exemption that Canada wanted will likely still be in effect.

There has been progress in the agricultural sector. The accord speak of the goal to reduce where at all possible most agricultural subsidies to even the market. Maybe that is good for products receiving monetary subsidies but I find the accord not strong enough to benefit the dairy producers of Vermont. The wording is not clearly indicating if the Canadian government will give up supply management system and open the border for unlimited exports of our dairy products. It's important non-tariffs barriers are removed and the Canadian market is fully open to our dairy industry.

Another aspect of the common market agreement is the freedom of movement. Section V says there will not be passport security checks when citizens cross the border. With that, millions of people will get the right to cross the border freely. Twenty per cent of the canadian population is foreign born. Allowing all Canadian citizens freedom of movement in Atlasia brings security concerns. We are losing control of screening who we let in in our country.

Later in the day in Newark, New Jersey the topic was the effects of the possible enlargement of the St. Lawrence seaway. I have concerns about jobs in the Northeast. If bigger vessels can navigate into the Great Lakes, it could mean less traffic for the ports along the Atlantic coast. If ships bypass the coast to go to the interior this could result in less jobs in the ports and the transportation industry to bring goods to the Atlantic ports. The Northeast has more shore on the Atlantic than on the Great Lakes.

As regional senator my priority will be to defend the region. The project could be good for other regions of Atlasia but not the Northeast. I will ask for an evaluation of the long term impact of enlarging the seaway on the Northeast and wait the result before approving this project.

The other concern with enlarging the seaway is environmental. Building a larger or deeper seaway could have an effect on the fragile ecosystem of the lakes and coastal area; the same with an increase in ship traffic.     

I am in Ogunquit in Maine.

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Today I am presenting my sunny campaign banner. You want something new under the sun?  Elect Poirot to the Sunate!



I'm also announcing my campaign song is Walking on sunshine by Katrina and the waves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPUmE-tne5U (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPUmE-tne5U)

I love the Poirot mysteries.

You have my vote.

Thank you Monsieur!

I'm sure there is investigative work to be done in the Senate.

Campaign stop in Cambridge Mass. It is important for the government to support research. It helps to move towards a knowledge based economy. It gives good paying jobs. It helps to make discoveries and move science forward.

I think we should invest more in research. To have a return on our investment or get back some of the money we invest, we should sign agreements with projects we fund. We will financially benefit from royalties patents, or licenses obtained from the research funded by getting a share of those revenues.

Since research is partially funded by public money it should be made available to all. After reaserch results are published in a scientific journal, a summary of it (if the paper is too long and complicated) would have to be posted publicly on a designated government website within three months. 

In Manchester New Hampshire I outlined two possibilities for tax relief for individuals.

My first try would be to reintroduce the tax cuts that was passed by the Senate but vetoed by the president. After different proposals the Senate adopted two changes to the current tax structure. The first bracket is modified to start at 15K instead of 9.5K, so it becomes 15K to 35K at 10%. The second bracket keeps the same limits (35K to 80K) but the rate is reduced from 22% to 20%. There is no change for higher incomes. As you can see these changes target lower income and some people not making much money will no longer pay income tax. I believe it is worth try to introduce the same agreement again because the presidential candidates from the two main parties voted for it.

If I see the above could not be put into law, my other possibility is expanding nationally the Northeast No tax account. It was put into place to encourage saving by not taxing what is put into these accounts but there is a low limit on how much you can put into that plan.
https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=168461.msg3610349#msg3610349 (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=168461.msg3610349#msg3610349)   

Endorsed :)

Great!
Thank you for your endorsement Senator Kalwejt.

Here is the gist of my speech given in Newport, Rhode Island on federal amendment process.

The federal amendment process could be improved. There needs to be better coordination between the federal government and the regions. First thing is better communication with governors when an amendment has passed the Senate. I suggest posting the information when governors need to act in the Conference for regional executives thread. And after a few days if there is doubt a governor has seen it, sending a personal message would be good. There also need to be better follow up of the results from the regions to make an announcement when all regions have voted or enough have passed an amendment that it is adopted. For this coordination job I think the Vice president or Secretary of Internal Affairs would be best suited.

The other aspect I think needs improvement is explaining to the voters what specific change from the constitution is contained in the amendment and the reason behind it. That way voters are more apt to make a decision.   

Thank you for bringing your campaign to my hometown.

It was great having you here.

I think the Senate needs new blood. I am not necessarily endorsing yet, I still want to hear more from both you and Scott, but you have some interesting ideas.

Tonight I am in Philadelphia PA to give my opinion on the upcoming regional vote on constitution change.

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There are two parts on the regional sample ballot for amendment 1 which is the constitution ratification amendment. The first part is about lowering the votes needed for adoption from two thirds of the vote to a majority. The second part is to state that a majority is also needed for federal amendments.

I don't agree with lowering the two third of votes needed to change the regional constitution. I view the constitution has something that should be more stable than ordinary laws. It shouldn't be changed too easily. If a change proposal is great, it will get two thirds of the vote.

I don't mind keeping the simple majority for federal amendments. As the ballot is designed, all these topics are inside amendment 1, so I can't be for one and not the other. Therefore, I will vote No on amendment 1.

There is no big negative implication in voting No because the Supreme Court has ruled that a region not making an explicit decision on federal amendment is deemed to be using the current method of simple majority vote. It turns out regions wanting to continue with the same method don't need to make an official choice. We would still have the same rule for federal amendment regardless of voting yes or no on amendment 1.   

The Poirot for Sunate has an afternoon activity. All people near Pittsburgh PA can meet me in the parking lot of the stadium before the Pirates baseball game. I'm trying to be allowed to do the ceremonial first pitch. Look for my booth in the parking lot. We will be distributing sunflower seeds.
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Sunflower seeds is the official food of my campaign. (you know... because there is sun in the name) Sun can have good and bad effects. Good like helping for vitamin D and bad like skin damage. We can say the sun has two different sides like mini-wheats. Skin damage can lead to skin cancer. For information and prevention of skin cancer, visitors to my booth will be able to see damage done to their skin using a special UV photo device.

()

We have seen situtations in the past in which regions needed help from outside of the region to keep functioning. Such situtations could be a legislature being paralysed because a speaker and lieutenant governor disappeared and there was no clear line of succession to proceed or a region completely skipping election because the region was inactive and no one opened a voting booth.

In cases like these intervention from outside the region to open a voting booth for example is useful. The federal government could consult regions and suggest they adopt an emergency clause that allow federal intervention when regional activity is paralysed. I recognize and respect regional powers. This would not be forced onto regions that don't want it.

To respect regional jurisdiction and make sure the federal governement doesn't infringe on regional affairs, there would be perequisite actions to be taken before a federal official could open a regional voting booth. One would be to wait after the regional legal deadline to start voting has passed. Another would be to contact by private message all possible officials from the region that have the right to open the booth (like governor, judge). This step could be done before the opening of the booth if there is serious concern of the booth not opening in time.

I think an arrangement like that helps a region to get out of paralysis while respecting regional autonomy.

These comments were made in Seaford, Delaware.

This morning I was at a breakfast meeting with business people in Fairfield, Connecticut. Eggs sunny side up were served.

()


The government should encourage crowdfunding and equity crowdfunding. It helps small business or projects get access to funds, having access to everyone. Equity crowdfunding cuts the middle man and could lead to cheaper financing for start ups. To help secure the method of financing I propose crowdfunding portals must be government approved. It doesn't guarantee the investment is safe. People must know there is risk involved, but hopefully on serious portals there will be serious offers and a reduced risk of fraud. I hope this will help entrepreneurs efforts.   

I also mentioned how the common market agreement with Canada is a good opportunity for Atlasia to push for a review of foreign ownership rules in some industries. If the two countries are more integrated economically, foreign ownership rules should be abolished or less restrictive between the two countries. Canadian industries protected by foreign ownership limit include telecommunications and broadcasting, banking and insurance. 

In Utica, New York I spoke on two topics. The importance for everyone to pay their fair share of taxes. I would support the federal administration's efforts to fight tax havens, working with other countries around the world. Also work with other nations to fight business tax avoidance and evasion especially by multinational firms.

I also spoke about defending people not belonging to big parties (independent and small party) if there is electoral reform. Sometimes the big parties think mostly about their interest and those without a major voice get forgotten. I believe all should have easy access to being on the ballot and the system still gets a chance to win for everybody. Well, it's easier to win if you are in a big party but potential changes should not make it more difficult and improbable for other candidates to win than now. That is something important for me.     

I have a tv ad running to reach voters not really interested in political campaigns. I try to get them by general feeling. (sense of renewal, confidence, optimism, better days ahead, trust). Let me describe the ad.

It starts by static images, not showing much action, with no bright colours. One image is a cloudy sky. Then an image of the sky appearing in the cloudy sky.

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Music starts playing in the ad until the end. It's Here comes the sun by the Beatles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj1AesMfIf8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj1AesMfIf8)

Then there is normal film. You see Poirot walking towards the Senate building. For the rest of the ad it is sunny, the colors are bright and you see more action scenes, with people being happy and active, like children playing on their lawn, a farmer working in a field, a busy city shopping street etc.

There is a shot of a sunflower field to make the link to the official campaign food (sunflower seeds).
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Vote Poirot for Sunate! 

Northeast citizens,

It is election time. I ask you for your vote in the NE Senate race. To vote for something new under the sun. In the last two weeks I have visited every state of the region. I have talked about different issues in my campaign thread. I know some don't like to read a lot of text so here is a more concise version of my campaign:

- Reduce the number of days to obtain the right to vote for new citizens to 3 or 4 days

- Push for more open trade in the common market agreement, for less restrictions in commerce (decrease exceptions to free trade, non tariff trade barriers to agriculture, foreign ownership rules in certain industries)

- Invest in scientific research in exchange for a share of revenues produced by the results

- Reintroduce the senate agreement on tax relief for people making less than 80K that was vetoed

- Support fight against tax avoidance and evasion

- Better coordination and communication for passing federal amendments

- Against making NE constitution change a simple majority vote

- Limited power of intervention by the federal level in regions if there is paralysis or need for opening voting booth

- Encourage crowdfunding

- Look out for interest of small parties and independents in potential electoral reform

()

I can't promise you the moon but I will promise you the sun.
Vote Poirot for NE Sunate!

Thank you kindly

I'm at the hotel watching the election results come in. My advisers and campaign staff are with me.

()

I've heard three loud cheers coming from the other room where a group of supporters are watching the results. Since they cheer every time I get a vote, that must mean I have received three votes so far.

The country has been a bit unstable lately but people should still get to the voting booth. I understand their fear with the presence of revolutionaries, a loss of confidence in elected officials, problems with the country's communications system. We still don't know who is responsible for the communicationa problems: utilities, anarchist groups trying to stop the election or foreign terrorists. Atlasians are resilient people. They should not fear for their safety and show up at the voting booths. Keep calm and carry on voting.

Vote Poirot to the Sunate.  Someting new under the sun.

I hear the crowd at the hotel suddenly applaud and cheer. Another vote must have came in. That would mean I am now at 4 votes.
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Still 12 hours left to cast your vote for Poirot.

I think it's time to concede. At this time my speech will be in prime time and some supporters want to change the tv channel to have a look at Whodunnit?

People did not choose a summer term with sun. (they will get clouds I guess)
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I want to congratulate Scott for his return to the Senate. I wish him all the wisdom and intelligence needed to make coming difficult decisions for the future of the country. He is an experienced legislator so he will be able to help the Senate function well.

I want to thank the people who put their trust in me. The people who voted for me in the election, I won't list them because it would be too short, and the party members who voted for me during party's endorsement. 

I also want to congratulate all the candidates in this election cycle who have put their names on ballot and campaigned for the citizens vote, offering voters a choice. The result of the Presidential vote is not known yet but whoever wins will have big responsabilities. They are both strong, hard working candidates.

I tried to have a longer campaign this time. I have traveled all over the region. It was exhausting at times, having to stay up late.

Now the the sun sets over my campaign.
Thank you kindly.

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It was a good campaign, Poirot.  Thank you for making the race interesting. :)

Congratulations Poirot on running a good campaign.

All the best.

Thanks for coming here leaving good words about my campaign Nix, Scott, Winfield. You can have sunflower seeds bags  if you wish. I don't eat them. Any leftovers will be donated to little league of baseball.

Now some good news. After all the votes were counted I actually received five votes. That is a full hand. High five to these voters!

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July 19, 2013

Jamais deux sans trois

I am a candidate in the special election to fill the vacant Northeast Senate seat. I have run for the Northeast Senate seat in February and June 2013 so running in this special election is a continuity of those previous attempts. There is not really time to campaign due to the very short notice before the election. I have ran for this office only last month and I invite people to look at the previous page for an informative flashback.

I thought it was included in the job function but since someone is asking around, I pledge to look at Senate threads every day or if not possible, two days.

Thank you kindly.

Well, same result as my previous senate runs. At least I haven't had to spend a lot of resources due to the very short campaign period. Thank you to those who at least thought I could do the job and to my voter. 

September 23rd will be my first anniversary of registration in Atlasia. To celebrate this I am holding a cake eating celebration. Since less people are available on Mondays, it will be held on Sunday September 22nd, between 13:00 and 15:00.

Hello Poroit, I have no idea who you are (I became active on this forum in July) and I hope you have a great cake day

The cake was good and fun was had by all. Thanks to those in attendance. Sorry for those who could not attend.

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well we had cake yesterday (with Matt) so I'm good! :)

Congrats Poirot!

Congratulations on your first year, Poirot!

Northeast Citizens,

The regional Senate election is coming soon and I have declared my candidacy for the Northeast Senate seat. Yes, It's time for yet another Senate run. I've had a few unsuccessful bids but I feel now could be the time. It's time for Poirot.




I have an official sound (instead of song). It's the sound of alarm clock. This will remind everyone in the morning of October 18-19-20 that they need to vote Poirot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYhpmlEB-JI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYhpmlEB-JI)

My official food is the bagel. It can be a morning food. I prefer the cinnamon and raisins variety.


This time vote for Poirot!
Thank you kindly.

Announcement made in Mystic, Connecticut

Thank you for welcoming me at the Harvard Law School in Cambridge Massachusetts.

I was invited to talk about the possibility of involving ordinary citizens in federal judicial decisions. Citizens could be picked randomly and somewhat forced to act as jury. I know the random pick is probably to be fair and not choose a biased jury. However I'm not sure if taking people from the street to sit them in court would deliver the best justice. Not all citizens are active, not all could be interested in doing the job, not all are competent in law, not all would take great time to make a decision and be unbiased.

I would not like to be drafted to serve on the court and I am against judicial draft. I am for a professional court system with professional justices, who have applied willingly for the job, been trained, have law knowledge and desire to serve in that capacity.   

The Senate could eliminate all farm subsidies. This could lead to many family farms in the Northeast, like the Smiths farm here in Troy Vermont, going out of business.

I would keep subsidies for small farms. It can be tough to compete with gigantic industrial farms or places with a better climate. We can't let our rural areas with their small farms deperish. Food produced locally gives us fresh products, that don't need to be transported over thousands of miles, it make our neighours survive and our villages and land inhabited.   


You may remember that I voted for the Agriculture reinvestment act in the regional assembly in January 2013. This allowed farmers to get grants and ensure the viability and preserve 
the agricultural base of the region.

Now I'm going north of the border to Sherbrooke in Quebec because Atlasians living north of the border have the right to vote in our election so I'm going to reach out to them.

I'm in Cape May, New Jersey to talk about my No old left behind policy.

With the rapid spread of technology we move more and more towards a paperless society. Many governement and business transactions can be done using modern technology. While this poses no problem to a vast majority, it requires the knowledge or ownership of hi-tech tools. Not everyone has a smart phone or a computer or can easily use them. This affects mostly old people or poor people.

Some businesses or government offices no longer send forms or statements by mail. They want people to go online, or they will charge you if you want an invoice on paper. That is not practical for people who have trouble with technology. Some people still function with paper. No old people should be left behind. 


I want the older people (or poor) to have the choice to access data and information in their preferred way. If they ask for a form, income tax form, brochure from government services they should have the option of getting it by mail on paper for free. No question asked. Private companies will have to send monthly statements or transaction statement on paper for free if the client requires it with no additional charge so the client can follow their accounts.

No old left behind.
It's time.

()

I've come by ferry to Lewes in Delaware. During the journey I remembered I wanted to rename to Senate Protest and analysis thread something like the Senate Café to attract more citizens in that place. A more friendly and welcoming name could get more people to enter the place.

Since discussions and interactions have been rough on the boards lately perhaps a more appropriate name should be the Senate Saloon thread. Heated discussions, fist fights, drunk posting; that could increase participation.

Isn't that already what happens? ;)

Consider yourself endorsed Mr. Poirot.  The Senate needs a shake-up, and you're the right man for the job.  :)

Thank you!

I forgot to say visitors (Flo, siren) can grab a bagel when they stop by.

I'm at Laurel caverns in Farmington, Pennsylvania. I'm difficult to see because there is not much lighting.


I would like to put better lighting into senate operations and activities. I don't know if there is a lot of consultations, or deals made behind the curtains of the senate or with the president before a bill comes to the floor. I think it would be interesting to have communications before presenting bills or consultations when a bill is on the floor made in public if some happen in private. It would be informative and interesting to know. The thread for this would be called the Senate antechamber.

There seems to be a problem of senators becoming inactive for whatever reason. I was thinking we could shorten the mandates to three months. It could make it easier for people to commit to a shorter period if you predict life circumstances will change in a few months, or stick to the mandate when you have only a couple of weeks left instead of having to resign.   

Endorsed!

Thanks for your endorsement Flo. :)

In Albany, New York to talk about improving the process of federal amendment ratification by the regions. I'll try to make it short because I have talked about the same thing in previous campaigns and I'm starting to sound like a broken record.


I get the impression when the senate sends an amendment for ratification to the regions they don't seem to care what happens to it or try to explain it to the voters. Sometimes I see the ballot text and I'm not sure what are the implications of the change.

I would get maybe the VP or AG to coordinate with the regions in making sure voting booths are opened by regions after a period of time. The regions keeps operating the voting booth. The VP (or AG) would post the text in a thread opening a 48 hour period that serves as notice to governors and a question period for voters if they have questions and want to better understand to make an informed decision before voting. People could also argue for and against if they wished but the main goal is to have other people than PPT be the link to regions and voters because he has probably enough on his hands already.     

I am in the town of Johnston in Rhode Island. Rhode Island is the smallest state. It is not because you are small that you are not important.

Big political parties have their own interest in mind when they make decisions about the game. In reforms about how candidates are elected or regional reform, I will express concerns for future indepedent or small parties candidates. For example, if we have three regions with more population, it looks incredibly difficult for a party with 3 members in a region to compete with 2 or 3 big parties if they are trying hard to win a senate seat. Give a chance to the little guys.

Some have said many times it's natural order to have only two parties. I disagree with that. Two parties are not fun. Three parties with the same agenda is not fun either.   

Last day before the election. Campaign stop in Portsmouth New Hampshire.

I would like citizens to let citizens keep more money in their pockets.

To achieve this I will propose a national tax free savings account program based on the Northeast No Tax Account.
https://uselectionatlas.org/AFEWIKI/index.php/Northeast_No_Tax_Accounts_Act (https://uselectionatlas.org/AFEWIKI/index.php/Northeast_No_Tax_Accounts_Act)

Driiiing. It's time. Vote Poirot.

Northeasterners,

I end my October 2013 NE Senate campaign in Old Orchard in Maine. I have traveled to every state of the region to try to get your vote. The voting booth is about to open in a couple of hours. The choice is now yours.

oh, I see something on the horizon...


A big wave! It could be a wave of support for me that will start in Maine and unfurl on all the Northeast.

oh, and I hear a sound...
Driiiing, It's time! Vote Poirot. 

Driiiing. It's time. Vote.

(there is already a lineup at the polling station)

Endorsed! Join in the Progressive Union!

Driiiiing! It's time!

Because it is my fifth run for Senate I have hired Lou Bega to sing Mambo Number 5 as entertainment for the crowd gathered at my election night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAln0m1PGMI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAln0m1PGMI)

The crowd needs spirit lift up because it is not looking good right now. With the possible number of votes left it could even be metaphysically impossible to catch up the other candidates.

Thank you Lou Bega for entertaining the crowd tonight.

