cinyc for Lincoln Senator

[cinyc]

That time of year is upon us again - another Lincoln election season where nobody has stepped up to give the voters a choice against an entrenched incumbent because they think they have no chance of winning.

I am announcing that I will run against Senator R2D2 in the Lincoln Senate election. Am I going to lose? Probably. But every election should be contested, lest voters who dissent from the incumbent's policies literally have no choice but to abstain.

My platform is fairly simple - I want to limit Nyman's power and devolve it back to Lincoln and the people of Lincoln, wherever possible. I want Nyman to tax less and spend less. And I want Nyman to cut or simplify job-killing regulations.

I'd be happy to answer any questions.

[cinyc]

Thank you for your endorsements.

Senator R2D2 - thank you for graciously accepting the challenge. I promise to have a good, fair election campaign with no mudslinging or ill will.

[cinyc]

It is now election weekend. I urge all Lincoln citizens to vote in both the federal and Lincoln elections. Your opinion matters.

I’m waiting for clarification of the proposed federal Constitutional amendment before casting my ballot. If elected to the Senate, I will introduce legislation requiring the drafters of proposed constitutional amendments to state the original rule and the reasons for the proposed change in information that will ultimately be given to the public. Congressional opponents will be able to draft statements, too.

Too often, we vote on proposed constitutional amendments without full knowledge of the reasons to vote for or against them.

[cinyc]

That time of year is upon us again - another Lincoln election season where nobody has stepped up to give the voters a choice against an entrenched incumbent because they think they have no chance of winning.

I am announcing that I will run against Senator R2D2 in the Lincoln Senate election. Am I going to lose? Probably. But every election should be contested, lest voters who dissent from the incumbent's policies literally have no choice but to abstain.

My platform is fairly simple - I want to limit Nyman's power and devolve it back to Lincoln and the people of Lincoln, wherever possible. I want Nyman to tax less and spend less. And I want Nyman to cut or simplify job-killing regulations.

I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Congratulations on you’re upset win.

It's nowhere close to over yet. The polls are still open for another 2 1/2 hours or so, and there's a question about whether one of the votes is invalid, which would otherwise make the vote a tie.

I'm not declaring victory. I am asking all of my supporters who have yet to go to the polls to go out and vote. There's still time, and every vote counts.

[cinyc]

Only 40 minutes till the vote is over you’re still up by 1 vote.
Is there anyone you want me to message to get that last vote?

There are about 90 minutes left in the election as of right now (elections are held on Eastern Standard Time, not Daylight Time). And I'm not necessarily up by 1 vote -Senator R2D2 forgot to vote for himself when he cast his first official ballot - and then voted for himself in another post. Whether the second vote is valid is in dispute. It's not counted in the unofficial tally (and, in my opinion, shouldn't be counted, as you don't get a second chance to go into a voting booth in the real world) - but might be by the Lt. Governor.

Thank for the offer, but there's no need to PM anyone.

[cinyc]

It’s now tied someone voted for R2

Again, only if Senator R2D2's vote isn't counted.

There are 90 minutes left, but I'm pretty sure I know how this will end. You're not going to be happy about it.

[cinyc]

Wait so are you up by 1 still because
Bacon voted for R2

No. The race is either tied or Senator R2D2 is up by 1, if his late vote for himself is counted.

[cinyc]

The Lincoln polls have now closed. I would like to thank everyone who voted - whether they supported me or my esteemed opponent.

We now must wait for Lt. Governor kyc0705 to certify the results. It appears that the election will either result in a tie or a win for Senator R2D2, depending on how Senator R2D2's late Senate vote is counted. Either way, this isn't the result I expected (I expected to lose big). I trust Lt. Governor kyc0705 will certify the results after faithfully consulting the relevant Lincoln law - if there is any.

If there's a tie, and no relevant Lincoln laws on ties, perhaps Senator R2D2 and I can come to some agreement on how to break it. Assuming there is no Lincoln law on ties - and my cursory research hasn't found any - I urge the Lincoln Assembly to come up with a tiebreaker rule in their next session - probably as a constitutional amendment. Obviously, it can't apply retroactively, but Lincoln should have clear rules on how to break future ties.

Thank you.

[cinyc]

The rules of Lincoln are based on the federal rules if I recall correctly.

That was true under the last Northeastern constitution and its constituent electoral act, but I don’t think there’s anything in the new constitution specifying federal rules apply to anything but voter eligibility. Am I missing something?

It also doesn’t appear that the First or any subsequent Assemblies passed any election or tie-breaker laws.

[cinyc]

The rules of Lincoln are based on the federal rules if I recall correctly.

That was true under the last Northeastern constitution and its constituent electoral act, but I don’t think there’s anything in the new constitution specifying federal rules apply to anything but voter eligibility. Am I missing something?

It also doesn’t appear that the First or any subsequent Assemblies passed any election or tie-breaker laws.

