Labor Party Standing Committee (10/12-6/13)

[Adam Griffin]

Our Founding (We Almost Ended Up Being the Social Democratic Union)

View Labor Party Standing Committee, Jan-Oct 2012

View Labor Party By-Laws (Adopted 5/27/13)

View Labor Party Platform (Adopted 6/15/13)

2013 Federal/Regional Elections, Labor Party Endorsement Deadline & Labor Party Event Dates

Labor Party Chat

Welcome to the Committee HQ of the Labor Party. Currently Atlasia's true beacon of center-leftism, our mission is to further the broader debate on the economic and social issues that impact the lives of everyday Atlasians. We are prepared and poised to fight for progressive ideals in every region across the country by being the most evenly distributed political movement in Atlasia. All current information, events, votes and other announcements will be displayed in this post, making it easier to keep up with all that is going on in both Atlasia and the Labor Party.

Current Members:

National: 42

Mideast: 7
Midwest: 10
Northeast: 6
Pacific: 8
South: 11

Current Elected Officers:

Chair – Adam Griffin
Vice-Chair – Gass3268
General Secretary – Seatown

Regional Co-Ordinators:

Mideast –
Midwest –
Northeast –
Pacific –
South (IDS) –

Current Elected/Appointed Members of Government

Marokai Blue - President

Snowstalker - Midwest Regional Senator
Averroes Nix - Northeast Regional Senator
MaxQue - At-Large Senator
Gass3268 - At-Large Senator
opebo - Associate Justice, Supreme Court
Adam Griffin - Game Moderator

Alfred F. Jones - IDS Legislator
Velasco - IDS Legislator
Njall - Mideast Assemblyman
Bore - Northeast Assemblyman & Lieutenant Governor
Snowball - Northeast Assemblyman

Progressive Caucus Reps:

Averroes Nix - Chair

Alfred F. Jones - Labor Board Member
Bacon King - Labor Board Member
Velasco - Labor Board Member
Vacant - Labor Board Member

Aggregate PM Score:

-5.49 E
-5.75 S



Ongoing Votes/Events:

[Adam Griffin]

THESE ARE NO LONGER THE CURRENT BY-LAWS; PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR LATEST VERSION

The first order of business will be to approve the proposed by-laws as laid out by Gass3268. Everybody should give him a round of applause for taking the time to craft this framework. Since we currently have no established by-laws, we will need to approve a set in order to determine the future structure of the Party. Please read through it and cast your votes below in the affirmative, negative or abstention; the procedure will be line-item approval, broken up into 13 separate votes:

APPROVED BY-LAWS:

Establishment/Management of Conventions

1. Convention will start one month before the Atlasia Presidential Election, with the location 
of the convention rotating among the five regions of Atlasia in the following order: Mideast, 
Imperial Dominion, Pacific, Northeast and Midwest.

2. Establishing the next convention shall employ the following process: Each Member is given 24 hours to 
nominate one city in the given region assigned for the next convention, with the top three nominations 
being placed on the ballot. Members will be given 24 hours to select their choice.

3. Each convention will have the following agenda:
   a. Updating and amending the party by-laws
   b. Election of the new Politburo
   c. Updating and amending the party platform
   d. Endorsements for the upcoming Atlasia Federal Elections
   e. Special and irregular business put forward by the Politburo
   f. Establishing the date and city for the upcoming convention
   g. Selection of by-laws and platform committee for the next convention

Creation and Amending of Party By-laws

1. The Chairman, along with two party members appointed by the Chairman, will have the initial task 
of creating any proposed changes to the by-laws and will be in charge of initial changes in subsequent 
conventions. By-laws are then presented to the members, with members allowed to make objections and
suggest changes to the by-laws.
   a. If there are no objections within 24 hours, the by-laws will be automatically approved.
   b. If there are objections, 24 hours will be given for the members to discuss and make changes as a 
        group; more time can be given by the Politburo if necessary.
   c. Then a 72 hour vote will take place to approve or reject the by-laws.

Creation and Amending of the Party Platform

1. The Vice Chair, along with two party members appointed by the Vice Chairman, will have the initial 
task of creating the party platform and will be in charge of initial changes in subsequent conventions. 
Platform is then presented to the members, who will then be allowed to make objections and suggest changes 
to the platform.
   a. If there are no objections within 24 hours, the platform will be automatically approved.
   b. If there are objections, 24 hours will be given for the members to discuss and make changes as a 
        group; more time can be given by the Politburo if necessary.
   c. Then a 72 hour vote will take place to approve or reject the platform.

Election of the Politburo

1. Members will have 24 hours to declare that they wish to have the following positions, beginning on the 
first Monday of the following months: February, June and October: Chairman, Vice-Chairman & General 
Secretary. There will then be 24 hours for campaigning, followed by a 72 hour election.