Over the part three days, the people have spoken, and they have not spoken in my favor, so I concede this race. I recognize that people did not want me to go in the Senate. In the end, it was not my time. The other two candidates, bore and Goldwater garnered many more votes.


The campaign did not succeed as I had hoped. The repetitive use of driiiing sound might have been annoying for some. I was trying to provoke a Pavlovian conditioning. Associate the alarm clock sound with a vote for me so on election days voters hearing alarm clock sound would go vote for me. Unfortunatley it had very limited success.

The campaign also focused in posting appropriate images to reach voters who have trouble reading, trouble understanding me, or don't have time to read so they still would get the message. Maybe the segment of the population with poor reading skills didn't turn out to vote.

I want to thank the voters (note that I can use the plural this time) who cast their ballot for me. I appreciate the support of those accomplished and distinguished Atlasians. It was great to have visitors in my campaign office, people interested to know what was happening. It was heartwarming to have citizens travel from other regions to offer their endorsements. It was much appreciated. Also thank you to the Progressive Union party for endorsing me for second preference.   

I want to congratulate bore and Goldwater for their more effective campaigns and thank them for their participation in this civic exercise we call election. It looks like bore will be reelected so he will continue his effective work as Northeast Senator for another term. Congratulations bore.

I will not be in the Senate but my ideals live on. I'm proud to say already my No old left behind policy has influence policy in the world. A few days ago in Canada's Speech from the throne, the government put in its legislative agenda for people to not have to pay more to get a paper bill. I quote: End pay to pay policies, so customers won’t pay extra to receive paper bills.

Atlasia influences the world. Foreign governements look up to us, they follow with interest what is happening here. If this is not proof that other nations monitor what happens here, I don't know what is.


Thank you kindly.

It seems two seats in the Northeast Assembly are going vacant: Matt to Vice President, and Goldwater to Northeast Governor. Would you take a place on the Northeast Assembly?

I admire your relentless dedication to making Atlasia a better place. I hope you consider running for a spot in the Northeast Assembly, maybe even Governor! :)

GO FOR IT POIROT!

Northeast citizens,

It's me again, Poirot. This time I am running in the coming special election for Northeast assembly. I am happy to present my platform.

Last summer in a territory affiliated to our region, New Brunswick, two little boys were killed by a python while sleeping in a home. Snakes can be dangerous animals and they are not all good pets. I am proposing stricter rules to keep snakes at home: no snake longer than four feet should be owned by individuals and no venemous snakes at all. 

There is a long list of acts introduced for repeal in the legislative thread. One Act I would vote to keep is the Official Ballot Language Act. There is no need for a voter to translate a ballot. It can be more work for the election officer and it is no transparent for the general public.

The Northeast is our beloved region. When people try to touch my regions I feel violated. I don't want people touching my region so I will propose a resolution in the assembly affirming the sanctity of the region's territory so our great region can stay as it is.

I am not a fan of fantasy names for the region's political positions. If I am elected I choose to be called Representative.

Thank you kindly.

Enthusiastically endorsed!

Thank you Flo!

I am unveiling my campaing banner.


My campaign food is the pumpkin pie. I don't know if it's good but it's in season.
()

And my song is the theme of The Addams family.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6QzbvH-ZNo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6QzbvH-ZNo)

Endorsed buddy!

Thank you Napoleon.

Maybe I am gaining momentum.

I am reminding Northeast citizens of the special election on Novemeber 1,2,3. I am a candidate for assembly, so if you want:

- No long snake
- Keep Official Language Ballot Act
- Don't touch my regions

Vote for me!

I didn't win the special election at the beginning of November. I didn't win the special election of November 29, 30 and December 1 either. I still served as interim representative in the northeast assembly for three weeks. I accepted the nomination of then Governor Dr Cynic. I also had the role of speaker for about two weeks. It was my first time having that function. I enjoyed experiencing this because it's not often I have this opportunity.

I had time to introduce the two bills I talked about in my campaign. My statement on the survival of the Northeast was not passed. Whatever happens to the pet snake restrictions law, I have tried to make the region more safe and I will have a clear conscience next time a child is killed by a snake.

I want to thank the voters who gave me a first preference in the November 1 special election and those who gave me a top two preference in the November 29 special election. It's with sadness I leave the assembly. The region could be modified within a few months if the regions map overhaul plan goes ahead, so this could have been my last presence in the Northeast assembly. 

You, sir, are dead. And the dead cannot stand for election.

It's really sad that the Northeast seems so adamant at keeping you out of office.

The Northeast has a Cabinet that we can fill if Poirot is interested.

I've regularly been seeking office so in case my hordes of fans expect me to run for office, I just want to make it public that I will not hold any office in the short term, meaning I will reevaluate my decision for the February elections at the earliest.

(except for something like a space board)

I will still be watching and commenting if I feel like it, like the old people who attend city council meetings.   

Or you could force a by-election by uncovering evidence of the complicity of an elected officeholder in a particularly foul murder.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!

I'm here today at Dover International speedway in Delaware to announce I'm running for the office of Northeast Senator. I will be traveling our region in my campaign bus and I invite people to follow my stops and my plans for the road ahead of us. The ultimate goal is obviously to finish first at the end of voting, Sunday February 23rd and receive the checkered flag. That will also be the day of the Daytona 500 and explains my campaign launch here.

I consider this federal election the worst contested I have witnessed. There is almost no competition. Very few choices for voters at this time. There could be only one ticket for the presidency on the ballot. I think there was only one regional race with competition for regional senate. That means for a majority of citizens in this country there could be no more than one choice on the ballot. Talk about dull and uninteresting. A new low for Atlasia. A past senatorial campaign involved an alarm clock. People chose to hit the snooze button and I was not elected. Now it looks like citizens will go sleepwalking to the voting booth in a boring election.

That is an appalling situation for an elections game. I considered not going to the federal booth and boycott that election. If others don't entertain me I have chosen to run and entertain myself. The Northeast will have a choice.

Northeast citizens, let's take the road ahead with Poirot

Endorsed! :)

Endorsed! :D

You would make a great addition to the Senate!  Don't forget to post in the candidate declaration thread.

I am glad you have decided to run. You have my endorsement and I wish you the best of luck. :)

Thank you for attending my campaign launch event and for your endorsements.

Since road is a theme this time, as souvenir I am giving visitors and supporters toy cars.
()

Now I need to go make my candidacy official.

Campaign event from Montpelier in Vermont tonight.


On the road to regional diversity

I find important for the well being of our country to let the regional governments have enough leeway to adopt their own policies. The Senate has a tendency to adopt laws that settles issues for the country and there is not much margin for regions to decide on policies on the same topic. The Senate should let regions handle more issues or try to adopt a basic minimum law that still leaves enough decisions to the regions.

An example is letting regions decide if they want to ban homeschooling. Some might want to, others not. If the Senate rules on this it can stop future political debate to happen in five regions.

I will try to be attentive to regional concerns and give room to regional legislatures to debate and vote laws that reflect their point of view. I want local governments that can express their regional diversity. That should enhance the role and importance of regional officeholders.

I also like the autonomy of regions and I am a little disturbed when I see federal powers very strongly push for a region to adopt a tax structure or modify some of its laws. 

On the road to stricter drug laws

If you have been following the news lately, you are aware there has been some tension between Atlasia and Canada and the cause of that was drugs. Canada even closed some border crossings. It is important for the economy of our two countries to have an easy flow of goods between both sides of the border. That is why I have chosen to be here near the customs of Houlton in Maine at the Canadian border.


We probably have too lax laws on hard drugs. Not only it can create diplomatic problems for Atlasia, we are seeing signs of a growing drug problem in parts of our region. I have seen many media reports about the heroin epidemic in Vermont. It's starting to even be talked about outside our country. It's time to take a tougher stand against hard drugs.

I'm at the Atlasian-Canadian border in Maine on interstate 95. My campaign bus will follow that road, crossing many states down to New Jersey. If you live near that road you might see me. And don't worry about my safety in winter driving, my bus has good winter tires.

On the road to citizen equality

In the evening I was in Augusta in Maine. I shook hands with ordinary people going to the supermarket to do their shopping.

In front of a display of no name generic products I stated I am against renaming location or landmarks to give them the name of Atlasians. I think giving names is very subjective and it can be partisan. The names chosen could be because they are friends with the right people. They could have done something people appreciate but some other people do not. I prefer if we don't rename things or places with Atlasian citizens names. Renaming makes it look like some are important and others are not. I prefer to think all citizens are equal.   

On the road to newbie asylum

I start my day in Greenland, New Hampshire. I am at a playground.


I feel citizens running for office for the first time should get the opportunity to introduce themselves and their ideas without being attacked by bullies and their campaign being side tracked. I am proposing a four day no touch time period for fist time candidates, after they start a campaign thread. No negative attacks are permitted during this time in the thread to give new candidate a chance to expose their ideas and given a chance to feel welcomes and not attacked. This is to try to be nicer to new people. 

On the road to healthy democracy

I'm at the New England Aquarium in Boston Massachusetts.


I know it's not near interstate 95, the highway goes around the city but I'm making a side stop in my campaign to talk about some concerns about the state of democracy in our country. I'm quite disturbed by the lack of people wanting to be on the ballot. Thankfully we avoided disaster when in the last hours some people stepped up and made presidential tickets. Those people have all my respect. We were hours away from an unopposed election.

It is very strange in an elections game that there is a lack of candidates. Maybe we have become a benevolent dictatorship. Usually political parties try to have candidates and this time it seemed painful for them to run, like nobody wanted to offer an alternative and were ready to hand the office to another party. I think there is a middle ground for parties between nasty negative partisanship and not even compete.

I've been reading international intelligence reports about an organization that infiltrates political powers and governments for its benefit. It's named Octopus. It may have started to activate in Atlasia. Octopus has many arms and tries to asphyxiate democracy in a country. Perhaps it is satisfied with the status quo in Atlasia and with its arms in all political parties it tries to make them not contest elections. Other tactics they use is contaminate water to make people sleepy and apathic, and use magnetic waves to affect the brain and make people think the same thing. When they do this is because they are in control of a country and want things to continue that way so they don't want many political choices on a ballot and want to choke democracy.

We need to fight the octopus!

On the road to sign presentation

During my campaign event in Foxborough Massachusetts, I proudly present my official campaign sign for the 2014 February Northeast regional Senate seat election. The road theme is illustrated by a road and cars with the On the road slogan. The checkered flags show the goal to finish first.   

Endorsed!

Endorsed, and good luck!

Thank you for your support SomebodyWhoExists and Lumine. Don't forget you can have a toy car and also you can have the official food after it is announced. 

On the road to freedom of moving

My opinion on the deregistration issue is to let citizens the option of deregistering. It can be sad to see citizens moving out, maybe they could stay even if they are not that active. However I feel the option to deregister should be there. Some in the past were annoyed at receiving private messages about Atlasia elections when they are not interested anymore. There should be a way for people like that to get their name off the voters list and not have to wait months for it to happen by not participating in elections. Atlasia is not a jail, the doors shouldn't be all locked. This is why I'm here at the Travisono jail in Cranston, Rhode Island near interstate 95.   

On the road to a lean Senate

I'm at a gym in Stratford, Connecticut to speak on ways to have a lean and efficient Senate. The first thing is trying to focus. Focus on things that can't be delegated to the regions and focus on fewer bills so senators can participate and not have to juggle with so many issues at the same time. To speed up the procedures, the VP should use his powers to move forward debate and vote on a bill should last a maximum of three days.

On the road to calories

After being at a gym earlier today, now it's time for the official campaign food. It is the donut.


I chose the donut not only because it can be a guilty pleasure but donut is also the name of what some race car drivers do after they won a race. The official campaign food presentation is done at Dunkin Donuts in Stamford Connecticut, on Elm street just by interstate 95.   

Why do you feel like you deserve a seat in the Senate?

I'm an ctive citizen and I have the ability to hold the office of senator and contribute to the nation but I'm not sure if an election is about deserving the job. It's up to the citizens to decide if I deserve it or not to represent them based on my views, my opinions, my qualities.

On the road to better informed voters

The federal amendment ratification process can be improved with better coordination with the regions. Besides the process, one aspect I would like to improve is when an amendment is sent to voters there should be an explanation to voters about the specific changes it contains and the rationale for it. Before the voting starts there should be some time available for citizens to ask questions if they want to better understand the amendment they are asked to approve. Informed voters are smarter voters.

This campaign stop in East Brunswick New Jersey is my last stop along Interstate 95.

   

On the yellow brick road

I'm in Chittenango, New York for the presentation of my campaign song. This is the birthplace of L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful wizard of Oz, so the song is Follow the yellow brick road.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cwCIkKFFR4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cwCIkKFFR4)

I've driven on a lot of roads in the campaign but never a yellow brick one. I think we need to go by foot on this road. It is better for the Oztlasia environment I guess. I invite the voters of the Northeast to follow me on the yellow brick road to prosperity and happiness. 

I agree on leaving more things to the regions, but I'm kind of surprised you support only a 3 day debate period.  That would mean bills won't get as much debate as they need, and it seems like in the past you've been an advocate for a more careful approach to what gets passed.

I interpreted the three day period as a reference to the duration of voting- which is a little annoying to have to wait fornone or two lazy senators.

Sorry! Yes, the three days is for voting only. Debate is not limited. I should have put a period. Not try to make long sentences.

To recap. VP uses his powers to move the process of bills and not always wait for PPT to do everything. The 3 day was for voting period. I think now it can last seven days. Regional assemblies have votes that last a fews days usually so why not require senators to be as active in voting. This should reduce waiting periods and speed up things.

I hope I'm more clear now.

Endorsed. You'll represent the interests of the Northeast well in the Senate if elected.

Thank you Rep. Deus!

On the road to the voting booth

It is almost time to take the road to the voting booth. My last campaign stop for this Northeast Senate election is in North East in Pennsylvania. It is the location of the Lake Erie Speedway. I end my campaign at a race track, like I started it at a race track. Between those events I have taken the roads in our region. The highlight was a long journey taking interstate 95. I have visited every state of the region. Now the citizens will make their voice heard by voting. I ask for your support.

Thank you kindly.   

On the road to concession

Dear Northeast,

We are in the last minutes of voting. It's time to concede. I congratulate bore for being chosen again to represent our region.

A heartfelt thank you to all who voted for me (yes you, you, and you, and you over there). It means a lot that you choose to put your trust in me. You could have stayed home and watch television but you took time from your schedule to drive or walk to the voting booth to freely cast a ballot. You are a diverse group, registered in three big parties and independents, some loyal for a long time and some new. For those who were candidates in regional elections I'm very sorry I couldn't return the favor in giving all of you a first preference like you did to me. I also want to thank the people outside the region who expressed their support.

It was a short campaign and I provided the essential trio of official logo, music and food. I had a fun planning my campaign stops, finding locations. I hope you enjoyed the road trip with me.

I think my vote total will be the highest I have ever received in an election. I even took the lead after the halfway of voting period but my engine overheated and I had trouble moving forward after that.

To those who ran for office but didn't win, I feel your pain. But at least you had the courage to run and give a choice to citizens. I respect your efforts. Without you there would be no reason to be here.

Thank you kindly.

Congratulations on a great campaign, as always, Poirot!

I hope you'll continue to contribute to the Northeast :)

What this fella said.

Tonight I am speaking to Atlasians at large. My engine is still warm from a regional seat election so I might as well carry on and run for the special senate at large election. Voters from all parts of the country will have the chance to vote for me. Last time that happened was many months ago so jump on the opportunity!

It's a bit unusual for me to venture out of the Northeast but I'm glad to be here in Akron Ohio in the Mideast region. I'm at Garden Pie Company because the official food for my camapign is pie.


Yes, pies are good but the pie was also chosen to represent the economic pie. It is important to grow the economic pie so everyone can have a bigger slice. We need a growing economy to redistribute wealth. In this campaign I will try to talk about some economic propositions. I am proud to unveil my official campaign sign. 



Last, my official song is Money makes the world go around from Cabaret.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkRIbUT6u7Q (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkRIbUT6u7Q)

Do you intend to seek the nomination of a major party or do you plan to keep a firmly independent candidacy?

I'm not seeking the nomination of a party. I am running as Independent. I am not pursuing the endorsement of parties if I have to ask for it but some parties vote on all candidates declared. I sort of prefer to not know in advance who is (not) supporting me so I can have hope.

I'm in Memphis Tennessee, capital of the Imperial Dominion of the South.

I want to say I'm against the Glorious airport renaming act. My main reason is it's very subjective to honour some citizens. Some will feel left out. Some choices can be very questionable. The choice ends up being more who is connected with the ruling political elite. Another reason is renaming things can cause friction with regions. I prefer regions don't rename things with citizens' names either but since I'm running for Senate you can count on me to be against the Senate renaming the airports.

Now about my campaign theme, making the economy grow. To make the economy grow you need some good soil foundation. That is a good business climate and a sound budget situation of the government. It's important to not overspend in good times and run big deficits because at one time times will be harder and the governement won't be able to help much if it is already in debt and run big deficits.

Sometimes a good soil is not enough and we need some vitamins and fertilizers to help growth. I will present two vitamins.

Vitamin R is for research. I want to support research so there are more discoveries and science advances. The future is in the knowledge based economy and it provides good paying jobs. I want Atlasia to be the world leader in research. In the science fields in which there are a lack of private funding we could provide investment. In exchange for investment we need a return to get at least some of our money back, so we sign agreements for the projects funded. We will get a share of the revenues obtained by the projects funded in receiving royalty on patents or licenses resulting of the research.       

Vitamin C is for crowdfunding. I want to encourage crowdfunding in a safe way to help entrepreneurs. This will help people with projects or small business to have easier access to funds, reaching the general public. This will cut middle man and could lead to cheaper financing for start ups. I don't want the investor public to be duped by fraudulent offers. To help make it more secure I propose crowdfunding portals must be government approved. It doesn't guarantee the investment is safe; people must know there is risk involved. The goal is to have serious portals with good reputation and hopefully all efforts will be made to have serious requests for funds and reduce fraud risk.

With a good soil and some vitamins our economy will prosper. We will all benefit from a good economy.

Vote Poirot - Making the economy grow 

You should be SoIA!

The Poirot for At Large Senate special election committee has hired the firm North Star Polls to conduct a poll on favorite pie. The pie is the official food of my campaign. I invite all the population of Atlasia to answer this poll and get their voice heard. I want to have the pulse of the population. 

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=188242.0 (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=188242.0)

You have my endorsement.

Thank you for the endorsement.

Today I'm in Denver, Mirth (aka Colorado) in the Midwest region. This region has a lot of hard workers. Workers who are not rich and can find it hard to save money. When they have savings they get taxed on the income it produces. How frustrating for them. I am proposing to make available a national tax free savings and investment account like one in the Northeast region.

https://uselectionatlas.org/AFEWIKI/index.php/Northeast_No_Tax_Accounts_Act (https://uselectionatlas.org/AFEWIKI/index.php/Northeast_No_Tax_Accounts_Act)

There is a maximum contribution in those accounts. The income generated in the account is tax free so you get the entire income from your savings. This should help people put money aside.

We have international trade agreements with many countries and I support signing free trade deals with more countries. We and our trading partners will benefit from less barriers to international commerce.

I am not a fan of backroom deals. If I'm elected I will set up an office and those in the administration or Senate who wish to discuss some things will have to go there. I will be transparent with the citizens and if people try to influence my votes it will be public. 

Finally I want to remind people to vote for favorite pie in the poll. Results will be known tomorrow.
https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=188242.0 (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=188242.0)

Thank you kindly.

I end my camapign in the Pacific region, more precisely Sacramento California. The Pacific was basically told to adopt some policies by the federal government. I would prefer a more cooperative approach. I will give an example of what could be interesting to do to get regions involved in some policies. The Senate could vote money available to regions for international exhange of students. Each region interested can set up it's own program and decides the rule for it. It could decide to exchange with a specific country, choose a field like sports, arts or languages, target a group like bright kids or disadvantaged areas. That way the federal level is being a locomotive for regional activity. The regions could be consulted before the Senate acts to gauge interest.

Thank you to the citizens who took part in the favorite pie poll. The nation is divided. There is a three way tie for apple, chocolate and key lime with pumpkin just behind. Quite a diverse country.

I am asking for your support and vote in the election. If I am elected I will try to come visit each region since it's an at-large seat. Whatever your political affiliation or non-affiliation, join me in making a more prosperous country.