Oh?
There isn't a line in the Lincoln constitution saying "All eligible to the fed election can vote in Lincoln elections." ?

There sort of is. Article V, Section I says “The right to vote in all elections and referendums called according to the provisions of this Constitution shall be exclusive to those persons being eligible to vote in elections for President of the Republic of Atlasia who have been registered to vote in one of the states of this Region for a period of at least seven (7) days prior to the commencement of the election.”

It doesn’t say that the federal tie-breaking or electoral rules apply, though. For example, Section 8 specifies that “All elections shall be by single transferable vote, unless otherwise specified by law.” - which might currently be the federal standard, but needn’t be in the future. The old Northeast electoral law or constitution (I forget which) used to specify STV as defined by the federal electoral act. The new constitution doesn’t.

I think we expected the First Lincoln Assembly to vote on the nuts and bolts of electoral rules when we framed the Lincoln constitution. They didn’t.

[cinyc]

The rules of Lincoln are based on the federal rules if I recall correctly.

That was true under the last Northeastern constitution and its constituent electoral act, but I don’t think there’s anything in the new constitution specifying federal rules apply to anything but voter eligibility. Am I missing something?

It also doesn’t appear that the First or any subsequent Assemblies passed any election or tie-breaker laws.

Oh?
There isn't a line in the Lincoln constitution saying "All eligible to the fed election can vote in Lincoln elections." ?

There sort of is. Article V, Section I says “The right to vote in all elections and referendums called according to the provisions of this Constitution shall be exclusive to those persons being eligible to vote in elections for President of the Republic of Atlasia who have been registered to vote in one of the states of this Region for a period of at least seven (7) days prior to the commencement of the election.”

It doesn’t say that the federal tie-breaking or electoral rules apply, though. For example, Section 8 specifies that “All elections shall be by single transferable vote, unless otherwise specified by law.” - which might currently be the federal standard, but needn’t be in the future. The old Northeast electoral law or constitution (I forget which) used to specify STV as defined by the federal electoral act. The new constitution doesn’t.

I think we expected the First Lincoln Assembly to vote on the nuts and bolts of electoral rules when we framed the Lincoln constitution. They didn’t.

Wait,
So there is no rules in Lincoln

Only what’s specified in the constitution - Senate elections at regular intervals in the months defined by the Atlasian Constitution, Gubernatorial and Assembly elections on specified dates, STV for all elections, federal eligibility plus 7 days in the region (which is redundant, since the feds also require that, IIRC), and “Voters shall be permitted to edit their ballots until 20 minutes after posting them in the voting booth. No voter shall edit their ballot after the official end of the voting period.”

There is nothing fleshing these rules out, including a tiebreaker rule.

[cinyc]

Please allow me to congratulate you, cinyc (even if the winner hasn't yet been determined), that was one hell of an impressive campaign and result.

Thank you! Congratulations on your impressive campaign, too! It’s very rare for an Independent to come in second place in a national campaign.

[cinyc]

Congratulations it’s a tie Senator R2 D2’s vote is disqualified.

A tie is nothing to be excited about, given that there is no tie-breaking rule. It is probably the worst-case scenario - an election with no clear winner. Lincoln can’t afford more uncertainty.

I will not make any further comment, pending any legal action.

[cinyc]

Statement on pending litigation-

I don't blame Senator R2D2 for bringing a lawsuit to have his late second vote counted. That is his right, and I probably would have sued to invalidate Senator R2D2's vote had it been counted by the Lt. Governor.

I assume that I will not be sued directly, as the invalidation decision was not mine. Nevertheless, I expect to file an amicus brief on Lincoln's behalf should the court decide to take this case and allow me to do so.

[cinyc]

So, it seems to me that — unless the court sides with R2D2 in the impending lawsuit — there will be no elected Class I senator for Lincoln on November 3. In that event, the Constitution states that the governor must call a special election, and may in the meantime appoint a temporary replacement; so in that sense, the constitutional response to a tied election (if the tie is upheld) would indeed be to hold a second vote.

That’s my reading of the Lincoln constitution, too. Unless Senator R2D2 and I agree to something else.

It wouldn’t necessarily be a rematch, as others could run in the special election.

[cinyc]

I confirm that pursuant to the new legislation passed by the Lincoln Assembly, Senator R2D2 and I have agreed to spilt the Senate term, with me serving second. This will avoid unnecessary litigation and the possible cost and expense of holding a special election.

I would like to thank Senator R2D2 for being so reasonable in negotiating this matter, and would like to thank my supporters for making this possible.

Serving second is actually a blessing in disguise. I’ve always been a regional officer in this game. The two-month lag will allow me to get up to speed on the going on and processes of Nyman.

I will be opening an office soon. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me there or by PM.

Once again, thank you for your support and Dave Bless Atlasia!