Role of the Politburo

1. Chairman
   a. The official leader of the party, unless there is a Labor Party President
   b. Is in charge of the convention process and all of the activities that take place
   c. Officiates party voting
   d. Giving the Vice Chairman and the General Secretary goals and objectives for their given jobs
   e. Is allowed to create appoint other party officials as he or she sees fit
   f. In charge of creating and updating the by-laws at the party convention with the assistance of
        a personally-appointed committee

2. Vice Chairman
   a. Takes over for the Chairman temporarily if the Chairman requests a leave of absence or has been 
        absent for 48 hours
   b. Is in charge of party political strategy
   c. Responsible for keeping up with business on the Federal and Regional levels and making sure that 
        the Labor Party has an official stance on the issue, this will be done in collaboration with the 
        rest of the Politburo and the advise of the members
   d. In charge of creating and updating the platform at the party convention with the assistance of a
        personally appointed committee

3. General Secretary
   a. Takes over for the Chairman and Vice Chairman if the Chairman and Vice Chairman both have requested
        a leave of absence or both have been absent for 24 hours
   b. Deals with logistics and personnel
   c. Responsible for getting party members out to vote for the right candidates in elections, that 
        party members vote the right way in the legislatures and governors approve/veto the correct bills
   d. In charge of party recruitment with the goal of growing the party
   e. Is also in charge of candidate requirement for all levels of government

Endorsement and Primary Procedure

1. All Labor party members are automatically endorsed by the party, except for the following situations 
in which there will be a Labor Party Primary:
   a. If there are more Labor party members running than open spots in a given election, then we have a 
        primary.
   b. A Labor party member is a party of a cross party ticket for President or Governor, then we will 
        also have a primary.
   c. A Labor party member lost a primary and proceeded to run as a independent.

2. In the event there are multiple Labor party members vying for the same seat, a primary will be held
to determine who receives endorsement.
   a. Primaries will take place 3 weeks before the respective election.
   b. Voting will last for 72 hours.
   c. The loser is strongly encouraged not to run as an independent, as doing so will result in losing 
        a position in the Politburo, not being allowed to run in primaries or receive the party’s
        endorsement in the subsequent 3 Federal elections.

3. Non Endorsements
   a. If there are not enough Labor Party members running for a given election, we will then endorse
        candidates from other parties, in order for our party to have endorsed the same number of candidates 
        as openings.
   b. Endorsement elections will take place 3 weeks before the respective election.
   c. In order to receive the endorsement of the Labor Party, the candidate from the other party has to 
        declare that he or she wishes to receive or party’s endorsement at least 24 hours before the 
        endorsement election takes place.
   d. Voting will last for 72 hours.

4. Convention Endorsements
   a. Convention endorsements will follow the same procedures as regular endorsements, except it takes
        place during the convention.
   b. The only endorsements decided upon during a convention will be the upcoming Federal Elections for 
        President and Senate.

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The voting booth is officially open and will close in 72 hours.

[Adam Griffin]

One clarification, what are the point of convention endorsements.

Convention endorsements are simply the endorsements that would be handled during each convention. Since conventions are designed to be held every four months in conjunction with the Presidential run - and since regional Senate races fall during this cycle as well - it is basically the time where we make formal endorsements for these races. At-large Senate races, special elections and regional races will be treated as regular endorsement events and not done during any convention.

[Adam Griffin]

One clarification, what are the point of convention endorsements.

I'm thinking we should add primary procedure to the convention as well just in case more then one Labor Party member chooses to run for president or more run for the Senate then spots. Thoughts?  

Since this is our first attempt at setting by-laws, I think it would be a good idea if we opened the floor to suggestions for other by-laws not outlined in the vote above.

The window of suggestion is hereby open until the end of the existing by-law voting period (10/7, 4:35 PM EST). Individuals are responsible for crafting the proposed language. After voting ends on the initial by-law approval, there will be an additional 24 hour period where members will be able to vote on suggested provisions. If a suggested provision is in direct opposition to a by-law that is approved on the first ballot, then it will not be included on the second ballot.

[Adam Griffin]

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X denotes "Aye".

[Adam Griffin]

I should mention that this ballot is not confined to federal election rules and individual line items can be edited prior to the close of the poll.

[Adam Griffin]

With the voting booth closed, all 13 line-item sections of the proposed by-laws hereby pass. With no additional suggestions or amendments proposed by Labor members, these by-laws are hereby adopted.

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[Adam Griffin]

With 12 days to go until the regional Senate elections, we should probably open up the floor for Labor candidates who want to run for office. Anyone who is interested should announce their intentions shortly.

[Adam Griffin]

Is Redalgo running for reelection? I don't think so.

Not to my knowledge.

[Adam Griffin]

Are you guys running anyone in the Northeast Senate Election?

Alfred? Barnes? Bore? Dr Cynic? You guys wanna answer this one?

[Adam Griffin]

Are you guys running anyone in the Northeast Senate Election?

Alfred? Barnes? Bore? Dr Cynic? You guys wanna answer this one?

No one from your party has declared, which is why I requested Labor's endorsement in the previous party thread.

I do remember that now. Since we've had a rather late transition prior to this election, we'll most likely do endorsements in the next couple of days - after we determine who all the candidates will be for each seat.