Poirot - making the economy grow

Thank you kindly. 
   

The voting booth is now open. We had more candidates on the ballot a few days ago but with withdrawals there are now three. I'm asking people who supported candidates who are no longer running to join me and my team.

I think after 9 votes cast it was tied with 3 votes each.

Don't forget to go vote.

Many people have already voted after the first day of voting. If you are a voter who still hasn't made a decision, I believe Poirot would be a smart choice.

Make the economy grow. Vote Poirot.

While the VP is more powerful then the PPT, it is the case that the VP has no power to alter the Senate rules for that would be a violation of th explicit terms of thE Constitution, which leaves the rule making of thE senate solely within the domain of the Senate itself. In order to reduce the vote times, requires an OSPR amendment.

That being said there is a lot the VP could do to keep things moving more swiftly. He could fill in the gaps if the PPT is delayed and/or vice versa to ensure a vote is opened as close to the earliest time as possible and likewise closed. The VP can also work to keep the administration's slots filled and moving fast, split ties as they come up and ensure that confirmation hearings are started swiftly.

As for final vote times I support going down to five myself since we went from 5 to 3 on amendment votes in the previous senate, and it has been an enormous benefit to the speed of the chamber in conjunction with the increase in the number of slots. That is how we managed what will likely be a record number of bills passed or failed, in spite of a record ~93 amendments to legislation (up from 74 in the previous Senate).

The election results have been certified. I received 23 votes for a third place finish. I am very proud of my performance. I thank all voters.

I'm happy to get votes from all of the five regions. I'm especially proud of the number of votes I got considering I think I got only one vote coming from citizens registered with the three biggest parties.

It was interesting to get out of the Northeast and travel to the other regions to campaign and discover the country. I met new people.

It was an honor to be part of an historic election for the number of votes cast. I want to congratulate Lumine and Adam Griffin for their great efforts and wish Lumine success in his new job of Senator at-large in Nyman.

I still provided the trio of official sign, song and food. I like my sign very much. I also had my first ever campaign poll, asking about favorite pie. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed their pie because only crumbs are left. 


Thank you all kindly. 

You did very well given the "big squeeze" of the two parties in this race. Congratulations on such a strong performance!

I agree with Griffin, that was a very strong and active performance, Poirot. Keep up the good work!

Hello all

I am a candidate in the special election to fill a vacancy for an at-large senate seat. The election starts March 28th. It was only a few weeks ago that I was a candidate to fill a vacancy for an at-large senate seat. I'm using the same campaign logo. I didn't even remove my sign. My platform will be generally the same.

I will support research and crowdfunding. I want to encourage savings with No tax investment accounts. I would like to give regions the means to expand international student trips and exchanges.

And for some new things, given the recent aliens scare, I support our space program and study of possible other life in the universe. I will also consider reducing the term of senators to three months to give people more flexibility to run and get out without causing special elections.

Thank you kindly.

Vote Poirot.
Still running. Still making the economy grow.
 

I support your support for research and space program funding, though I'm not sure why a reduction in Senators' terms would be needed - for one, it shakes up our every-two-month system.

A shorter term is to make it easier for those elected to serve a full term being active. With a term not as long it can be easier for someone to commit to the game, easier to see in the short term if you have the time (real life schedule and events), not lose interest. If somethings happens that makes a senator less active or want to give up, the senator has only a few weeks to wait and exit instead of resigning. It also gives more people a chance to become a senator with more elections (could be a higher rotation). 

My name does not appear on the ballot but I declared for this special election at-large. To vote for me you need to write in my name. It is difficult to get votes when on the ballot, with no name it's like being invisible. Maybe it doesn't matter because with many people running I would not have gotten votes anyway, but I hope voters are aware I'm a candidate.

I suppose you're right, though I think the status quo is fine - it's not like this is a problem that presses upon our national interest.

Voting is still open and you can still vote for me but it's obvious I will get eliminated after the first count so I can safely concede. My name was not written on the ballot so voters had to take the extra step of writing my name. They had to be aware of my candidacy and decide it was worth adding a name on the official ballot. I appreciate the gesture from the people who write in my name. Thanks to them and even more to the ones giving me a high preference. Good luck to the other candidates and congratulations for your efforts. 

I commend your grace, dignity, and honour, Mr Poriot.

Federal politics is a dirty game. I commend you for keeping your head above the fray and acting as a gentleman would. You're a damn good player and you'll go far, even if we don't always share the same views. Have fun out there.

Mes amis, I have declared my candidacy for the special Senate at-large election being held August 1 to 3, 2014. I have been candidate for Senate many times. I am again. My official campaign song is Oops I did it again by Britney Spears.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CduA0TULnow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CduA0TULnow)

Since the campaign lasts a few days, I will not have a campaign banner. Désolé. I hope the at-large population consider me when they make the choice later this week.

Merci.       

If elected, I will have two policy priorities.

I want to increase the safety of rail transport. There have been accidents with rail tank cars. They can spill or explode. We need to get rid of older type of tank cars and only accept transport by newer and more solid tank cars.

I also want to protect ordinary people who participate in crowdfunding: Surveillance of crowdfunding websites and limit the amount of money someone can give to one project to limit individual risk. 

I don't know if voter turnout will be low because it's a special election in middle of summer or high because there are many candidates, but if there are people out there thinking of voting for me, please don't forget to vote.

I am going to send out different sized thanks to voters according to preference vote in upper half: mega thanks for first preference, super thanks for second, big thanks for third and thanks for fourth.

I want to say good job to the numerous candidates. Voters had many possibilities in an election with only one winner. Congratulations to Spiral for winning this race.

People of Atlasia, I am here this evening in Little Rock, Arkansas (Imperial Dominion of the South) to announce my candidacy for the position of At-Large Senator. It is called Little Rock but it's not that little and that didn't stop this city of growing and developing.

I plan on making campaign stops in the different regions of the country over the next two weeks. There are already candidates representing the different big parties and I'm running as Independent. Independents can have very different ideas, so I want to avoid being ideological and will try to propose little things to make little people's lives better. I hope to get your vote in the August Senate At-Large electon.   

Thank you kindly.

Good to see you running again, Poirot, I hope you will participate in the Senate debate as well!

Welcome to the race my friend!

Welcome to the race

Good to see you run again.

Thank you to people leaving a message welcoming me to the race. The nation must be excited I joined the race. The silent majority at home must be doing the wave right now.

I will try to attend the debate but my focus is on my campaign/travel and my handlers are scared I will deviate from the campaign strategy of avoiding controversy and being wishy washy to appeal to a greater number of voters. 

I'm in Littleton, New Hampshire in my home region of the Northeast. This region has the most voters registered as Independents. I want to appeal mostly to Independents and marginal party members. I think it's important to have someone not in big parties in the Senate that can be there to defend our interest.

For example, there was a discussion on using a system of party list for some election. I'm afraid that would not be good for candidates outside the major parties. Some people questioned the party list and I thank them but we have to rely on some people in big parties to think about the impact on us.     

Independent and marginal party candidate could have been put all in the same list, even if we can vary greatly in opinions. We could all have been put in the same box.

For the presentation of my campaign logo I'm at Disneyland (Anaheim, California) in the Pacific region.


The theme is For the little people. Little people can be anyone, ordinary citizens but I was thinking on people not in big political parties or less politicized citizens who are not necessarily looking for big political debates. That is why I want to propose a few little concrete policies that have a chance to pass in the Senate. Try to find policies that can get the agreement of a vast majority.

To represent the little people I have chosen an image of the seven dwarfs. I have put pictograms at the top. It looks like a superhero flying. This represents Poirot (maybe a slimmer version) coming to the rescue of citizens by being in the Senate.   

Today, I'm in Chicago in the Mideast region, more precisely in Little Village neighborhood. It is like Mexico of the Midwest.

My topic is the International Youth Exchange Program. I would like the federal government to make available to regions funds dedicated to youth to give an international experience. This will give our youth a chance to live new experiences, learn about foreign culture, develop international friendship and hopefully a better understanding of the world.

There is not much restrictions for regions to get the money. The age group target should be high schoolers. Regions can decide of the country/countries as long as the destination is considered safe to travel by the Department of External Affairs. Regions can choose a domain of interest for the exhange (like sports or arts or language) if they wish. Regions can probably choose more than one country and more than one interest, it's up to them to design their  exchange program.
     

Are you hungry? It's time to announce the official food of this campaign. It is pizza!

Pizza will be provided by Little Caesars. That is why I'm still in the Mideast, in Garden City Michigan, the location of the first Little Caesars restaurant. All volunteers and visitors can grab a pice of pizza. Bon appétit mes amis.   

I've read a Senate directive from the new Senate PPT. It is about reducing Senators salary.

I didn't even know how much Senators were paid. All the work I have done in Atlasia has been volunteer. I will continue to volunteer for the well being of the citizens. That is my motivation, not have a salary. Therefore, I will not touch a salary for being a Senator if I am elected.

I'm back in the Northeast to campaign, at the Ezra Prentice Apartments in Albany, NY. The topic today is rail transport safety.
 

People living here have a rail track a few feet from their homes. They have oil train tankers in their backyard. They fear what would happen if there was a train accident. With more oil being transported by train, it is time to increase safety rules.

I would propose to the Senate more strict security measures for flammable products transport.
The DOT-111 model tank cars will have to be off the rails within two years. Railway companies will have to use tank cars more robust and solid.
Trains carrying flammable products will have to slow down at a maximum speed of 40 miles per hour in towns.
Railway comoanies will have to inform municipalities if they are on a route used to carry products that can explose or catch fire so they can prepare emergency plans.
Regions can ask the railways to not use some tracks in heavily populated area if there is another alternative track that can be used without too much inconvenience to the railway companies.

It is important we take action before a deadly accident happen. 

I'm in Dallas Texas (IDS) tonight, at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. I will be attending a performance of Les Misérables.

Before going in I have a press conference to present my official campaign song. It is Little People by Gavroche.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1JbsKCdOw8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1JbsKCdOw8)

I hope the little citizens of Atlasia see they can fight to be haerd and have power.
The election is in one week and until then I want my small campaign team to be motivated by these lyrics:
And we'll fight like twenty armies and we won't give up. 

I'm in Punta Gorda Florida (IDS region). I met a seniors group and played a little game of cards with them.


Some of them are not familiar with all the new technologies used nowadays. That is a problem for them when companies and government ask people more and more to use new ways to interact with them.

I don't want these little old people to become dependant on others for help to complete forms over the internet or have problems receiving paper invoice because a company wants to save money.

I am proposing that governements dealing with citizens and companies dealing with customers offer at least one traditional way (like paper or phone) to interact with them. People won't be forced to use new technologies; they will be autonomous if they only can use traditional mediums. Someone choosing an old fashioned way can't be required to pay a supplementary fee.     

I'm spending all of this day campaigning in the Midwest region. My first stop is Walnut Grove, Joy (Minnesota). It is the location of the tv series Little House on the Prairie.

I'm here to support a proposal to lift the time restriction of moving betwwen regions in the case of a region being underpopulated compared to the others and need an influx of citizens. That should make it easier for settlers to move to new territories.

We face a demographics issue because there is a lack of women. People need to procreate otherwise the population size will shrink. Maybe if we make weddings free more women will be interested...   

I'm continuing my day in the Midwest in the state of Vitality (South Dakota). This is where Mount Rushmore is located.

There is a trend to name locations, make sculptures or paintings of players (usually past officeholders). I will not participate in this by gloryfying some citizens over others. Choosing to honor some people is tricky because it is subjective. Some people will judge a player is worth of the honor, others won't. Some choices could be controversial. This could get personal and I prefer to avoid that. Let's value everyone's contribution to Atlasia instead of selecting some.   

My last stop in for my Midwest day. It is on a ranch in Buffalo, Amity (Wyoming).

Being around horses made me think of My little pony. And for My little pony, friendship is magic. There is no better place than Amity to reflect on friendship.

If I am elected to the Senate I should try to treat others Senators as friends. That means if I don't agree with them I should try and say it in a respectful manner. I should try to work with others for the common good of Atlasia. Since friendship is magic maybe if we are all friends we can solve all of Atlasia problems. Hate and conflict is not a good environment to accomplish positive things. If people get angry and frustrated they might leave the game. So even if we don't have the same opinions, let's try to be friends.

I can't give a preference to anyone that uses "pony imagery"

vom

And this is when I had to reevaluate my preferences.

Really? A post about trying to work well with others is hurting my voting intentions? Next time I'll promise to be mean. I can start right now. I try to be welcoming to visitors in my campaign office but if people come to give negative comments they don't get the free food which for this campaign is pizza.

I guess people didn't listen to Gavroche's Little people:
so never kick a dog because it's just a pup
you'd better run for cover when the pup grows up

It looks like my negative numbers have gone up, in the Northeast the most so I go back in that region. The morale in the campaign is low but we have to continue. I will be showing up at the Little League World series in Williamsport Pennsylvania.
 

I'm in Beaverton, Oregon in the Pacific region. I'm at a company making cardboard boxes.

Why am I surrounded by little boxes? to talk of moving. To suggest moving the Senate and Protest analysis thread to the Elections Fantasy Board. There are probably less people visiting the government boad (a supposition. Being on the Elections board would give the Senate protest thread better visibility. Maybe more people would follow what is going on there. The Senate bills threads would not be for citizens intervention. they could be allowed to post a notice of making an intervention in the Senate protest thread (or another specific thread if they foresee a long debate between people) with a link if they want. The risk is less people would venture on the government board and not follow regional goverments either. 

Tonight I am still in the Pacific region but I have moved to Palo Alto, California.

Equity crowdfunding is a new way to raise capital for projects or small businesses. While it has some advantages like cutting middleman by doing it directly on the internet and help start ups, we need to protect small non-professional investors. It would be risky to invest all your savings into a small venture. Ordinary people would be limited to invest a maximum of $2,500 (per project or business) to limit the loss risk because they are risky ventures. Also to reduce the risk of fraud, those seeking funds will be required to use a portal registered with the securities regulator.

You must vacate the region within 24 hours or you will be detained on executive order.

on what grounds Pacific Governor?

Pony-ism, so on health grounds.

My camapign was leaving the Pacific region anyway. I won't spend any more money in the region.
I didn't know using the pony would cause negative reaction like this, weird considering Atlasia is very tolerant for almost anything. The campaign stop was in the Midwest and not the Pacific.

If this is about using the pony image in a campaign event, this is how it came about and justification. It has the word little in it. It was in the Midwest where I think some are appreciative of pony. I was in Amity state. I found pony uses the phrase friendship is magic. I made the event at a ranch. The Midwest has a regional assembly that seems to work fine even with different parties.

The image also bring vivid colors. As for the substance of the pony event, I tried to have over romantic view as much as I could in saying it but the main message is I understand there is to be some rivalry but sometimes I find some things go too far. I don't want things to become big conflicts, or have hurtful personal insults. Where is the fun in being in a very negative atmosphere? What is the point in hurting people? That could leave to more people leaving and less active people. Or maybe I'm too sensitive or people involved in conflicts don't take it seriously.

   

After leaving the Pacific I flew to Houston in Texas (IDS). I had a fundraiser event. The little couple were guest speakers. 


We also had a discussion. What I got out of this is that when you face obstacles there are ways to go over them. Others will judge you but you don't have to let them stop you, you need to carry on. Everyone has a right to big dreams, set your sights on what you desire. Everyone in life is not dealt the same cards but it's how you play them that makes you a winner.

Thank you to the little couple for addressing the little people campaign.   

The election is fast approaching. I am proud to have a new program: make a pledge get a call.

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It is a reminder to cast your vote. If you are a decided voter for Poirot and are afraid you might miss the vote this weekend because you will be busy, don't visit the site every day or whatever reason, you can send me a message. After at least half the election time has passed (so Saturday afternoon or evening) I will go through the list of votes and if I don't see you have voted I will contact you to remind you to vote. If you need transportation, I will get you to the voting booth. All information given will be kept very confidential.

This is another way for the Poirot campaign to take care of its voters.

We are a few hours away from the vote. I encourage people to go vote this weekend.

Of course I hope you vote Poirot for the little people. Like the superhero on my campaign sign I am ready to come flying to the rescue of little people. I am proposing little measures to protect them. Protection from railway accidents. Protection of service for those without knowledge or access to new technologies. Protection for little investors.

I want to bring these topics of legislation because I hope the Senate could reach broad agreement on these bills and not create division.

My campaign will have an elections night soirée and I've been told there will be Little Richard songs played.

Let me use my little grey cells for the benefit of all. Vote Poirot for the little people.

Thank you kindly.

At the half way of voting period. I think I have one 1st prefernece and one 2nd. I need more top preferences. All those giving me a top 3 preference get a signed thank you note. A memorabilia that could increase in value over time.

I will have to do a post-election analysis to find out what went wrong. My little campaign didn't succeed. Perhaps voters didn't identify with little people, they prefer to think of themselves as big. It is common for humans to overstate their importance. Perhaps voters like big policies and not my little focused proposals. One thing my little campaign did is received little votes.

I want to congratulate all the winners. You ran strong campaigns. To those who did not win, I'm sorry. There is always next time. It was fun being part of an election with so many candidates.

I wish good luck to all officeholders and people in power. Try to act and make decisions for the good of Atlasia. Try to avois big personal conflict. Try to make the game fun and enjoyable for everyone. If people don't enjoy their experience, they could become inactive or leave and the country will be worse. 

I'm making a semi-announcement from Belle Fourche, Vitality in the Midwest region. The geographic center of Atlasia is near here.

My announcement is semi and not formal because I don't have all it takes to make one yet. I would like to form a presidential ticket for the October 2014 election. A ticket needs two people and I don't have that yet. I will propose a ticket philosophy, start the campaign and hopefully someone in the next two weeks will accept to be on the ticket.

The theme of this presidential campaign is Hands Off. The sub-theme is satisfaction.

Hands off refers to the President's style of management. This campaign is not about proposing many policies to implement. The President will not intervene much on the legislative function. The Senate will do its thing, the regions will do their thing. The goal is to have players more satisfied and feel like they can make a difference.     

Welcome to the race, Poirot!

This would certainly be different from my presidency. I'm sure I was too involved during many legislative sessions. :P

Thank you both for the welcome.

I'm not officially a candidate yet. A ticket needs two people. And about the ticket, I wanted to leave positions open in case someone is interested in Presidential candidate but it's probably easier to find someone who accepts to put his name for vice-president candidate, so even if the ticket is not formed I will act like I am the presidential candidate looking for a VP.

Today I have met supporters at campaign activities. I can't talk about it right now. I can't disclosed the location. I will tell when I'm back, maybe tomorrow.   

Now it is safe for me to report on my events. Last month while I was campaining in the Pacific region I was ordered to leave. It was important for me to visit the Pacific like every other region but I didn't want to risk detention so I had to keep my travel schedule secret.

Near the Los Angeles airport I met a few chosen supporters. I told them that in the current atmosphere, now more than ever, Atlasia would need more pony.

Then I flew to Oceania. I met local officials who discussed the importance of tourism for their state economy and their concerns with direct air routes to mainland Atlasia cities and the high cost of fuel for airplanes.   

Before leaving many people performed the song Hands Up with the choreography.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqUWc0aeVF0  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqUWc0aeVF0)

Hands up, baby, hands up,
Gimme your heart, gimme, gimme your heart
Gimme gimme

It filled me with joy and happiness. Alas I had to return to mainland Atlasia where the atmosphere is less joyful. I didn't want to tell them that my theme is Hands Off and not Hands Up because it was so great. Maybe there was a miscommunication or people of Oceania speak a dialect. My trip was worth the risk of being in the Pacific.   

You are an outlaw in direct contravention to executive order and will be re-detained and appropriately charged upon re-entry into the Pacific Region.

Now that I don't need to campaign underground, I visit Cincinnati Ohio in the Mideast to talk about Hands off approach with the Senate and the regions.

In regards to legislation, ideally during a Hands off mandate the President will not introduce legislation in the Senate for domestic affairs. The Senate will have more autonomy. It is composed of people from various parties and opinions and these people will have the responsibility to get a majority to agree. They will be more careful of the bills they write since there will not be sending a bill back and forth between the Senate and President. That doesn't mean the President is absent or doesn't care. If he wants to intervene about legislation, make a suggestion, express concerns or speak in opposition, he will do so in the bill discussion thread or the Senate protest thread like every other citizens can do.

Bills that get a majority in the Senate will get signed. So more autonomy and responsability for Senate in crafting bills. That will remove a reason for conflict with the President and everyone will be happier and more satisfied. I said ideally the President will not introduce legislation. Sometimes unexpected things happen and I could be forced to do it. There could be an emergency or crisis or if there is no bills in the queue left I could introduce one inspired by topics I discussed in my Senate campaigns.



The Hands Off approach with the regions is a respect for the regions. Autonomy in regions will make the regional assemblies feel empowered. It will be more interesting to craft regional bills. Regional politics will matter more. Each region can have its distinct flavor. I will not let the federal government override a regional bill just because some people don't like it and want to strip a region of its decision. If a citizen feel a regional bill is against the law he can ask the appropriate court to rule on it but I don't want the federal level to follow the regions and outlaw what they have done if it's legal just because other people or regions don't agree with something.   

Hands off the senate and regions to give more autonomy to the Senate and regions.

What if a majority in the Senate votes to take autonomy from the regions?  Would you sign such a bill?

So, let me get this straight...you will sign any bill that the senate sends you, veto nothing, and play no part in the legislative process whatsoever.  Is that right?

I wouldn't sign a bill usurping autonomy of regions because autonomy of regions is an explicit part of my campaign promises. I said ideally I wouldn't intervene in Senate legislating but I know I could have to in special circumstances. Taking away autonomy from regions would be one, also if the Senators passing a very crazy bill just because they think I would not veto anything and test me, or some emergency situations or crisis.

I want a general Hands Off policy philosophy but I'm not tying my hands behind my back either.     

Thank you for the question. It shows me that I was not very clear.

I should have mentioned the veto also at the beginning when I said ideally the President will not introduce legislation on domestic policy. Ideally the President would not veto reasonable legislation that was passed by a majority of Senators.

The word is ideally. I am not pledging to never use a veto. If the Senate starts to act crazy like decide to nuke a country I would veto it. Taking away region's autonomy would be vetoed. So no I would not sign any bill sent.

I hope I don't have to intervene in the legislative process as President (besides signing bills) formally. I can still give my opinion and input on bills when they are discussed in the appropriate thread or in the Senate protest thread like citizens do.

I want to empower the Senators with their legislative work. I am not going to rewrite bills so they better do thoughtful work when they debate bills and amend them. The Senators will have the responsibility to write good bills. The Senate has usually enough bills waiting that they will be able to concentrate on them and I would probably not add to their work load.

We have a diverse Senate and if they pass a bill after serious work I will sign it unless there is a special circumstance.

I want the Senate body to be satisfied with its work. I don't want them to be unhappy because I would veto everything I don't personally like. I don't want to be in conflict with the Senate. Senators can have conflicts between themselves if they want but I will not be a source of conflict. The legislative spotlight will be on Senators and voters will have to be more attentive at Senate elections.

I'm not claiming the Hands Off approach is what must be done in Atlasia for every President or forever. It's my proposal for this presidential campaign only. I don't mind a less prominent role to give more autonomy to the Senate. At the same time they won't be able to fight with me about legislation so I hope to boost their work satisfaction and improve the atmosphere.     

I'm at the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs in Athens, Georgia, IDS to give a speech on foreign policy.

The President still has influence over foreign policy in the Hands Off approach. It's not like domestic policy that can be more easily delegated to the Senate. Some decisions must be made more quickly than after a three-week debate. The Hands Off philosophy for foreign policy will mean the country will not seek to intervene in conflicts and war around the globe. When the country intervenes with military forces it will be because we have no choice, when we are attacked or vital interests are at stake. We will prefer diplomacy to military action. We need to avoid getting dragged in other places conflicts.

When military intervention is required we will do with our allies in NATO or in working with UN. And wwe will not do all the work. Other countries need to pull their weight and not rely on Atlasia. Over the past years our governement has chosen to spend a lot on the well-being of its citizens so we can't afford to spend huge money on military.
 

Where do you stand on the ongoing Atlasian Civil War.

I don't know why people started to panic after the Presiden't resignation. There is a clear successor and it is the Vice-President. People should just give him time to settle in the office. I don't consider the different factions trying to stir trouble major threats.

I think the image would be too large so I just post a link to it for my campaign: Keep calm and Hands off

http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-and-hands-off-2.png (http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-and-hands-off-2.png)

Tonight I'm in the Northeast, more precisely in Nashua, New Hamphire.

Many have complained there are not too many offices to fill at the regional level. In forming a Cabinet I will try to keep citizens in the regions and not bring a bunch in Nyman. I will try to have the minimum legal amount of people in Cabinet. I want to achieve this by getting Senators to also hold Cabinet positions when the Constitution allows it. There seems to be many Cabinet members who don't complete their mandate, resign or become inactive in their role so it becomes a waste of manpower resources to deplete regions in bringing them to Nyman. I will not have a bloated Nyman with famelic regions.

Sometimes a President has to make an appointment to the Supreme Court. If this occurs there are some criteria I will consider in making a choice. Past work as a regional judge or attorney general (in other words legal experience) would prove the ability to do the judge. The person should be able to be neutral. For neutrality I would prefer someone who has not been very partisan in the period before the nomination and someone that will be low key after the nomination in being partisan in politis debate. The person has the right to express opinions in public but be careful on the partisan politics. Finally another attribute I will look for is longevity and availability, meaning someone who will not resign after a short time because he wants to quit the game or is bored because there are not a lot of court cases to hear but because there is no schedule for when a court case will arise the candidate will need to be available on short notice.

People now can wear a tag from my campaign promotional material.

I arrived in Durham, North Carolina in the IDS.

International industrial espionage is the topic of my event in the Research Triangle area. My administration would put effort in chasing spies who steal commercial and industrial secrets from Atlasian based companies. We must protect our national inventions, know-how, intellectual property, things that gives our companies and economy a competitive advantage. People in other countries envy us and would like to take the easy route in copying us instead of putting their own effort to develop things. My administration will do what it can to help industries such as aerospace, military, computer, hi tech, biotechnology, automotive. I will not let other countries compete us by stealing our people's findings and discoveries. I say to the corporate spies: Hands off our secrets!     

Press conference in Norfolk, Virginia in the Mideast region.


I'm here to announce the vice-presidential candidate for my ticket. It is someone who is well respected not only here in his home region but all over Atlasia. It is with great honor that I present you shua.

Shua brings a lot of experience and credibility to this ticket. Over the years he has hold many roles such as Assemblyman, Senator and GM. He knows the game and is very qualified to be Vice-President and President of the Senate, being familiar with the Senate workings.

The Hands Off campaign is very proud to have shua put his hands in this campaign. If you want to say a few words. Applause for shua.

Endorsed!

Was your speech in Nashua interesting, given that most of the city was in ruins after the fighting there?

Best of luck to you and Shua. You probably have as much chance of winning as Antonio and I do, anyway. :P

Good luck on the campaign trail!

Thank you!

I did a speech in Nashua. Before going to that location I looked at a map (published by SOIA I think) and chose to go near the Atlantic coast because it looked like a safe place. If there was a mention of events in Nashua before Oct. 4th, sorry I didn't take it into account. It wouldn't be the first time I hold an event with an empty crowd.

I wish Marokai and Lumine good campaigns too.

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Hello Norfolk!  It really is an honor to be here tonight in my wonderful city on this occasion.  I would like to thank Poirot for this opportunity to join him in this campaign.  Poirot has long been an advocate for a more open and effective democracy, and I believe he is the candidate for our time. Recently we have seen much tumult coming out of power struggles. We have also seen citizens restless with the current state of affairs, citizens seeking new avenues to protect their freedom and provide for their needs and for their voice to be heard. To those citizens I say "Join us!" We seek not to curb you, but to empower you to express your thoughts and dreams and ideals in whatever peaceful manner you may choose. We will no longer consolidate power in Nyman, but we will open up decisions to greater engagement at every level.  I look forward to this campaign wherever it may lead and I hope we can count on your support!

What does hands off mean? The opposite of my presidency?

I have tried to explain Hands Off in my campaign posts above and been to two party conventions to present it.

I think your presidency had a Hands Off period. If I remember you were busy studying for some time and were not very present. Maybe it was an involuntary Hands Off. I will be present.

I'm in Oklahoma City, Bluster in the Midwest for today's campaign stop.

I've laid out how I would keep my hands off some things and it means I will have time to have my hands on some others on the fantasy elections board.

I would like to have a Help Desk thread. This will serve to ask questions in public and anyone knowing the answer is invited to reply. All kinds of questions. It could be a citizen wanting to know what is the legal drinking age in the country, or the name of a health bill passed last year because the citizen has trouble finding it on the wiki.

In my Presidential thread I will do some public notices. I want to advertise when a new bill in the Senate comes up for debate so if the topic looks interesting a citizen can go look at the Senate thread. I would like to post reminder of upcoming national and regional elections so citizens are not caught by surprise and have time to declare before the deadline and campaign.  I will do this if there is no newspaper doing it since I don't want to steal journalists jobs.

I will also look at the possibility of moving the Senate protest thread to the fantasy elections board to be more accessible in case less citizens venture onto the government board.

When a federal amendment is voted by the Senate I want a thread on the fantasy board that will explain the changes proposed. That will be done by someone who supported it in the Senate. If someone who opposes it want to speak to explain his reasons he will be able to do so and citizens will be able to ask questions for clarifications and worries they might have. After a short period depending if there are reactions and debates the voting booths will open.

These unexpensive measures are to facilitate the public's participation and engagement.     

I made a speech at the TPP party convention earlier and I also did this one at the Democratic Republican party convention trying to convince them to endorse my ticket.

I'm visiting South Bend, Indiana in the Mideast with shua. (He's popular in the Mideast and I'm trying to benefit from his popularity)

We are unveiling the campaign sign. You can see that the Hands Off slogan is on it. The dominant color is blue. I found the symbolic of the color blue.

"This color is one of trust, honesty and loyalty. It is sincere, reserved and quiet, and doesn't like to make a fuss or draw attention. It hates confrontation, and likes to do things in its own way."

A presidential ticket is composed of two people so why not have two banners! This one was made by renowned bannerist homelycooking. The campaign wishes to thank him for his work.

The campaign is back in the Northeast in Allentown Pennsylvania.

My them today is increasing transparency. If I'm in the President's office I will encourage citizens and officeholders to communicate with me via my public office. I will try to do the same thing if it's not a private matter or something that shouldn't be public.

I hope by leading by example others will discuss matters in public. Like Senators can discuss a bill in publicrealted to policy doesn't need to be done outside the forum board. They don't need to consult in secret in the corridors of the Senate or behind curtains.

In being more transparent everyone will know what is going on and will have better access to information.  The message board will be more active and fun. It will be more difficult for occult forces to influence officeholders. No secret deals and more open democracy.

I have talked about the Hands Off theme of the campaign on many occasions. Today in Gulfport Mississippi in the IDS I will remind voters of the subtheme.

The subtheme of the campaign is satisfaction. The Hands off philosophy is a way to increase satisfaction for the numerous officeholders in doing their job. In letting other centers of decisions have more autonomy it will give office holders a sense they can really make a difference and have a voice because another branch of government will not be waiting to destroy their work or engage in bitter power struggle. It should also favor local democracy. I want happy and satisfied officeholders who find it fun to come to the office every day to participate in building the nation.

The Hands off the world philosophy will lead to more harmonious international relations and a higher level of satisfaction among the citizens of the world. Finally with the Hands off people principle, every citizens will be more satisfied because of freedom to express opinion and acceptance of differences.     

The campaign song is Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggSswQx7Enk  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggSswQx7Enk)

I'm in Saratoga Springs, New York in the Northeast. The theme during this campaign stop is Hands Off peoole.

Hands Off people mean I believe in an Atlasia that is inclusive. I want a country in which citizens feel their voice can be heard. I want a country that gives a chance to every citizen to make a contribution. I want a country that respects diversity of opinion and freedom of speech.

I won't be for ganging up on someone or trying to silence and exclude someone. We need everyone to participate and accept their input. If more people participate it will be more fun and we will be more happy.

I'm in Racine, Wisconsin in the Mideast to give a preview of Operation Hands Off.

Operation Hands Off will take place October 24,25 and 26. Yes that is election weekend. It will be the time for all Atlasians to go vote and indicate their support for the Poirot / shua presidential ticket. Please, help us get elected and join us in Operation Hands Off. 

I am in the most serene republic of the Midwest for my final event before the vote begins. I started my campaign in the same region. I'm in Kansas City in the state of Harmony (Kansas).

It is almost time for Atlasians to choose a new leader. I will recap a few reasons why people should choose the Poirot/shua ticket.

It is symbolic that I am in Harmony. My ticket is the best one for the country to return to harmony. I am a registered Independent and not been involved in the power struggles of the two big sides. My running mate is a highly qualified candidate.

My proposals will lead to a more effective democracy and empower citizens. I will let the Senate and the regions have more autonomy. Power will not be concentrated in the hands of a few people in Nyman, it will be more decentralise.

I want to see greater engagement and satisfaction at every level. I will spend less time in a tug of war with the Senate to focus more time on the fantasy elections board to keep citizens informed on what is going on in government and give them a chance to have a say. I will also push for more transparency and avoid discussions behind closed doors so everyone know what is going on. Finally I will do my best that people with different opinions are respected and that everyone who wants to contribute to Atlasia gets a chance to do so.     
 
This weekend don't hesitate to vote for the Hands Off campaign. Vote for the Poirot/shua ticket!

Thank you all for your attention

Operation Hands Off is under way. It is time to go vote for the Poirot/shua ticket. Be part of this grassroots movement.

Thank you to all those who gave us a first or second preference so far. Operation Hands off is showing good results so far. We are in third place and not that far from the leaders. There are still more than 24 hours to vote. It is not going to be easy but let's try to move in second place and be in the final round. 

I'm very surprised how strong this ticket is performing, you're nearly knocking off Marokai in the second round.

This speaks volumes about how weak Labor has performed so far in this election, but I expect a surge in the last day for them, but it will be interesting to see if this strength holds up.

All the ballots have been counted and unfortunately our ticket did not come out victorious. We finished third and received a good number of votes. I think we can be proud of our result. Some people were even surprised at how well we did.

This result, I owe it to all the people who supported us, believed in us and came out to vote during election weekend in participating in Operation Hands Off. Thank you to the voters, members of a political party or Independent. Your votes are the reward for all the hard work, effort and time put into a campaign.  Thank you to the Democratic-Republican party for their endorsement and their support.

I'm satisfied I managed to develop a coherent theme with the Hands Off campaign. Now that it is over I can use my hands to give high five to all the supporters to show my appreciation.   


I am very grateful to shua. He accepted to be my running mate and made it possible to be an official ticket on the ballot because for a presidential ticket you need two people. I was able to realize a dream of seeing my name on a presidential ballot for an Atlasian election. Many people dream of this but not all will live it. I was able to live a new experience. Only the future can tell if it will ever happen again. Shua made it possible not only for me to appear on the ballot but he brought credibility and experience. I thank him for his patience in listening to me, his advice and his work.

I want to congratulate the other presidential tickets for their campaigns and Lumine/sjoyce for the victory.

Looking at the results I'm happy to see our strongest region was my home region of the Northeast. Love you Northeast! We were competitive with the big party tickets in this region. And the turnout was almost perfect. The second area where we got the biggest number of votes was the Mideast, home region of shua. 

It was a campaign full of emotions, with some highs and lows, but an enriching experience. In the end we can hold our head high. It's time to close this presidential Hands Off campaign.

Thank you all. Waves hand in the air.

I'd like to thank all those who came out to support us this past weekend.  I appreciate every single vote.  We knew it was a long shot going into this, and Lumine/SJoyce and Marokai/Antonio both ran strong, constructive campaigns. Congrats to Lumine and SJoyce, whom I have worked with them before and I am sure they will do a great job for our nation. Thanks also to Poirot, whom I enjoyed running with. He put forward some great ideas and I encourage those in office to take them up. I'm glad to have been given this opportunity to represent an alternative voice in this election. I wish you all the best.

Candidate for At-Large special election

Today a vacancy occured for one At-Large Senate seat and I officially declared my candidacy for the special election to fill that seat.

This election should be interesting because there are many candidates. It is interesting to be part of an at-large election because you have a national audience, there are more potential voters, it'a type of election that is usually competitive and less predictable. I've read comments in the past that are critical of at-large elections. I find them fun and I want to defend them if people try to eliminate them.   

Do you support abolishing the GM?

My view of a GM is a neutral, low key position with the role of arbitrator. It was useful to have someone determine the cost of bills for example. Now that function seems very difficult to do and could be removed from the the GM roles because it's a very demanding task. There still remains a role of arbitrator if there is a disagreement like if a real life conflict also exists in Atlasia or not.

There can be also a role of introducing events in the game. From my personal preference, if I were an officeholder I would not like to be forced to react because the GM decided an issue was on the agends and it needed action right now. I believe more in a bottom up agenda setting. Candidates and parties propose issues, topics, laws, vision at election time and they try to implement policies when in office. I'm not a fan of external agenda setting in which one person bring issues and set the agenda. I guess I can accept if there are news and it gives politicians ideas for legislation but not require mandatory action. There were news last summer from the GM newspaper and I don't remember if officeholders were influenced by them.

Players don't need a GM do incorporate outside event. I remember when there was a hurricane, the Governor of the region acted on it, it was not the GM who told him there was a hurricane from what I remember.

We have operated months without a GM and if the role of cost estimate is impossible then from my preference of a GM role there is not much left so I wouldn't mind much if the position was abolished.

That is my personal view but I also want the game to prosper. If the vast majority of people want to be forced fed issues and topics to debate and be punished if they ignore them and they need an activist GM to do that I will them play with that. I won't impose my view of the game. Many people find the game boring so maybe that is what they want.

If there is no vast majority for activist GM or no GM we could always have regions in which the GM is more in charge of the game and other regions where he plays no role. I don't know what  the federal level would do.               

It is time to proceed to the presentation of the campaign banner.


The image is a runner near the finish line. Like a runner I have perseverance. A runner is active and I will be active in participating in debates if I am in the Senate.

The image refers also to the special election. There are many people running but only one will finish first.

My official campaign music was chosen to go with the runner image of the banner. It is the theme music of the film Chariots of fire:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-7Vu7cqB20  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-7Vu7cqB20)

Sometimes my faith declines. To keep my faith in the special election outcome I decided to visit a most spiritual place: the Papal Patch. I didn't know exactly where it is located but I found the place with a GPS and my nose guided by the air freshener scent.

I had the opportunity to have a private audience with the Pope. When I met him I kissed his feet and offered him an empty plastic bottle to help him expand the territory of Winfield island. The meeting helped my faith and gave me a boost for the rest of the campaign.     

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PAID FOR BY CITIZENS FOR GOOD GOVERNMENT

I would like to thank Sibboleth for teaching me a new word. Google is useful when you try to find what is the accusation against you.

This made me think of two potential policies. We could lower the age of voting to 6 years old because Atlasia likes young people. We could create a regulatory body to supervise political advertising. It could reject ads that are misinformation, false, or defamatory.

For now, I am undecided, but you are making strong strides as a candidate.

Thanks. I need to make great strides to cross the finish line first.

There is an outside group running ads against me and since I don't have the time to investigate myself the reason behind it and who exactly decided to do this, I have hired someone to find out. It is a great friend of mine, Miss Marple.

()

We are near the finish line of the special Senate At-Large election. I've tried to take long strides but that might not be enough. I am facing headwinds and even spectators are trying to make me fall. I try do run my race and do my own thing but some like to try and disturb make it not enjoyable to run. I am asking for your help. I need your support. I need your vote to cross the finish line.

If you go to the voting booth this weekend, Vote Poirot!   

Good luck!

I'm not sure it helps at this point, but you have my endorsement.

Good luck to you too.


Thank you for your endorsement Maxwell.

Should you stumble at the finish line will you be catching a second wind in the forthcoming Senate special election should Cynic be confirmed as GM?

I could stumble. I could have shoe laces problem. When I was in kindergarten I wasn't unable to lace my shoes and was left in the class while evryone went away do some activity. That childhood trauma has left me with a complex relationship with shoe laces.

If I fall I could hear the crowd encouraging me to get up and try again. I haven't made a decision on a possible special election. I don't know if it will be held on November 28th. The At-large regular election is scheduled for December 12th so the winner will still have to run again two weeks later. I have stamina so I could do both. I also have to decide if I run in December and if I should keep energy for that.