[Adam Griffin]

I would like to formally open the floor for regional and federal legislative & executive endorsements to be suggested. This period will last for 48 hours. Candidates and Labor members alike may suggest individuals to be considered - in the case of Laborites, individuals running for office in your specific region.

Following this period, we will have a 72 hour endorsement vote for regional legislative and executive endorsements. Pursuant to the by-laws, we will hold the Senate endorsements separately, with an additional 72 hour endorsement vote beginning immediately following the end of the regional endorsement vote.

The time periods for these votes will be outlined in the main post.

I would also like to remind Laborites that candidates only have two days to declare for a regional Senate seat and appear on the ballot. If a candidate misses this window, the only option will be a write-in campaign.

[Adam Griffin]

Redalgo's not running for reelection, so we need someone to hold that seat. Hawk?

Someone should be announcing shortly.

[Adam Griffin]

what is the announcement for?

An announcement (in the candidate declaration thread) that a certain Laborite will be seeking the Midwest Senate seat.

[Adam Griffin]

Kal's not a Laborite. Do we have someone else?

Someone should be announcing shortly.

[Adam Griffin]

Go Julio! Also, what are you doing here, wolfentoad?

Sorry. Didn't know this was open to non laborites... sorry. Just delete my previous posts...

It's fine for people from other parties to post in here, so long as it doesn't dominate the conversation. You're fine.

[Adam Griffin]

The endorsement suggestion period has now ended.

Voting will commence on all non-Senate endorsements - beginning in approximately 45 minutes. This voting will last until 4:00 AM EST on 10/15/12.

Automatic Endorsements:

Alfred F. Jones (LAB-NY) - NE Assembly
Barnes (LAB-RI) - NE Assembly
bore (LAB-RI) - NE Assembly
Adam Griffin (LAB-GA) - IDS Legislature

Voting on Endorsements:

[ ] Scott (LIB-CT) - NE Governor

[Adam Griffin]

Voting on Endorsements:

[X] Scott (LIB-CT) - NE Governor

[Adam Griffin]

Just a little less than 12 hours before this endorsement vote closes. We'll then be moving onto Senate endorsements.

[Adam Griffin]

Gubernatorial candidate Scott receives the endorsement of the Labor Party 10-0.

We will now move on to Senate endorsements. This vote will last 72 hours.

Automatic Endorsements:

Midwest Senator:

[X] JulioMadrid (LAB-SD)

Voting on Endorsements:

Pacific Senator:

[ ] oakvale (TPP-CA)

Northeast Senator:

[ ] Averroës Nix (TPP-NY)

[Adam Griffin]

Voting on Endorsements:

Pacific Senator:

[X] oakvale (TPP-CA)

Northeast Senator:

[X] Averroës Nix (TPP-NY)

[Adam Griffin]

Averroës Nix and oakvale both receive the endorsement of the Labor Party, 10-0.

[Adam Griffin]

The voting booth for the October 2012 General Election is now open.

[Adam Griffin]

Hey comrades. Time for a little debrief of the elections. We had a solid showing in the Presidential race, where our 3 candidates made it to the last round. The South is now our stronghold, where Snowdalgo hit 65 % (!!!), hitting also a sweet 40 % in the Mideast. We only got a quarter of the votes in the other three regions, but we have otherwise no real weak spot.

However, we lost a Northeast MP, and failed to gain the one we hoped for in the South, even if it was a bit of a longshot. With our voter registration soaring in the South though, I think one of our main goals should be to get the most out of our positions in the South. There is an upcoming election as Speaker of our IDS Legislature, and SJoyceFla declared. I liked Jbrase, but SJoyceFla is much more complicated to work with, and I fear a little when he'll have the hand on the Assembly's agenda... We have 2 Bloc MPs, 2 Labor, and Duke. I just saw this instant that Griffin declared as well. So we'll have to seduce Duke to have the seat. I don't know Adam if you really want this office hard or if it's just in order to give SJoyceFla an opponent, but if it's explained to me by previous holders I would be ready to run for Speaker myself.

I'll let our comrades from other Regions do their own debrief.

Excellent analysis, Zanas. Here's a (brief) outline of what Speaker does in the IDS Legislature:

https://uselectionatlas.org/AFEWIKI/index.php/Imperial_Legislature
https://uselectionatlas.org/AFEWIKI/index.php/Southeast_Speaker_of_The_House

The Northeast is now TPP-controlled . I might consider moving to the Pacific or Midwest eventually, to pick up activity. Especially the Pacific.

Hold down the fort as Speaker while you can!

I'd also like to congratulate JulioMadrid, Barnes, Alfred (and myself?) for either holding onto their seats or in Julio's case, becoming a newly-elected Senator. I'd also like to thank bore for running a strong campaign; you should have won a seat! No doubt with all the realignment afoot, there was bound to be an upset here and there. I'm sure you'll either return to the Assembly or move on to bigger and better things at some point in the future.

[Adam Griffin]

I believe it's time to start working on the party platform. Vice Chair Marokai Blue and two appointed party members will make up the platform committee.    

I agree. While another (or the same) platform will need to be adopted at the convention in February, we need to have an established platform in preparation for the convention.