   

I want to congratulate Bacon King for winning the special Senate election. I congratulate Cris for coming so close to winning and SWE and rpryor for their campaign and good effort.

I didn't cross the finish line first. Obviously I am not in the best shape and need to work on cardio. I finished fourth. I still had a great result with 14 first preference votes and I think 19 second preference votes. Thank you all for your support. What is fantastic is I got these top two preferences from voters registered with 3 of the 4 big parties or not registered with the big parties.

Maybe you will see me running soon, you never know.

You ran a solid campaign and I hope you make it to the Senate at some point.

Maybe you should run for something smaller and regional and build up your reputation before running for a big national office again.

It's clear you could contribute and better to be known for that, than being 'that guy who's always running for something'.

I agree with Polnut. You should try you hand at regional politics.

Whenever I can vote for you, you can count on my vote somewhere.

A list of the times I was candidate in elections and the office I hold. Result of an election is a loss unless otherwise indicated.

Northeast Assembly elections:

Special election October 4 2012
Special election November 16 2012 WIN
Regular election December 21 2012 WIN
Regular election February 15 2013

So elected representative November 19 2012 - February 2013
Appointed and served as interim representative April 25 2013 - May 19 2013

Special election November 1 2013
Special election November 29 2013 (for 2 seats)

Appointed and served as interim representative November 8 2013 - December 2 2013
and Speaker November 20 2013 - December 2 2013


Senate elections:

Northeast February 2013
At-Large April 2013
Northeast June 2013
Northeast special July 2013
Northeast October 2013
Northeast February 2014
At-Large special February-March 2014
At-Large special March 2014 (declared write-in)
At-Large special August 2014
At-Large August 2014
At-Large special November 2014


Presidential election:

October 2014

waitaminute, you weren't my financial manager for my IDS legislative campaign? :'(

Yes I was, (and I camapigned for you) but I listed the game's more formal officeholders. I was also to possibly be on a space commission but I think the Senare legislation changed that plan.

Oh... My bad :P

It is with great fanfare  that I announce my intention to run for Governor of the Northeast region.  I have never ran for that office in my career so this is a first for me. As Governor I intend to guide my region forward, try to have harmonious relations with the assembly even in disagreements, stand up for my region against the federal government if need be and encourage all of the regional officeholders to seek compromise so everyone can have a satisfying experience doing their job.

In the February 2015 Northeast election, vote Poirot for Gov!

Thank you kindly.

Welcome to the race, then.

After announcing my candidacy yesterday in Princeton, New Jersey I took the overnight train from New York City to Montreal, Québec. This morning I am at the Montreal train station.


I have a long history with trains. I plyaed with a model train when I was a child, I investigated a famous murder on a train... but I'm getting off track here. This is not about me. The issue is investing in our railways. The New York - Montreal trip takes way too much time to be attractive to passengers. It's not normal between two big cities. The duration of the trip needs to be cut. Having a higher speed train is a good idea. If new train cars need to be built, that could be done at a plant in Plattsburgh, NY, giving jobs to our workers. I will also look at the connections that go to other regions and see with the other Governors if improvements could be made.

Let's improve our rail system. Choo choo!
All aboard with Poirot for Gov.     

You have proved more than once that you have lots of creative ideas, are able to think critically and raise inconvenient questions when and where it matters. From one independent to another, endorsed.

This afternoon I will do door-to-door campaining in Burlington,Vermont. The cold doesn't stop me. We must face the elements. I wear a hat and try to walk faster if I can. I am supported in this operation by a wonderful group of volunteers who are accompanying me. I want to thank them publicly.

Endorsed

This evening I am making the official presentation of my campaign banner Poirot for Gov. I do this in an aptly named small town in New York state for someone running for the office of Governor. It is Gouverneur which is located northeast of Watertown. Here is the banner:


This other unique campaign banner was produced in-house. Banners are available in different sizes and to get one people just have to call the campaign office of their respective state. An advertising expert commented on the banner:" The dark blue is a remainder of the dark blue of the Northeast state flag. It is modern in style with pure lines and a research for symetry. It will please the eye of crossword puzzle lovers because you can read across or down."

Thank you to ZuWo and Winfield for the endorsements.

I'm obviously supporting Governor Sawx, but I appreciate a pony-less campaign poster.

As a member of the Mideast Assembly, I would enjoy getting the chance to work with you on cross-regional issues. You have my support in your campaign.

Thank you Mideast neigbour shua. I could work with your region on common issues like transportation or the Great Lakes.

Endorsed!  We could use a true independent as governor, as a tribute to the Northeast's independent streak.

Thank you cinyc and thank you to all visitors coming to the Poirot for Gov campaign office.

A superb candidates, a good set of ideas and an awesome logo. Endorsed by all standards, good Poirot :)

Thanks for the kind words. My logos are not usually called awesome.

I mean it's not ponies, so I'm okay with it.

I'm in Newport, Rhode Island to discuss ways to encourage volunteer work. We all have seen dedicated people volunteer to help their communities during the recent snowstorms in the region.


Volunteers for all kind of causes have a good heart and a great sense of community. They don't do it for rewards. I would still like to give them something to show gratitude. If elected Governor I would discuss with the assembly how to do this. I'm thinking maybe of a small tax credit to give them a little benefit to show appreciation for the work. Maybe it would be paperwork for small sums and difficult to manage and define eligibility. Another option is the Governor pushing companies to donate gift cards to orgainization with volunteers. Like food companies/supermarket could reward volunteers at food banks, or hardware store volunteers in cleaning up/ rescue operation.     

At a breakfast event in Laconia in New Hampshire. I want to let citizens take the space they want in influencing the region. Do they like putting decisions in the hands of the elected officials or would they like to have a more direct and regular say in influencing the region. This could be done by trying to have more official referendums or non-binding ones to take the pulse of the region. It could also be a way to decide the more contentious issues facing government.

To better know what are expectations of citizens of their role in governing, in the beginning of my mandate I would mandate a polling firm to find out what the region prefers and try to go in that direction.   

Your campaign has been quite fascinating thus far, Poirot, endorsed and best of luck!

Good luck with your campaign! It really looks very interesting! :)

Thank you for visiting and your words of encouragement Lumine and Chris.

I made a short stop in Lincoln, Maine on my way to New Brunswick. I made comments related to voting booths.

First is how I would like to operate the voting booth if I still have in my duties to open the regional voting booth for federal amendment. After there is notification from the federal government, I would like to wait 48 hours to open the booth. That is in order for voters to have a bit of time to first notice they will be asked to vote on something and give them the time to attempt to ask a question about it or read the debate thread so they can reflect and make their mind before they see a booth is open and the early vote goes clearly one way and they don't even have to bother with it. To help citizens be aware of the amendment, I will post the text in my Governor thread as soon as possible and before the booth is opened. I would not be a problem at all for me to operate the voting booth for federal amendment.

The second issue is voting rules information to new voters. Rules are usually at the top of a ballot but I'm not sure if voters really read it. To help new voters get accustomed to the rules and submit a valid ballot, I was thinking of sending new voters the text of the rules (like mark a ballot, editing rule, period the booth will be open) by private message during the week before the election and give them time to read it and ask questions. For this to be non-partisan I would like the Chief Justice Officer in charge of messaging.

It's now time to present my official campaign song. I wanted a song that would convey what my term as Governor would be. I want to move away from the recent past. I hope my choice reflects a more harmonious feeling and mellow.

I am in the town of Oromocto in New Brunswick. There is also a river with that name. I'm in Oromocto because the name is in the title of - .....
Wait. My assistant corrected me. We are not here because the name is in the title of the song. It's just because it's the closest sounding name we could find located the voting region for the election. Close enough.
 
With that corrected, let's listen to Enya's Orinoco flow. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTrk4X9ACtw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTrk4X9ACtw)

I'm in Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. Two weeks ago a freight train partially derailed in the area. This train had tank cars carrying crude oil. Thankfully there was no disaster. A few days ago a train  carrying crude oil derailed in West Virginia and caught fire.

Trains carrying oil can be dangerous. I am concerned for the safety of our population and the protection of the environment. As Governor I will instruct the transportation department to make sure safety and work regulations are respected. My administration will inspect the rails to see if they are well maintained, rules about tank cars followed, worked well trained and that they follow work and safety procedures. I will work to avoid a possible disaster.

I'm in New Castle in Delaware continuing my efforts to become the next King of the North.

I wanted to express my preference for voters having the right to choose their representatives when a seat becomes vacant. Within a month of the next election the Governor names the replacement representative. I would like it to be voted by the people. That way there is no question the Governor is trying to favor a friend, or pick someone in favor of a specific issue. It is more democratic and gives everyone a chance. Obviously there would not be in election if the vacancy is within a week of the next election.

This is the last day of the campaign. I haven't talked about my official campaign food yet. This time it's a beverage. I've come to Boston Mass., a city that likes to throw tea parties.

My official food for this campaign is vervain tea. When Governor, I will serve other officeholders vervain tea and have tea parties. It is my effort to calm everyone down. Hopefully during my tenure people will not air their personal conflicts in public and disrupt the governing of our region.   

Is exposing the fact that our former Speaker tried to blackmail me really a disruption of our region?

Voters of the Northeast,

This is my last campaign event before the voting booth opens. For the last stop in my Poirot for Gov tour I am in New Britain Connecticut. I have traveled in every state of the region and associated Canadian provinces. After many long trips I am tired but I know it is a small sacrifice to have the honor to represent all of you.

I am seeking the Governor's office. I was a representative in the Northeast assembly and was Speaker for a short time. This would be my first time in an executive position and I am looking to this new experience. I want the next term to be more harmonious, fun, and inclusive.

When you fill your regional ballot, vote Poirot for Gov !

Thank you kindly.

The election result for Northeast Governor has been certified and sadly I did not win. I visited every state and met some voters. I want to thank all those who went to the voting booth on a cold February weekend. I also wish to thank people for the support I have received from outside the region.

It was my first participation in a Governor's race so that was a new experience. This time I have received positive feedback on my campaign banner. That was new too.

I congratulate Sawx and the elected representatives for their victories. Some are returning representatives and some are new. It is encouraging to see new people getting involved in the region.

Much thanks to you. It surely was a good race.

If you've got any ideas for rail development, shoot me a PM.

Congratulations on your first gubernatorial campaign. Keep it up, you deserve a big win! :D

A Senate seat will soon be vacated and an election will take place soon to fill that office. I have the honor to announce that I will be a candidate in the special election to complete the rest of term.

This will be my seventh participation as a candidate in a Senate At-Large election. I've enjoyed almost all of those. I like the possibility to travel all around the country and to speak to a huge pool of voters. Some people have a negative view of the at-large election but I don't and you should vote for someone who believe in at-large Senate elections.

I'm happy to be in Hope, Arkansas in the South region for my campaign launch. Later I will visit Hot Springs. Hope springs eternal. 
   

I'm in the town of Mount Carbon in West Virginia in the Mideast region. In February there was a train derailment here and some rail cars exploded and burned.

I want to make tank cars carrying oil and flamable liquids safer. If elected I will introduce legislation to make tank cars more resistant, requiring a 9/16 inch steel shell for cars by 2018.

Regions will have the power to fix the maximum speed of trains because they are the ones that know the local areas more at risk of accidents. 

I'm at Window Rock in Arizona in the Pacific region to unveil my campaign banner for the March 2015 special At-large Senate election.


The image is based on the myth of sisyphus. He keeps rolling a rock to the top of a mountain and then it rolls back down and he has to do it again. It kind of represents me. People use a "p" word when I'm a candidate now. I've tried multiple times being elected to the Senate and my rock keeps rolling back down the mountain.

I'm at Mirror Lake, California in the Pacific region. I'm here to express my opinion on having contracdictory laws on our books or imaginary laws on game related aspects. I will try to avoid that. I have realised this can be a problem because of the Civil rights act. We had already a rule on random selection for jury composition and that new act states jury should reflect racial composition. We have never held statistics on race in the country so it's not possible to conform to the rule. Jury is a real part of the game. It's not purely an abstract notion about policy. We should have rules about game apects of the game that we can apply and not live in two universe at the same time.     

I'm in Woodstock, New York in the Northeast region for the presentation of my official campaign song. The song I have chosen was performed here in 1969. It is Spinning Wheel by Blood, Sweat & Tears.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX3aM9ShtXU  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX3aM9ShtXU)

The lyrics say What goes up must come down and I find it's a good association with the image in my banner and the myth of sisyphus.

Some people are highly offended by pony and I ask them not to listen to the song because one of the line in the song is Ride a painted pony. They have been warned.   

These aren't the ponies I was referring to, but I appreciate the trigger warning.

In Missoula, Wonderment (Montana) in the Midwest region I spoke of ways to improve the ratification of federal amendment. An effort should be made to better inform voters and give them a chance to ask questions before they see a text on a ballot.

There should be a thread open with the text on the elections board before the vote opens. The sponsor of the amendment or someone in favor of it should explain the reason it was presented and what are the changes from the current situation. Voters will better understand the goal. They can ask questions. If people are against it they can explain why. It gives an opportunity to voters to make their minds and be better informed before voting. 

So... why are you comparing yourself to one of the most heinous mortal figures in Greek mythology?

Thank you for your interest.

I told why when I presented the banner. It was on a particular aspect, not the whole life of the character.

Orinoco Flow? Really? Ponies, Enya... this just gets more and more interesting.

I'm campaigning in Independence, Missouri in the Mideast region. I'm the only Independent candidate running so far. I don't have the backing of a big party. It means I need all your votes, whatever is your party registration. You probably don't agree with all I say and it's normal. I don't agree with the positions of someone or a party all the time. I pledge to be active, participate in debates and of course vote.

We have confirmation of the election date. It will start Friday the 13th. Zombies will probably come out to vote. I can't rely on zombie voters. I need everyone's vote. If you know a zombie, tell him to vote for me.

I do have to admit, you're goddamn entertaining, even if you want to run against me.

I try to enjoy working on my campaign. If people find it entertaining I guess it is a good thing.

I'm in Minneapolis, in the state of Joy (Minnesota) in the Midwest region. It is time for the presentation of my official campaign food. I wanted something that can roll to go with the rock image of my banner. I chose swedish meatballs because it is round and it is filling.

I'm holding a morning event in Miami Beach Florida in the South. I'm at a gym to talk about my commitment to activity. Activity is important for the health of the game. There is sometimes criticism about the activity level of officeholders. There will not be activity problems with me. I will not only vote when it's time to vote, I will participate in Senate discussions and debates. If you look at the past, I was active when I was a representative and I try to keep my campaign active. I'm fit to be a Senator.

I'm ending my campaign in Oil City, Pennsylvania in my region of the Northeast. Why Oil City? Because my priority if elected will be to increase safety measures for train tank cars carrying oil. There have been many accidents lately and we need to do something.

During the campaign I have travelled to the five regions. I have tried to show my activity by having an active campaign and participating in the official debate. Now it is almost time for you, the voters to make a decision. I ask for your vote, to represent you as At-large Senator. 

Thank you kindly.   

There are still two days left to vote. I ask my supporters to not forget to take some time to go to the voting booth this weekend. See you at the polling station.

Congratulations on the great campaign you ran. You're slowly wearing people down, and you'll likely be President by next year or so at this rate! :D

I'm still expecting the moment when you win a non-Assembly election. That won't be today, but keep on trying and you'll certainly get your big chance :)

It had been my hope to get to serve with you in the Senate at least once. Hopefully, one day we will both be in the chamber together. :)

Maybe it's not very enjoyable to be President so if nobody wants the job I think I will have a chance.

It's possible I will try again.

I think you will need to wait multiple mandates before it happens. ;)

The results of the March 2015 special Senate At-Large elections have been certified and I received the fourth highest number of votes. I reached double digits. I think this is a good result. I am satisfied. I feared I would get many fewer votes. I consulted a poll that lead me to believe I could even have spare fingers counting votes with one hand. I was happy to see the votes I received. I'm sending a warm thank you to all the people who voted for me. I'm also happy to have received many second preference votes.

I congratulate Adam Griffin for earning the right to represent the people in the Senate. I wish to thank the other candidates, Foucaulf, DKrol, JCL for their involvement in this race over the last few weeks. I salute all the candidates work in exposing their ideas, trying to earn the votes of citizens and trying to get voters to the polls. Running a national campaign requires a lot of work, time and dedication. It's not always easy because when you run you expose yourself to criticism. Good candidates are a key ingredient to having an interesting and competitive election and I am glad to have shared the experience with you.

Thank you kindly.

What executive order is he in "contempt"of?

Is this even legal?

Yes, as it was a matter of public safety

What SimFan, you're denying him lawful entrance to your region over imaginary ponys.

It was the time I used a pony image in a campaign event held in the Midwest. It looks like I'm still an outlaw in the wild wild west. That doesn't stop me from visiting the Pacific. I can use a disguise such as wearing a moustache and a hat. Here I was along the Pacific ocean. 

You show em Poirot :D

I'm in Montreal to make an announcement.


It is with excitement that I declare my candidacy for the April Senate At-Large election. I look forward to this campaign. At-large elections are the most fun. I will try to give a good performance and wait for the result of the elections game.

Citius, Altius, Fortius.   

...And the adventure begins again

My first campaign travel in this adventure is Vancouver in British Columbia. The issue today is communication.

When a Senator is elected I think it's important to have some public communication with his constituents. I don't want to be seen as one of those politicians who goes away to Nyman and not heard from after that until he needs your vote. I plan on updating my office thread on how I voted on various bills and giving a short explanation. I want to also update to give my opinion on bills after I make an important intervention in the bill's legislative thread in case people don't read those threads. That should help my constituents to know what is going on in the Senate.

I would also like to improve communication between the Senate and the public when there is a constitutional amendment. The amendment should be explained and there should be a chance for voters to ask questions and debate before voting booths are opened.   

I am visiting Calgary in Alberta. The citizens of the Northeast have been lucky to benefit from No Tax accounts for two years now. I am proposing to implement these types of savings and investment accounts for federal tax income.

To give more detail, here is the Northeast No Tax Accounts act:
https://uselectionatlas.org/AFEWIKI/index.php/Northeast_No_Tax_Accounts_Act (https://uselectionatlas.org/AFEWIKI/index.php/Northeast_No_Tax_Accounts_Act)

Every year adults can put money in this account type and income generated by the investment in the account (Interest, dividend or capital gain) is tax free. This is an incentive for people to save money in this type of account because the holder gets all the income from his savings.

The maximum amount that can be put in the account is kept low (like $2,500) because it's for average citizens and not only the rich.

The federal taxation would recognize the same type of tax free saving and investment accounts created by regions for tax purposes (the same account is considered eligible by the region and federal governement).   

I'm in Lake Placid, New York for two things. The First is to designate onion rings the official foos of my campaign.

The second is to pledge to keep our sports infrastructure in Lake Placid modern and in good shape so amateur athletes can come train here in the best facilities and the town can attract national and international sporting events like world championships (for winter sports).  

I'm in Rome in New York State.
In my opinion it is illogic that a President could pardon himself. I don't know if there are different interpretations of the constitution on this fact but if there are I support adding a specification that it is not allowed. Civilization has evolved over time and we are not anymore in an era in which a supreme ruler has unlimited power.

Visiting Athens in Georgia to make my proposal for creating Atlasia Games.

This idea comes from the main board. There were threads asking people to vote for their favority city for national olympic bid or olympic games host. The Atlasia games are for the five regions of Atlasia (five delegations) but we won't hold actula events unless there are enough people from each region interested in palying one online game or something like that). It is to go through the process of selecting a host city. The different phases can be done during lower activity time, away from elections time.

The first step is each interested region needs to choose their host city bid. The region decides how it's done. It can be a public vote after the public's submissions, the Governor or assembly making the decision. You can choose an animal mascot or design a flag.

Then from the different regional bids the country will select one. This can be done by public vote (or if this seems unfair for smaller regions it could be done by committee). Regional bids try to be chosen using creativity, by an original aspect, a motto, promising an original event (the Games are not automatically about sports, it could be board games or cultural events) etc.

The cycle for the Games is once a year and ideally there is a rotation of regions so it's not always the same one hosting. The idea is creating activity with the process of selecting a site location and not having actual events.   

The presentation of my campaign banner is being done at an event in Atlanta, Georgia.

The banner is a reminder of the Atlasia Games proposal. The five rings represent the five regions of Atlasia. The different colors and the unconventional positioning of the letters illustrate the spirit of the proposal to bring fun and games.

Endorsed.

Poirot deserves to be in the Senate.

Thank you!

I'm in Los Angeles, California.
I think it's important for candidates to have a good experience when they run for office if we want to retain players. This is especially true for citizens running for the first time. If a newcomer campaigns and gets attacked for his ideas, maybe he will not stick around. People should get a chance to expose their ideas and it's not fun if a group of people is trying to destroy you.

I am proposing a tool of protection for first time campaigners: the shield. If the candidate doesn't like attacks or negative comments in his campaign thread he will be able to activate the shield. That will signal no attacks or critics in the campaign thread for one week so the candidate can do his camapaign in peace and have a more pleasant campaign experience.

What would the enforcement look like for that? There are trolls in this game that just don't care.

There was a time when litterally everyone who merely registered was accused of being a sock or the next zombie voter by one side or the other. Barnes was accused of being a sock, Badger was accused of being ogis (hilarious now that Badger is a mod).

I don't think there would be penalties. I hope people would respect the shield function. It's for first time candidates and for the campaign thread so it's limited. It's for a situation when people starts shooting at a new candidate and disrupts the campaign so the candidate can signal this is not fun, just leave me alone. Posters who don't respect the shield will look irrespectful and mean.

The type of people who do that, will not care what people think of them. Including the worst offender, who is probably already one of the most unpopular people on the forum.

If you're talking about who I think you're talking about, I'd say he does care at least a little. He's literally in hiding right now :P

I'm still in California, this time in Squaw Valley. It is time to announce my official song/ theme music for my campaign. I have chosen the Olympic hymn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAE-iNEISEY  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAE-iNEISEY)

I'm in Moscow in Idaho to talk about Senator replacement.
I find the current regime to be undemocratic. Currently a party can name a replacement for an At-Large Senator if the Senator resigns within about one month of the next election. That means an individual who was not selected by the voters can fill a quarter of a mandate. Ideally I would like to push back the time frame to have an election for a replacement. There could be a snap election even if the new officeholder would have the job for one or two weeks. We are in an elections game after all. But that probably would not be accepted.

I have come up with a new twist. Before a party can decide to name someone who has not faced the electorate, the replacement would be offered to the candidate who received the most votes but was not elected in the election. That would make every rank in the election results count, there would be a battle for finishing 6th in the at-large elections for example so that could bring more candidates and parties might try to get one of their own in 6th place. The candidate on the waiting list would have declared for the office and faced the electorate. If the person is not interested anymore or has another job then the party could proceed to the undemocratic partisan appointment.     

Have a good night and sleep well.

I'm in Salt Lake City Utah. I believe candidates for political office (and citizens) have a right of free speech and imagery (as long as it's not hateful). In my last three camapign events I had to disguise myself and hide my identity, wearing a hat and a moustache. That is because I am at risk of being detained and charged in the Pacific for using pony imagery 6 months ago in an event that was not even in the Pacific. As a candidate for national office I should not have restrictions on my freedom of movement around the country. I got over my fear of being in this region and the oppresive authority because it was important for me to meet Pacific voters. Now that have no courage left I will get away from the region as fast as I can. I am not Inspector Gadget, Maigret or Clouseau. I am Poirot.  I   

You will be arrested! Guards, seize him!

Please cease and your baseless persecution of Poirot. Will you let bygones be bygones?

Endorsed for high preference :)

free my dawg poirot

I'll send in a gang of Southron tuffs to bust him out of Alcatraz. >:D

Are you running for senator or middle school guidance counselor?

Dude, this is still a game between pals. ;)

I've managed to escape the Pacific region wearing a Sherlock Holmes costume and I'm now in St. Louis, Missouri.

There is a possibility the At-Large election will be replaced by districts. I've never witnessed district elections and the drawing process. It could be fun because many people here like drawing maps. I'm afraid it could be a partisan process, trying to get one or two distrcits with good registration from your party, or putting some unpopular incumbent with those drawing the districts in a difficult one for his reelection. That would put the Governors role as more party partisan. That is not always a good thing for a region. It becomes important for parties to have one of their members win the Governorship. Someone who is not from the most powerful parties in a region could be a good leader for a region but the powerful parties will still want to find one of their own for the Governor's job instead of just supporting someone with the qualities to become Governor. There is a risk the Governors become too politicize with party politics instead of trying to find the best person. The Senate regional elections and districts are basically the same type of election with a different territory. At least the At-Large election is a different type being multi-candiates winning.

I find it shocking the left has seemingly completely abandoned Proportional Representation for districts. Griffin goes on and on about leftists not degrading itself into being liebruls or JCP, but the JCP always prayed daily to the alter of the At-Large Senate seats and many of them like Snowguy were vocal proponents of an all At-Large Senate, which I dutifully opposed for as he or TNF would say, "muh regions". :P

I just find it hard to fathom that the leftist support for the At-Large system has completely imploded when it is something that one would presume to be in the blood so to speak.

Best of luck for the race and I hope the IOC doesn't ping you for copyright violation... they sue everybody.

I'm in London in Ontario to speak about the need to increase the security of transportation of flamable products by rail. Products such as oil are transported by rail ans if there is an accident it can lead to environment disaster and the loss of human lives. It is imperative we require train companies to use tank cars that are thicker and can be more resistant to shocks. We can also make the companies have adequate training for workers to operate the trains and make sure they follow security prodecures.   

Good evening. I am Mrs Oliver, a friend of Poirot. There was an unexpected change to his agenda and could not be here with us since he is somewhere in the Pacific at the moment.


I will campaign today on his behalf. As a writer I like arts. Paris has great museums.


I know we are not in Paris, France but in Paris in Illinois. That is the point. We are in a small town with no museum. I think it would be a good idea if there were more traveling expositions made by our national museums that could be accessible to people in small towns. Bring our national treasures closer to the public so they have a chance to see them with their own eyes.

Hello. I am Miss Marple, I have some friends in common with Poirot and I was asked to replace him today because he couldn't be here today. I've realised Poirot was in the Pacific for the 155th anniversary of the Pony Express. How fitting.


I was bored in St. Mary Mead and I am happy to help Poirot in his campaing. I am in Sydney (Cape Breton) in Nova Scotia. There is a common market agreement between Atlasia and Canada. With this spirit of cooperation there could be a common effort to attract tourisme, if the two countries or two regions join their efforts. For example the Pacific and British Columbia could do joint promotion on the Asia market to sell the whole West Coast as one destination. Or the Mideast and Ontario could draw a touristic route going through the two regions around the Great Lakes to attract tourists.

Hello. I am Captain Arthur Hastings. I am a friend of Poirot and campaigning for him today in Berlin, New Hampshire. He could not be here because he is a little sick.

Poirot left Belgium for England during the first world war (he later moved to Atlasia). He has been traumatized by war so when people throw grenades at each other in the Senate (figuratively) or on the political scene in general he gets scared and just want to take refuge somewhere, like he did in leaving Belgium. Sometimes he feels we are in a cold war period where there is tension and one side watch the other, ready to attack in case.

Poirot has proposed the Atlasian Games. That is a new and big element of the campaign. He sees it as a period of truce between rivals but it would only work if enough people are interested in the Games. Poirot has been the only one advocating for Games.

The voting booth will open soon. Get ready, get set, go.

Mr. Poirot, do you expect to live through your term if elected, seeing as you are over 100 years old?

I believe Yankee has reached or is surpassing Strom Thurmond levels as well.

I have good genetics. An amateur genealogist has told me I am related to Yoda. I have also used cryonics during the course of my life to stay refreshed.

Disturbing deeply.

bgwah has held office almsot continously since 2006. Pacific Governor 2006 - Oct 2008,  Preisdent Oct 2008- June 2009, Attorney General June 2009- Feb 2010. Senator Feb 2010-Feb 2012 and Supreme Court Justice 2012-2013, Chief Justice 2013- The only break was in early 2012.

The only difference besides him being here since 2004 (I came in Dec 2008) and having held office since 2006 (compared to 2009 for me), is he had much more variety in his record.

And Oakvale has been here about as long as I have minus I think ten months. Polnut, Bacon King, Lief, Duke, PiT, Al, Xahar, Fritz, Griffin, Earl and many others were all here before I was.

So lay off the selective age standard, Young Turks. :P We get it, you don't like anyone over 35. Never pegged you for much of a hippy but whatever.

Hello

As the day progressed it became more obvious that the numbers were simply not there and voters were not going to select me for the Senate. I congratulate the other candidates for their victories. When the number of candidates dropped to six I thought there could be an opening for me. I think even if I was last in first preferences the surplus from candidates over quota would be distributed and I could move ahead of someone if I got high preferences on their ballots. I was hoping there was animosity between political parties and I would benefit of that. The dream scenario didn't materialize.

I proposed some things I had in the past but in this campaign I also tried to propose original ideas to be more bold. The Games idea has not given me the gold medal. My goal was to bring more fun and games. It might have given me the most Senate candidacies or the most Senate losses so perhaps my name will still be on the record book but not for the good reasons. I have campaigned only in cities that hosted the Olympics in Atlasia or Canada, or in cities that share the name of world Olympic cities. It was a great tour.

I spent many days in the Pacific even if my security was at risk because it is important to meet the voters and I have little support in the Pacific and I tried to improve the situation. I didn't do well with Pacific voters so my efforts were not successful. I got arrested and it was talked about in the media and among the population. It was an unxepected event that disturbed my campaign. The spotlight was on me for the wrong reasons. I want to thank the people who have sided with me in this judicial matter, in public or in polls. I hope my arrest didn't affect the vote or the opinion of people. I don't think so. I hope by now people know me and that I am not a criminal and the newer citizens see the ludicrous nature of the charges.

My campaign manager did a good job of finding replacements to take my place in the campaign because I was stuck in the Pacific, had to deal with judicial charges, got sick and weak in detention and from the stress this caused me. I was even considering if I should drop out of the race if voters were never vote for someone who just had been charged. I want to thank my friends who came to campaign for me on short notice: Mrs. Oliver, Miss Marple and Captain Hastings. Thank you also to the various Inspectors who let me use their costume and identity while I was on Pacific soil and to the IOC for letting me use their logo and material.

The last week has been difficult. I am exhausted and need to rest. I'm sad because this could be the last At-Large Senate race. If they disappear I will miss them, the great number of candidates in the same race, the national audience for them, the great territory you need to cover in the campaign.

I have received many high preference so I want to thank the voters who gave me second and third preference and especially those who trusted me enough to award me their first preference. I will end this Games campaign in the spirit of Pierre de Coubertin. The most important thing is not to win but to take part.

Thank you kindly.

Sorry that you couldn't breakthrough this time.

I love your persistence. Keep running. I know it'll pay off for you sometime.

Please Poirot, keep on trying, I really want to see you win :)

I am a candidate in the the special At-Large Senate election, this time in July 2015. My campaign story theme is based on a fairy tale. In another thread I spoke of pumpkin and there was a picture posted of Poirot with a pumpkin. When the special election was called it took me some time to realize this could be a Cinderella story.

Over the last months some mean stepbrothers produced defamatory attack ads against me and put me in jail. One day a special Senate election was called and I received an invitation to the elections ball.

I make myself pretty to woo the voters. They have their political opinions and they try the different candidates to find who fits them best. The elections ball will end Sunday at midnight (or 1 am depending what time is used) and the votes will be counted. If I get the most votes my pumpkin ride will transform into a black limo to drive me to Nyman and I will have secret service to protect me.


It is Halloween in July.

endorsed

()()

Now I am presenting my official campaign material. The official banner features the pumpkin carriage (reference to fairy tale explained in my previous post).


The official campaign song is Strong from Cinderella movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY_IscGn9nc  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY_IscGn9nc)

"I believe in you and me
We are strong"

The official campaign food is Cinderella inspired decorated cupcakes. 

I love Halloween.



Very high preference man, very high preference. :)

I will give my opinion on some of the issues of the day.

I don't mind the creation of a archivist role to keep the wiki updated. I think it now falls to the assistant Attorney General to archive the laws. So if there is a new office created I would hope in the future we don't have an assistant GM if we have an archivist. If there is creation of a new office the Senate should have signs there will be some people applying for the job first.

Looking at a poll on devolution it looks like a formal devolution would be difficult to pass. I think we should have a national discussion to at least clarify the jurisdiction of the regional government and the Senate. If the country is not ready to have more exclusive jurisdiction to the regions, we could determine what topics should me mostly regional debated. For example education is one area that is often mentioned as being regional so the Senate should try to keep away from legislating too much in this. If it is more clear what level of government legislates on what it will get legislators more focus. Candidates who are interested in Senate domain can run for Senate and when they are interested in regional domains they can run in regional government.

I am against very long sentences by the court system. Banning someone for one year for example is like stopping someone from participating in the game. After a year the person could likely lose interest. We don't need less people participating, we need more people enjoying the game.

If two regions share a common regional government it is like merge without the name. In this situation I would find it fitting that there is one senator for the common region.

For the rest of the Senate mandate if I can introduce something it will be on rail safety to tighten reglementation with the objective of increasing security. 

Did you mean an assistant AG?

Sorry. Yes I did not write the correct letters. AG not GM.

Citizens who have the right to vote have more than a day left to exercise their democratic right.

()

The clock is ticking. After the end of voting we will know who is elected. I need votes to pimp my ride and get a black limo.

Poirot,
What is your opinion on a constitutional convention??

First I want to say that I declared as a candidate to serve the traditional role of Senator and not to pull the plug on the game.

A constitutional convention has the merit of being a way to change some fundamental aspects of the game. I imagine people will be able to make different suggestions. It could be hard to agree because I have read posts in threads and people identify different problems. What someone wants to be fixed is not something another thinks needs to be fixed.

A convention could be an occasion to see among citizens who want to move forward what game they could be interested in playing. I'm concerned that rewriting the constitution from sracth is a herculean task.

I find it unfortunate that many citizens who have held important office and for a long time have decided the game should stop or decide not to participate anymore now that they have done their thing and they don't seem to be bothered by giving newer players a chance to play.

Thank you for responding!!!

Well, Poirot, this was perhaps your strongest performance so far and I'm impressed :) People like you who don't give up, regardless of the obstacles, are truly the strength of this game.

Hope you will carry on.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. Congratulations on a race well run: I hope to see you in office sometime in the future.

My little pumpkins,

The clock has passes the deadline. There was no transformation resulting in a Senator's black limousine. I have had to walk and my feet hurt.

I have had probably my highest support recorded in pre-election polls. It made it look like I would be competitive with the other candidates. I received good support but still finished in fourth place. I want to thank all the voters who took the time to see if I fitted Senators' shoes and sincere thanks to people who found the shoe fits and voted for me. I have received support from a diversity of political affiliations and that makes me happy.

I congratulate Kalwejt for winning and all the candidates for their campaigns. The campaign period was short but every candidate was active and talked about issues in their thread. I have noticed all the candidates had campaign banners which is great. All my opponents are qualified and dedicated people and it was an honor to be in a race with them.

Thank you kindly.
Poirot

You've run a spirited campaign, Poirot. Good luck!

I have declared for the December Northeast assembly election. I think there are already five fine candidates running and I would like if all of them could achieve their dream of serving in the regional assembly. However, I think there needs to be more than five candidates to have a five member assembly. Our region is blessed with enough people to have an active assembly of five so my goal in declaring is to get that.

So don't vote for me. I'm doing this to get the others elected and get the chance to play.

That's pretty awesome, thank you.

I've been elected to the Northeast assembly for the reminder of this term so that is three weeks in February. I would like to thank people who wrote in my name in the special election.

In Newport, Rhode Island in the Northeast



Atlasians,

I am very excited to be the vice presidential candidate on the Winfield ticket for the February 2016 election. Winfield / Poirot is the first complete ticket to have officially declared in the candidate thread.

I am proud to join the Winfield team. Winfield is a man of experience who has a long political career in Atlasia. He is a proven competent leader in political and civic matters. People here in Newport, Rhode Island know this and appreciate him.

He cares about the well being of the nation and the citizens. When he makes decisions he has the well being of ordinary people in his mind. When there is a catastrophe, he is in the first ones to help those in need. That is the kind of man he is and he will make a great President. Running as Independent he will not be caught in internal party politics. He has his own mind. He will preside over Atlasia for all the citizens, not for a small group or ideology.

I invite all voters to support our ticket.

Let's Win with Winfield (and Poirot) !

Congratulations!

At a rally in Chatanooga Tennessee in the South region people in the crowd are holding a new campaign sign of the Winfield / Poirot presidential ticket.


Here is the analysis of a communications expert on this sign.

There are some traditional elements to this sign. The colours used are ones often associated with Mr. Winfield. The iconic Win With Winfield slogan is prominent. It reminds voters of the experience and reliability of the candidate and also familiarity and trust to the voters. I think the star puts an emphasis on the status of star candidate.

At the top they put the slogan for the February campaign. At the bottom the (and Poirot) indicates Poirot is the VP candidate but keeping fthe spotlight on the Presidential candidate. The sign does not specify the office sought (Presidential campaign) but I imagine they figure voters will be familiar with news about this race and advertising, or voters are smart enough to know when they see two names since the presidential campaign is the only one with a two people ticket.       

I invite everyone to check the Winfield / Poirot campaign thread. Winfield has posted a lot of content.
https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=226914.0 (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=226914.0)


Thank you to all of you for coming to this meeting in Sacramento, California in the Pacific region. In my tour of the region I have heard many people who would like the Constitutional Convention to move faster. I am lucky to live in a region with enough activity to still make it interesting while waiting for a possible Atlasia rebirth. For those in regions with not much activity, the wait seems probably long. At this rate the convention will take more than six months. Some are anticipating the rebirth and eager to work on the future new regions. Efforts should be made to speed the process.

It appears some delegates were confused when more than one thread were open in the convention. I am proposing to open a second thread (in addition to a topic voting period thread) to discuss the next topic to give opinions and debate in advance of the decision period. If the next topic to be debated is the Justice system, delegates can discuss the number of Justices, the selection process, term limits, impeachment etc. So delegates will have time to reflect on this topic and when it's time to make the decisions, the convention can still proceed in a methodical manner with the votes but with very minimal debate time since the propositions and debates will already have taken place.

The February Presidential election vote is upon us. There is a choice to make. That choice is the Winfield / Poirot ticket. A choice not an echo.

Vote for us to improve the lives of Atlasians. Winfield has posted a lot of explanation on issues. Winfield has the experience to become President. I am ready to be Vice-President.

Go out and vote for Winfield / Poirot !

Thank you kindly. 

The Presidential election is over and sadly our ticket didn't win. Voters made their choice and not enough of them made the Winfield choice. I thank all of you who voted for our Independent ticket of Winfield  / Poirot.

Winfield, it was an honor to be selected as your Vice President candidate and share the stage with you. I'm happy with our active campaign and impressed with how much policy issued it included. Being a VP candidate was a nice experience. I think it was the only elected office I never ran for before and you made this possible..

I congratulate the Griffin/Duke and Leinad/Cris tickets for the high number of votes they received and their effective campaigns.

Thank you.

During the time I was representative in the assembly I had to vote on bills proposed.

I voted aye on the School Uniform Act about school uniforms not being required in public schools. The bill was adopted by the assembly.

I voted aye on The Northeastern Election Reform Act. It deals with the case of no candidate declaring for a special election. It passed.

I voted aye on the Northeast achievement Test for students, to measure the competencies of students. It was adopted.

I voted aye on The end threats Act, to protect refugees from hate crime, an issue needed to be addressed because of events. It passed.

I voted aye on The safer schools Act. The amendments I proposed were adopted, such as an exemption if parents didn't want their child to learn about guns. The bill failed to pass because there was no majority (the vote was tied).

I voted aye on the Driver's license reciprocity with Canada. I introduced this so citizens of our region and in Canada can have their license recognized whatever the language when traveling. The assembly adopted it.

I also approved the nomination of pikachu as replacement for Northeast Senator in the confirmation hearing.

I was selected as speaker of the Northeast assembly after the nomination of pikachu and his departure from the assembly.     

My opinion as citizen on the upcoming constituional amendment vote in the North region about Voter Integrity Act is to vote Nay.

The federal Bill of rights denies the right to vote for citizens in Atlasia if they have not been registered 7 days. The North wants to require a citizen to live in the region for 10 days before a regional election. I don't know if it's legal to go against the bill of rights on the time of registration to be an eligible voter. Even if it is, it can create confusion and frustration to have a different set of basic requirements to be an eligible voter.

February 2017

Today I officially declared my candidacy for Vice-President of Atlasia for this month's election. I am the running mate of Winfield. He is a proven leader, an experienced man and under his administration citizens will see an improvement in their lives.

Go to the official campaign thread to read about policies such as public works, investment in mental health or school safety. It is located here:
https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=257809.0 (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=257809.0)

If you want a better future, support Winfield / Poirot. What have ya got to lose?


For people who are not familiar with me, I first arrived in Atlasia in 2012. I served in the Northeast assembly as representative and also held the speaker position part of that time. I was a member of the Northeast Election Law Codification Commission (November 2015 to February 2016).

I have run many many times for public office. I ran for Northeast Governor, President, Vice-President and over 10 times (I've lost count) for At-Large Senator or Northeast Senator. I have been awarded the President Griffin Founding Fathers Bronze Star Award for my dedication to policy matters within Atlasia's deliberative bodies and for my tireless advocacy of being allowed to hold federal office.

There is still some time left to go to the voting booth and vote for the Winfield / Poirot ticket. I thank voters who have done it.

I am wondering if we should have a start date for unsolicited campaign messages. It seesm to be earlier than before. I got one the Sunday before the election. It pushes me to send pm earlier than before in case people promise their vote. I guess that would not apply to people in the same party since party communication can happen. It won't stop people to use other means than pm though.

On a personal note, I don't want to discuss my Presidential ballot. The game is competitive and you have to work to get votes and try to convince people but at some point it's hyper competition and trying too hard. After two unsolicited pm directly and an enquiry by a third person, I should just have tried to make up my mind alone. I made the mistake of asking a question and started a back and forth, I think  I understand now when some have claimed they felt pressured for a vote. I don't think someone ever tried to convinced me so hard. Maybe it's a quality to be persistent but at some point you have to know when to stop. I don't react well to pushy salesmen. On a Saturday night with a big lead I don't know why it's so important to get one more vote.

I've been persistent in running for office but never good at convincing voters individually and apparently you need that to be successful.   

pming is how the game works and it's how you win, I don't know why you are taking this so personally, you asked a question I answered, you followed up, I followed up back. That is how elections work on here, at least from what I've seen.

At some point stop after making your pitch and cross your fingers you influenced enough. It's like you need to always have the last word.

I chose not to reply to your last pm because you always comes back with an argument. I wanted the exchange to stop. I've had enough. I was worried if i replied with something along the line of Please leave me alone now, I would still get a reply trying to get my vote.

I admit my mistake in the first place was ask a question and maybe give a clear yes / no answer on preference ranking. This has been very unpleasant for me. I don't think anybody ever work so hard to get my vote. In a less neutral way, I would say bothered me, agressively tried to convince me. I am annoyed and angry.

A list of the elections I contested as a candidate. (result is a loss unless otherwise indicated.)


October 4 2012 Northeast assembly special
November 16 2012 Northeast assembly special WIN
December 21 2012 Northeast assembly WIN

February 15 2013 Northeast assembly
February 2013 Northeast Senate
April 2013 Senate At-Large
June 2013 Northeast Senate
July 2013 Northeast Senate special
October 2013 Northeast Senate
November 1 2013 Northeast assembly special
November 29 2013 Northeast assembly special (for 2 seats)

February 2014 Northeast Senate
February-March 2014 Senate At-Large special
March 2014 Senate At-Large special (declared write-in)
Augusr 2014 Senate At-Large special
August 2014 Senate At-Large
November 2014 Senate At-Large special
October 2014 President

February 2015 Northeast Governor
March 2015 At-Large Senate special
April 2015 Senate At-Large
July 2015 Senate At-Large
December 2015 Northeast assembly (declared to get all the other candidates elected)

February 2016 special Northeast assembly write-in candidate WIN
February 2016 Vice-President

February 2017 Vice-President



Offices held:

Elected Northeast representative November 19 2012 - February 2013 (lost in the regular February 2015 election)

Appointed interim Northeast representative April 25 2013 - May 19 2013

Appointed interim Northeast representative November 8 2013 - December 2 2013
and served as Speaker November 20 2013 - December 2 2013 (lost in the double special election November 29 2013)

Elected Northeast representative February 1 2016 - February 25 2016 and served as Speaker February 14 - February 25 2016

Appointed Member of the three person Northeast Election Codification Commission, November 2015 to February 2016


Recipient in July 2016 of the Griffin founding fathers Bronze star award for dedication to policy matters within the deliberatitive bodies and tireless advocacy of being allowed to hold federal office

I am moving to my London flat.

I love Whitehaven Mansions! Will you be growing marrows in King's Abbot?

It looks like I can't reach my destination, will have to wait for visa issues to be resolved.

I'm in Albany, New York in the northern region and I declare my candidacy for the federal House of Representatives. (applause)
I've been thinking of the children and in my campaign I want to propose policies that will be good for them.

For the newer people who don't know me, I have joines Atlasia almost five years ago. I have held the office of representative in the Notheast region assembly and I have also served as speaker in that former regional assembly. I have run a multitude of times for different elected office (Governor, Senator At Large or regional, Vice-President, President, regional representative).

Thank you kindly.

I stand in front of the Santa Clara Valley medical center located in San Jose, California in the Atlasian region of Fremont to talk about my position on health care system. I'm in  favor of a single payer system. That will save a lot of money in administrative costs. Everybody is insured so it doesn't matter if you work or not. All pregnant women will have access to care, the infant mortlaity rate should be lower, kids can be followed and health problems detected quickly no matter the family income.

Good luck.

I'm still in Fremont but in Albuquerque New Mexico. I'm presenting my official campaign sign. (drum roll)


The campaign theme is Think of the children because I try to have the youth in mind in my policy proposals. I have put images of families to illustrate.

I'm at a campaign event in Jackson, Mississippi in the South region. I'm making an important policy announcement.

I propose a free prescription medications program for children and youth under the age of 18. This universal program improves access to prescribed drugs, there will be no financial barrier for children to lead healthy lives.

I like it, that's something I could work on you with

Your commitment to Atlasia over the years and steadfast advocacy for sensible policy is inspiring to me and very commendable.  I usually don't like to give endorsements, but I'm proud to endorse your campaign!

Oh it means so much to me that you visited my hometown and made an effort to make children's lives better overall. As Siren mentioned, it seems that you're pretty darn committed and I have to admit that I wholeheartedly appreciate that.

I wish you the best of luck in this upcoming election. You have my endorsement! :)

Thank you for the nice words and endorsements.

I'm in Rapid City, South Dakota. I'm glad to be back in Fremont for June 14th and participate in local activities of Bear Flag Day. It is a pleasure to share this important day with Fremonters.

Lovely to have you in Fremont, Mr. Poirot! You'll definitely get a preference from me, and I wish you best of luck with your campaign.

Evening stop in Norfolk, Virginia in the south region

With the common use of technology it is more easy for children to be subject of sexual crimes by adults. Adults can hide their true identity and age for such things as getting naked picture, setting up a meet, sextorsion or just sexual talk. I will stand for harsher sentences for adults taking advantage of children even if it's only on computers. I will also stand for giving money to regions so their schools or law enforcement officials to set up programs to inform children of predatory adults and how to protect themselves.       

I'm in Asheville North Carolina in the South region.

The official campaign song is Our House by Madness because I'm running for House.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXA6CLTDekw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXA6CLTDekw)

and the official campaign food is cabbage because that's where babies come from.

Happy Father's Day from Cleveland, Ohio in the northern region.

Parents want to protect their children. I propose a policy to protect children from corporation and consumerism. Children don't earn and spend money so they should not be targeted by advertising.

I will propose that no merchant or advertiser can use commercial advertising directed to children under 13 years of age using all types of media. To determine if an advertisement is directed at children, criterias like the nature and intended purpose of the goods advertised, the manner in which the advertisement is presented, and the time and place where it is shown will be used.   

There will be exemptions for store windows, packaging, labels and displays. They can be designed for children but not directly incite a child to buy a good or encourage the child to urge another person to buy a good. Another exemption will be advertising for a children's entertainment event. 

Let's treat kids as kids and not consumers.

I'm in Waco, Texas in the Southern region to speak about drugs. Not the prescribed medicine drugs but the "recreational" drugs. The federal government is getting softer and softer on drugs to the point where we could even see a hard drug like cocaine be legalized.

I find this unacceptable. We are sending the message that using drugs is normal, it's not risky, there is no problem, it's your choice. Drugs have effects on health, behavior, family. It creates all kinds of problems. We should not be minimizing the effects of drugs, making it more accessible. That is not good for our children. I will oppose proposals to legalize drugs.

Alcohol destroys families, too. Do you oppose keeping alcohol as accessible as it is?

I'm not gonna legalize cocaine and stuff like that, just decriminalizing it.

I am not proposing stricter rules about alcohol. I don't know what is the best word for cocaine, heroin etc. I use the word recreational drugs but for me alcohol is not in it.

I am against decriminalizing cocaine and other hard drugs. It send a message it's not that harmful or not that dangerous to our youth and I think of the children.

For marijuana canadian provinces need to determine how it will be sold. The New Brunswick medical society said marijuana should not be sold to people under 25 but it's probably unrealistic so suggested 21. The brain is still actively developing until the age of 25, especially in men.

In Quebec emergency room doctors suggest 21 years of age and are worried about an increase in problems they already see from use of cannabis such as psychosis and worsen asthma.

I imagine bad effects from harder drugs are worse so relaxing laws on drugs can't bring healthier people.

I'm in Detroit, Michigan in the northern region. Last summer the President of the time spoke about the Atlasia-Canada common market and even had talks with the Canadian government. I don't recall being some action or follow up after that. It's been ten months so we should debate the previous deal under the previous constitution and make a decision, and if Atlasian living in Canada have the right to vote in elections. I would like this issue to be settled.   

I'm in Chicago, Illinois in the northern region.

Recently the absentee Voting Act was signed and became law. The first problem I see with this is it covers a topic that is already in our legislation (the federal electoral act) and there is no indication of what words, lines or section of current laws should be repealed or replaced. This could create legal confusion on the active law of the country. It is important to explicitly mention in a new act what is repealed in an old act so people updating the wiki can keep a clear and accurante portrait of our legislation. We owe it to future generations to keep our records in order. One year ago there was a legislative reset so we must avoid starting to have confusing records. I will always demand we specify the text of old acts to be repealed when we want to replace it with a new act.

The absentee voting act keeps the old cumbersome way of voting before the regular election. A voter has to demand permission for it after the declaration period, the election officer has to approve and all the steps take time and for a House election the declaration period is very close to the election so the window of opportunity is very small.

I have not seen an explanation or presentation of the clauses in this act but from what I read it will be possible for a voter using absentee ballot to replace the ballot later in the regular election. That means an absentee ballot voter could change his or her vote. Other than the 20 minute edit rule in this game we can't change our vote later by submitting another ballot. This is creating two classes of voters. Absentee ballot should be for giving the chance of voting for special circumstances, not for giving special privileges regular voters don't have.

Vote early Vote often should not be a reality in the game.  

I'm in Salem, Mass. in the northern region. There is a major group of voters I need to reach: the zombie voters. A majority of the voters this weekend probably don't spend much time looking at every candidate on the election board. I will have a seance to try reach their spirit and influence their vote.


For voters who are reading this, the voting booth will soon open and I hope I have convinced you to vote for me for federal House. Don't forget: Think of the children. Vote Poirot!

Thank you kindly.

Props for cleverness, glad there are Still those who put creativity into these campaigns

A huge thank you to the people who gave me a first preference in the House election. Also thank you to the people who gave me a high preference, or even a 6th after the five of your party's slate, or write-in for another office.

I congratulate all the winners in the weekend elections. I'm sorry for Clyde and Siren who have given a lot to Atlasia over the years and come up with policy proposals and deserved a better result. I'm happy for Goldwater who was a colleague in the Northeast assembly when I started.

To all the candidates who did not win, if you feel disappointed try to focus not on the result but on you can be proud of: your effort, your campaign or the courage it took when taking the risk of getting your name on a ballot.

Finally I would like to mention the work of wiki editing. I don't know excatly who does it but thank you. It's a bit an invisible task but an important one when looking for information. Your job is appreciated.     

I am very saddened that Poirot, a great Atlasian patriot, was not able to make the mark to be in the House. He will be sorely missed as a true advocate of fixing the problems that plague the game.

It was a great surprise party. I did not expect it. We celebrated the fifth anniversary of my first win as a candidate for political office. It was a special election for the Northeast region assembly and I became a Representative November 19 in 2012.

Thanks to the organizers and to all who attended. It was fantastic to meet all of you, many old faces I haven't seen in a while  and many who made the trip from out of the country. It was fun to remember good times. It made me feel nostalgic. Thank you to all my friends over these years.

Politcal career

Elected Northeast representative November 19 2012 - February 2013 (lost in the regular February 2015 election)

Appointed interim Northeast representative April 25 2013 - May 19 2013

Appointed interim Northeast representative November 8 2013 - December 2 2013
and served as Speaker November 20 2013 - December 2 2013 (lost in the double special election November 29 2013)

Elected Northeast representative February 1 2016 - February 25 2016 and served as Speaker February 14 - February 25 2016

Appointed Member of the three person Northeast Election Codification Commission, November 2015 to February 2016

Awarded in July 2016 the Griffin founding fathers Bronze star award for dedication to policy matters within the deliberatitive bodies and tireless advocacy of being allowed to hold federal office


A list of the elections I contested as a candidate. (result is a loss unless otherwise indicated.)


October 4 2012 Northeast assembly special
November 16 2012 Northeast assembly special WIN
December 21 2012 Northeast assembly WIN

February 15 2013 Northeast assembly
February 2013 Northeast Senate
April 2013 Senate At-Large
June 2013 Northeast Senate
July 2013 Northeast Senate special
October 2013 Northeast Senate
November 1 2013 Northeast assembly special
November 29 2013 Northeast assembly special (for 2 seats)

February 2014 Northeast Senate
February-March 2014 Senate At-Large special
March 2014 Senate At-Large special (declared write-in)
Augusr 2014 Senate At-Large special
August 2014 Senate At-Large
November 2014 Senate At-Large special
October 2014 President

February 2015 Northeast Governor
March 2015 At-Large Senate special
April 2015 Senate At-Large
July 2015 Senate At-Large
December 2015 Northeast assembly (declared only to get all the other candidates elected)

February 2016 special Northeast assembly write-in candidate WIN
February 2016 Vice-President

February 2017 Vice-President
June 2017 House of Representatives

Thank you all for being here today.

I have declared as a candidate for the Senate election in the northern region that will take place February 15-16-17 2019.  I hope I can count on your support.

I have deep roots in the region. I probably have spent at least 5 years of the 6 years I have been a citizen of Atlasia. I have visited many parts of the region over the years during past political campaigns. It's great to be among you in Plymouth, Massachusetts today. I have held differenct functions such as Representative in the Northeast assembly, Speaker in the Northeast, Member of the Northeast Election Codification Commission and briefly Attorney General of the northern region.

I am ready to represent the region in Nyman. Vote Poirot!

Thank you kindly.     

Endorsed!

Not from Lincoln, but endorsed!

I am interested in your candidacy, could you elaborate on some of your policy positions?

Thank you for the out of region endorsements.

Tonight I'm in Detroit in Michigan. I believe in the role of government to help people in need. I would like to work to protect consumers from corporation practices and protect people's privacy by limiting the use of data collected on people.

I used to illustrate my campaign posts with pictures but something must have changed with google  images because I have not found how to see all the same image in different sizes like before (maybe something has changed). I tried to post small pics that don't take too much space. I know some people look at campign posts for the images and not the articles so readership will probably decrease.     

ENDORSED!

Thank you Winfield!

I'm in Middleton Wisonsin at a primary school. If elected in the Senate I would like to bring to debate measures that exist somewhere in the world and see opinions of other people in Congress.

One such measure is a ban of advertising towards children 12 years of age and younger. Why let advertisers play in the mind of children, try to push for products, create needs or influence values. Children that age can influence purchases by asking for something but they are not that ones making the purchases. It is also believed a ban of advertising could lower children obesity rate if children are not exposed to ads for bad food and beverages.

Holding an event in Norwalk Connecticut

Security experts have warned world governments of China's Huawei products being used to spy and there are allegations steals intellectual property from other companies.

It was reported in the GM's officila publication on December 16th 2018 that Chinese hackers leaked Atlasian documents on the internet. Our vulnerability in cybersecurity and data protection is not new.

Like other countries have done in light of possible security holes the Atlasian government should prohibit Huawei from providing equipment for the 5G network. I would like to hear more about the security risk from our National Security experts but our country shouldn't be vulnerable to foreign cyber security threats.     

I'm in Atlantic City in New Jersey to talk about protection of consumers using hotel booking websites. In the UK it was found some hotel booking websites were not being truthful in some sales practices and we should act to get stricter regulations so Atlasians are not mislead by this type of website.

We need to set clear rules. Websites will have to be more transparent on the ranking system to make it clearer how hotels are graded, including whether hotels paying the ranking sites more have received a position higher up the list

They can't create a false impression on a hotel popularity to push the customer to act quickly. When saying other customers are looking at the same hotel, it should be made clear it they are searching for different dates. Some websites were also placing sold-out hotels within search results to put pressure on people to book more quickly.

They can't make false discount claims like when a website compares a sale price to a regular price that isn't relevant, such as being on different dates, or a different room type.

To avoid hidden fees when comparing prices, websites will have to put booking or resort fees in the price.

Travel booking websites have becoming a popular way to book and they need to be fair and truthful in their sales practices.

endorsed

Thank you kindly

Tonight I am in the Poconos in Pennyslvania (more specifically in the honeymoon suite of a hotel containing a heart shaped bathbub of course).

It is with excitement that I present my campaign banner. My final campaign rally will be held on February 14th the last day before the election so I went with a Valentine inspired theme. The slogan is "From Atlasia with love", the dominant color is red and there are two hearts. (this should be popular with the romantics and more the women demographics and generally everyone because of the human need to be loved). So here it is!

Endorsed for 2nd preference! It's great to see such a nice theme in your campaign.

I'm in front of a gym in Dayton, Ohio.

If you want a Senator who is active vote for Poirot! I believe the role of Senator is not to show up to vote when someone informs you a vote is open. If the Senate needs a system to regurlarly get its members to show up to vote, there is something wrong. A Senator should be attentive to debates, voice opinions, propose amendments to improve a bill. The Senator should know when it's time to vote on something. I won't be put on some notification system to vote. I will show up to vote on my own. I have posted in Congress thread or Supreme court thread even when I'm an ordinary citizen so you can be sure I will post in Senate threads if elected.

My philosophy on legislation is steady flow. My preference is to deal with smaller number of bills, give members to read and examine so there is more contribution rather than go for a big number of bills passed with speed and little contribution. Not a fan of the quickie school of legislation. 

Activity boosts energy and it's good for the heart.

I'm getting out of my bus to make a quick announcement in Moscow, Indiana.

The theme music for my campaign is from a film. It uses another country's name but it's close to my theme: From Russia with love.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srlL0izZ-mY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srlL0izZ-mY)

Great campaign banner! We need a more loving attitude in this game.

Nice aesthetic! I wish you luck in your campaign!

Appropriate music since you are visiting Moscow.  Very imaginative of you.

I'm in Peoria, Illinois. Good news to report. Volunteers on the ground are reporting positive feedback about our campaign material.

My topic tonight is classified information. There is (or maybe not since it's difficult to verify a secret) classified information on foreign policy that only a select few in government have access to. Even if it would happen in real life, I don't like it exists in this game. If you want to get more citizens interested in foreign policy, it's not good to keep some aspects hidden from the public. How can citizens make a judgement on actions and decisions made by officeholders in charge of foreign policy if they are not aware of all the information. If an officeholder is challenged on some action it it easy to reply, you don't know all the information or you don't understand. Classified information lead to private meetings which doesn't give visible activity. I prefer information for all to see and citizens interested in an issue can follow.   

This afternoon I was in front of Sacred Heart school in East Providence, Rhode Island to say that the official campaign food/snack is little cinnamon hearts candy. You can taste it when you visit one of our campaign offices anywhere in the region. (it also gives our volunteers fresh breath which is important when they speak to potential voters)

I'm in Oxford in Maine tonight. It's getting scary, it's dark and there are tales of bad things happening, so it's just a short stop in Oxford. The destination was Castle Rock but the bus driver can't find the place.

There is a tendency to throw rocks at people for being inactive. Sometimes we could use more understanding, like in the case of new people. Perhaps they couldusthate some guidance, explanation, help and support rather than directly get out the rocks and pitchfork and act in a way that will only push them out of the country.

People in Maine are big proponent of loving yourself. I agree with them, it is important to feel good about yourself and love yourself. I now wear a pin like many others in the state. That is an empowering message full of self confidence.
()

I lpve me and you should too!

endorsed for 2nd preference!

Thank you for the high preference

From Middlebury in Vermont.

Companies are collecting data from individuals and often individuals are not aware of it. The use of personal data raises privacy concerns. It's time to give people more power over data collection.

First, people need to know their personal data is being collected. Businesses will have to disclose it. They will have to disclose what type of personal information is being collected, why they are collecting it and if they share the information with other businesses or organizations.

Cnsumers will have the right to ask a business what personal information it has on them, ask the business to delete the personal information collected abouth them and have the option to stop the data from being shared with third parties.   

I'm in Concord, New Hampshire to talk about Discord.

It will be quick because I've never used it and seeing the drama that comes out of it it's better to stay away. I have a little experience years ago with I think it was mibbit at the time. There was some chat rule back then that discussion was not made public. When people are in a group they will talk against others, it's like a discussion so more unfiltered. I have a problem with taking logs to hurt someone, or to make someone look bad. Some things said in a small group are not said to be repeated to the whole world. I prefer blissful ignorance.     

I started the last day before the vote early this morning. I was in Glasgow in Scotland to talk about independence. No, not Scotland independence, the State Department probably wishes we avoid the topic to keep good diplomatic relations with everyone. For voters who don't know I am registered as Independent. I can work with other elected officials without having to take in consideration the wishes of a party. 

Happy Valentine's Day to all.
From Atlasia with love

It's great to be in New York City, New York for my final rally.

I have visited every state in the region during my campaign. My policy focus on consumer protection was met with interest.

I have decided to run for regional Senate because I believe I would do good work. My first run at regional Senate was in February six years ago. I know the region and prepared to represent you in the Senate. I realise I probably missed an opportunity for office and it motivated me to try again.

I'm happy to see so many people in the crowd on Valentine's Day. I see many famous people from various background and thank them for their support:
Bobby Valentine (former baseball coach), Phil Valentine (radio host), Valentine Warner (chef), Don Valentine (venture capitalist), Valentina Terechkova (first woman in space), Kym Valentine (actress neigbours), James Valentine (member Maroon 5), Jean Valentine (did decryption at Bletchley Park), Valentine Holmes (former rugby player) and Kathryn Valentine (member of the Go-Go's).
 
The voting booth opens in a few hours. My name will be on the ballot for Senate in the Lincoln region. Please first preference Poirot. I hope I have earned your vote.   

From Atlasia with love,
Poirot

Not sure if you'd be interested in it, but since Senate results aren't great for you so far...

Endorsed for high preference in Lincoln Assembly. There is at least one candidate on the ballot who has activity issues, and with a lot of new faces, having an active and experienced person like yourself in there would be great for the region. I urge Lincoln folks reading this to consider writing in Poirot and hopefully he will accept.

There is more than one day left of voting so there is still time to go cast your vote for Poirot. It was unexpected but I have received votes for House. Bizarre I have almost as many votes for House than I have for the race I'm running for Senate. 


When the second member of the duopoly entered the race it annihilated my chance of a good result.
I'm not interested by the change to the region coming and do not wish to be in the regional assembly.

The votes have been counted and I received four votes for Senate. I congratulate the winner(s). If the result stays a tie I hope the two candidates can find an agreement in splitting the term. I thank the other candidates for running active campaigns (special notice to Tack's creativity in using ads).

I had not run for office in some time. This time confirmed again that I enjoy the public campaign part but not the election weekend with the stress and pressure.

Something unexpected this election were the write in votes for House. I gor four votes (the table in the Secretary of Elections office only lists the declared candidates but I have four votes). That is the same number of votes I received for the office I campaigned to win.

A heartfelt thank you to citizens who supported me and voted for me. Thank you also to voters who believed in me enough to give me a second preference vote.

From Atlasia with love,
Poirot  

Politcal career

Elected Northeast representative November 19 2012 - February 2013 (lost in the regular February 2015 election)

Appointed interim Northeast representative April 25 2013 - May 19 2013

Appointed interim Northeast representative November 8 2013 - December 2 2013
and served as Speaker November 20 2013 - December 2 2013 (lost in the double special election November 29 2013)

Elected Northeast representative February 1 2016 - February 25 2016 and served as Speaker February 14 - February 25 2016

Appointed Member of the three person Northeast Election Codification Commission, November 2015 to February 2016

Awarded in July 2016 the Griffin founding fathers Bronze star award for dedication to policy matters within the deliberatitive bodies and tireless advocacy of being allowed to hold federal office


A list of the elections I contested as a candidate. (result is a loss unless otherwise indicated.)


October 4 2012 Northeast assembly special
November 16 2012 Northeast assembly special WIN
December 21 2012 Northeast assembly WIN

February 15 2013 Northeast assembly
February 2013 Northeast Senate
April 2013 Senate At-Large
June 2013 Northeast Senate
July 2013 Northeast Senate special
October 2013 Northeast Senate
November 1 2013 Northeast assembly special
November 29 2013 Northeast assembly special (for 2 seats)

February 2014 Northeast Senate
February-March 2014 Senate At-Large special
March 2014 Senate At-Large special (declared write-in)
Augusr 2014 Senate At-Large special
August 2014 Senate At-Large
November 2014 Senate At-Large special
October 2014 President

February 2015 Northeast Governor
March 2015 At-Large Senate special
April 2015 Senate At-Large
July 2015 Senate At-Large
December 2015 Northeast assembly (declared only to get all the other candidates elected)

February 2016 special Northeast assembly write-in candidate WIN
February 2016 Vice-President

February 2017 Vice-President
June 2017 House of Representatives

February 2019  Lincoln Senate
February 2019 House of Representatives (write in)

I can now disclose what Lady Gaga told me last week after the Senate election because she repeated it in public at the Oscars ceremony.

It was quite unexpected when I looked at Executive Order 47-028 about the Order of the Stars to see my name on the list.
https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=314840.msg6866961#msg6866961 (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=314840.msg6866961#msg6866961)


I have received a Gold Star! I thank President Tmthforu94 for giving me this honor. Somehow he felt my contributions to the game were appreciated.

This comes nearly seven years after arriving in Atlasia. I have not held many important offices like other recipients. I have lost many elections. I guess it shows winning is not everything. I take it as a recognition of other forms of participation in the game than holding the highest offices. Citizens participation is also important, by running as a candidate, by commenting on legislation, by holding office holders to account, by running a newspaper, a special interest group, or law office. I'm glad these kinds of contributions are also noticed.

July 15, 2019

I am councilor for the Lincoln assembly today. I was elected in a by-election. There were three seats to fill and no declared candidates. I was eelcted as write-in candidate. I'm not even sure if the election was legal because it had to be held two Fridays following when the vacancy occured and I'm not sure when the vacancy occured; it could be on Friday and the election was the following Friday, not the second one following.

I have arrived in the assembly. It's quiet in the building. A regional Justice has just been confirmed before I arrived so I think other people are busy with that. The assembly must be disolved 72 hours before the next general election which should start July 19. That means I am councilor for a day. It sounds like a high school career day activity.

I am looking around and there does not seem to be votes open so I can't vote on things. I'll go look for a restaurant, maybe councilors have free meals. I will stuff myself if it's the case to benefit in the short time I can. Before I leave I will also try to put some Post-it in my pockets, they can be practical but would not waste money on them. Maybe there are pens too, I will look for one blue and one black (don't need red).

They have changed titles and the working of government. Seems complicated for nothing and not practical. The clock is ticking down on dissolution so I'll go explore while this place is still open. Since I can't really serve you in this bried time I will try to at least serve myself...     

Congratulations! I can think of no-one better to represent Lincoln on the Council, if only for a day.

Congratulations! Poirot thread!

Will you be running in the general Council election this weekend?

Congratulations on your election!

Also, that last post was one of the most hilarious things I have ever read in my entire history in Atlas. Please never change Poirot <3

Congrats on winning this interesting experience. I can relate to you as I'm also Councillor for a Day.

No. I was not even running in the by-election but felt I would disappoint people if I did not accept the votes and it was for a quickie session.


I know, I saw you at the orientation session for new councillors. So you're also on a dash before midnight. I can give you and Sestak a lift in my magical carriage but not too late, before it turns into what is it these days, an uber ride? 

You know what, I think I’ll take you up on that.

Hola. Hello Miami. Thank you Florida for the warm welcome. It's good to be in the South, the region of Atlasia with the most people.

I am running for a seat to the federal House (in case you didn't pay attention) and hope to get your support.

You should send me to Nyman, amomg other things, because I will fight for the interests of small parties and Independents. People in in the big parties don't understand the realities of people not in big parties. There is even a desire to make smaller parties disappear by increasing the number of members required to be an official party. That will just push the idea that citizens have to choose between two sides (big parties and what are considered their satellite party).

This game needs more competing parties. It needs political diversity. Otherwise we can see the effect on elections. Not many candidates, uncontested election, and based on a numbers game. Just look at Senate races right now. Did I say races? Maybe for a race there needs to be more than one candidate. I imagine there is no interest in running because the outcome is easily predicted. If you are not part of the majority party in the region you see no point of investing your energy in an election you know you can't win.

In my Atlasia, citizens are not forced to choose between one of two sides to have a future and participate in government. I want more paths to include people. I want a more dynamic and diverse political landscape.

Thank you kindly.     

Endorsed!

Poirot thread is back!

As I have privately expressed in the past...endorsed for first preference. Poirot would be EXCELLENT in the House.

Endorsed

Very much endorsed! Atlasia needs more people like Poirot who will run active campaigns and stand up for independents and small parties.

I would love to have you in the House of representatives, and totally agree that the fact that all 3 Senate races are uncontested is a disgrace for Atlasia.

As a great poet once said: party in the city where the heat is on, all night on the beach till the break of dawn, welcome to Miami, bienvenidos a Miami!

Endorsed by both me and the A.C.L.O. Your commitment to reform for all of Atlasians is commemorable.

I've heard from our offices across the country a good level of interest in my candidacy. Citizens are reading our literature and some are even giving endorsements. I thank them all kindly. 

Tonight I'm in St. Louis, Missouri (South region) to present the official campaign sign. It's probably not as original as some of years past but it's high on symbolism.


Let me explain. The main color is blue. Blue is the color of the Liberal party (maybe not the exact shade though). At the top we have scales. The Liberal party was in the middle of the right party and the left party. It shows trying to seek compromise, seeking balamce. And depending on the matter couldl agree with one side or the other.

Then we have the man in a box. Some want to force people to pick one of the "sides", there is no choice, it's the only path. I think there should be more paths. People shouldn't be boxed in. The person in the box is looking for a path. There is an small opening and it leads in the direction of the Liberal party.

The third image is the megaphone. I will give most of my comments on legislation on the public board. I'm not on discord and I don't have many private messages. It also means I will speak up to defend the interest of small parties and Independents and stop them from being steamrolled by big parties.

Finally at the bottom there is a house, a graphic emphasis of the office I am seeking.       

I like your logo. I'm not sure where I'll preference you but it would be good if you are elected, and good luck with your campaign.

I'm now in Boston, Mass. in Lincoln region for today's event. I am putting forward a policy I proposed in my House campaign of Thinking of the children in 2017.

I want to protect children (and their parents) from corporations addressing children in commercial advertising. Children don't earn and spend money and not aware of consumerism so they should not be the target of ads. I am proposing companies and advertisers are not allowed to use commercial advertising directed at children under 13 years of age.

Let kids be kids and not try to turn them in early consumers.

#Poirot4House! Endorsed for a high preference :)

I am in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in Lincoln region for the announcement of the official campaign song. It is On My own by Patti LaBelle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsH63qJlIMM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsH63qJlIMM)

This was chosen to reflect that I'm not backed by a big party or associated with one. The event took place on Patti LaBelle way (Broad street).
(imagine picture of the street sign with the name)

In a few hours I will be in Pemberton in New Jersey for the announcement of the official campaign food. It is blueberry. The reason obviously is I'm in a blue period and I've eaten that lately.. The event will take place at a blueberry farm.
(imagine picture of bowl of blueberries)   

I'm in Fremont, In San Francisco (California),
(picture of store signs in Chinese on street in Chinatown)

I think we should support more the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. We shouldn't let basic rights removed by authoritarian regime.

I say this as a victim of brief emprisonment for political activity. In August 2014 I was detained by the then Pacific region for an action in a political campaign. I had used an image of a pony and was arrested on frivolous charges of pony-ism related to health grounds.

Wonderful to have you in Frémont, sir!

Hello! Nice to be at Wrigley Field, Chicago. Thank you for almost filling the stadium on such a short notice of this event. I was in Fremont and had to flew back to Lincoln quickly  to publicly announce I am also running for Lincoln Senate. There was a lack of candidates for the Senate race so I didn't want to pass the opportunity to run for that office. I am running for federal legislature already so it's the same person but different chamber. I have ran for regional Senate or At-Large Senate countless times in the past so this is not new to me.

Citizens of Lincoln, you will see my name twice on your ballot. It's not a mistake and you don't have to apply to the Glasses are good to see program.   

The official song for the Senate race is Double Vision by Foreigner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxKCPjcvbys (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxKCPjcvbys)

You can vote for me twice. That's right. You can double your pleaure. You can double your fun. It's the right one.

The official food of the Senate campaign is Wrigley Doublemint.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sefHatyheE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sefHatyheE)

oh, people in the stadium, that is a nice wave. Let's do a regional virtual wave. It starts in Wisconson and goes to Maine (with a little blip in Scotland). Go!

To be honest the fact that all 3 Senate races were about to get uncontested was a disgrace. Good luck in your Senate race!

Also, in the (admittedly very unlikely) event that you get elected to both House and Senate, where do you plan on serving?

I haven't made a decision on choosing one office over the other. I haven't really thought about it. Accidents can happen (I hope the accident is not the plane to my next destination). Maybe the Senate because the term is longer but it's not a final answer.

I return to Fremont to end my campaign(s). The voting booths open in a few hours. You have time left to make your decision(s).

I started running only for House. I ask the people of all regions to vote for me. Especially citizens of small parties and Independents who have no influence when big parties decide to change game rules.

I also am a candidate for Lincoln Senate. Citizens of that region can get excited at the thought of voting for me twice during the same election! I hope they do. I feel ubiquitous.

This is the final stop in the double campaign, from the Twin cities of Minneapolis St. Paul.

Thank you kindly.

Welcome to Minnesota Mr Poirot, I hope you have enjoyed your stay here!

Endorsed for Senate!!!

Strong start for the House election. I am in third place. For the Lincoln Senate I am behind, I need more votes.

Watching the returns with bated breath!

Hello

I want to thank all the people who gave me a vote. I have about the same number for House and Senate. The three amazing people who first preferenced me in both received a double ballot golden pin. I like to think that most of the votes I earned myself but last time I had such success in a multi ccandidates race I learned afterwards someone was helping me.

With the House success so far I started to think of the future. And it was not positive at all. I jumped into the House race to be an alternative to having to choose between two alliances and defend the interest of small parties and Independents. If I'm inside or outside the House won't matter. There is only one Representative who expressed reservation on the plan to increase the level of membership required to be an official party. I have failed to change the mind of the Senate and the bill is moving forward in the House with no sign of change. It could even be adopted before the next session for all I know. I will have failed in trying to help the smallest parties keeping their status. I imagined I could make an influence but I can't. I'm sorry for letting people down.

I have not been good at convincing people share my point of view. I wanted to helppolitical alternatives by joining a small party. I know I won't be able to keep it official. I don't have the ability to make it grow from 3 to 6. It would requite someone with more plan than making ads, trying to be fun and crossing fingers that people join.

That will be a failure of keeping a party official and trying to give an alternative to the duopoly alliances. There is the wokl on legislation. I doubt most people pay attention. You could try to do your best but next election is Presidential. Turnout will get higher, quota higher and I will be swept away if I decide to run again.

I've not been enjoying the political environment for months. I'm not even sure if it's a duopoly or we are moving to monoply. There is a high number of citizens but I don't see them on the boards. Perhaps the majority like the current situation.

I don't see a positive future for myself. I imagined that I could change things. I'm realising I dont have the ability. It makes me sad and frustrated. So I've decided to forfeit the House position if I'm elected..Better to let the place to someone who enjoys the system.

2019 was a successful year for me. I won a House seat in the August election and served for the September/ October term.

I'm thinking of buying a tuxedo because the rental is costing me. In summer I received the Order of Atlasia. In December I won the Oscar for biggest Surprise for getting elected to the House in August. And in February 2020 I have just received the Cross of the Northern Star. This is awarded to citizens and officers who have made substantive contributions of benefit to the region of Lincoln. So, many ceremonies to attend.

Hello

I am running for the office of Lincoln Senate and asking for your vote. This was not planned so there won't be a tour of multiple states or a logo. I declared my candidacy just before the deadline because it didn't seem like there was competition for the office. I sort of understand it considering more than half of citizens in the region are registered with one party. It makes it hard to have hopes of winning if you are not endorsed by the big party.

My first try for a regional Senate seat was in February seven years ago. I surprisingly won a House seat in August 2019 so maybe another miracle could happen but for this one I need more than a dozen vote. But this game needs more electoral competition and if I am the sacrificial lamb, well I have lost so many times before that I lost count and it won't be a schock.

My official campaign song is Mary had a little lamb. Why? Because I just wrote lamb and I remembered this music I had to learn playing the flute when I was little.

The region can count on me. I have just received Cross of the Northern Star. This is awarded to citizens and officers who have made substantive contributions of benefit to the region of Lincoln.       I am looking forward to working with other Senators and improve our country. I will try to work as much as possible with the others, and will propose changes to legislation about the points that would make me vote against a bill to make it more acceptable.

Please go vote tomorrow.
Thank you kindly.

Poirot, ONS (Order of the Northern Star)     

Endorsed!

Quite late, but welcome to the race Poirot! :)

Endorsed! Good luck!

Thank you for the endorsements but sadly you are former Lincoln citizens.

Poirot, do you condemn the theft of the people’s mandate by the defection of WEst Midlander to the Federalists?

I'm not familiar with the situation in the South but in general I think it is better to sit as Independent and run in the next election under a new party banner so some voters don't feel betrayed if they voted party line. 

The official result shows I did not win. It was an uphill battle but I tried. I want to thank the citizens who voted for me and those who came to the voting booth. I congratulate tack for his victory and wish him the best in his work.

You kept us on our toes at least.

Someone has to do it. I am running for Lincoln Senate. The election will be held June 19-21. If you are afraid to go out because of the virus, mail in your ballot.

A few weeks ago I was at a party convention in Stowe, Vermont. We we surrounded by mountains. It was like this race, all uphill. To win you need to be backed by the dominant party.

I'm running for diversity and inclusiveness in the game. To have people who are not in the dominant party have a seat in the Senate. To let people who are not part of big parties play a legislative role in Nyman. To show the way for people who choose a different route than joining a big group of numbers.

Our country is full of different people and it's time we stop excluding them. Let's open the doors of the Senate to different parties or Independents. It will be good for democracy.

The sky is the limit.

Welcome to the race Poirot! It is always nice to face you :)

And indeed I agree that there should be more contested elections and that the sky is the limit.

Poirot for Senate!

(for a high preference)

Thank you for the messages of support.

The voting booth is open. Don't forget to cast a ballot even if it is dangerous for your health. What is the worst that can happen? You could die but that is not a problem. You will join the large group of zombie voters.

When I looked at the board this morning there was a vote tally and my opponent was already declared winner. I don't know if it's trying to suppress voting or demoralize people thinking of voting for me. I am not conceding. I continue to fight.

I am in shortage of votes. Maybe I will have to ask tack to lend me some votes. It's like going to the neigbhor and ask for sugar but it would be lending votes.

Thank you kindly.