DA April National Convention - Welcome to Philadelphia, PA

[GM Team Member and Deputy PPT WB]

Wow this is late. Sorry all, I've been busy.


Independence National Historical Park INDE0004 b
National Park Service Digital Image Archives, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Delegates, sign in!

Due to the lateness of this opening, I'm going to open the endorsement requests now.

[NewYorkExpress]

Seeking a formal endorsement for the DA's slate to the Lincoln General Court.

I'd like to believe my viewpoints are closer to those in DA than those in either major party.

[GM Team Member and Deputy PPT WB]

x wb

[ZMUN M441]

x ZMUN M441

[Sirius_]

x Sirius

[Utah Neolib]

x Utah Neolib

[Oleg 🇰🇿🤝🇺🇦]

x Oleg

[NewYorkExpress]

Am also seeking the DA's endorsement on their slate for At-Large Senate.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Seeking the DA endorsement for at large senate

[GM Team Member and Deputy PPT WB]

last chance to ask for endorsements.

I'll also open the floor to objections to automatic endorsements of the following:

Oleg for Lincoln Gov
WB for LGC
ASV for Fremont Parliament
TSA for At-large Senate
UNL for Great Lakes Senate

[Senator Spiral]

I shall also jump in on an endorsement request.

[Devout Centrist]

I would like to request the DA’s endorsement. Thanks!

[Pyro]

Speaking as an advocate for fair public policy and as a member of the DA affiliate Atlasian Future Party, I'd like to kindly request an endorsement for my election to the Senate.

[GM Team Member and Deputy PPT WB]

Meant to post the bylaws and platform earlier:

Democratic Alliance Bylaws

Article 1. Membership and Voting

Section 1. Registration

All voters registered under “Democratic Alliance” or “Democratic Alliance Party” shall be considered full members of this party, unless they have been expelled via the procedures detailed in Article 1, Section 5.

Section 2. Voting

All voters registered under “Democratic Alliance” or “Democratic Alliance Party” shall have any vote cast of theirs in the convention counted, unless they have been expelled via the procedures detailed in Article 1, Section 5..

Section 3. Instant-runoff Voting

In votes using instant-runoff voting, an “X” shall count as the highest and only preference, and ties shall be broken through either which ballot choice got the most first preferences, or through a runoff in the event of tied first preferences, unless in the case of a leadership election, if one candidate concedes by posting in the convention thread.

Section 4. Vote Abstentions

Abstain votes are not counted in the vote totals or percentage requirement for any election.

Section 5. Expulsion
1. Members whose actions are judged inappropriate or unbecoming of the Party may be subject to expulsion, initiated by a motion consisting of two (2) Party Members.

2. A simple majority of those Party Members voting in favor of expulsion shall be sufficient to expel a Member, assuming the total number of Members voting in favor of and against expulsion is at least one-quarter (25%) of the Party's Membership.

Article 2. Conventions

Section 1. Schedule

The Democratic Alliance Convention shall take place in the months of February, April, June, August, October, and December, beginning on the first day of such month, and closed on the last day of the month following such month.

Section 2. Location

The Democratic Alliance Convention shall take place in a nominated city in the Region of Fremont in the months of February and August, the Region of Lincoln in the months of April and October, and the Region of the South in the months of June and December.

Section 3. Business

Each Democratic Alliance Convention shall have the following business: voting on party bylaws and platform amendments, voting on party endorsements, nominating the city for the next convention, and electing party officers.

Section 4. Location Nomination Process

The city for the next Democratic Alliance Convention shall be nominated during the last week of the convention as follows: party members shall have 48 hours to nominate one or more cities of their choice, all nominated cities located in the region as determined in Article 1, Section 2 shall be put on a ballot, and party members shall have 48 hours to vote to determine the nominated city through instant-runoff voting.

Article 3. Officers

Section 1. Officer Structure

The Democratic Alliance Convention shall have an elected Chair and Vice Chair, with other roles appointed at the discretion of the Chair.

Section 2. Officer Elections

The Democratic Alliance Convention shall hold an election for Chair and Vice Chair during the second to last week of the conventions that start in the months of April, August, and December as follows: party members shall have 48 hours to nominate one or more members of their choice for either of the positions, all nominated members shall be put on a ballot, and party members shall have 48 hours to vote to elect the Chair and Vice Chair through instant-runoff voting.

Section 3. Chair Powers

The Democratic Alliance Convention Chair shall be the official leader of the party, manage the convention and any votes that take place, and create additional positions as they see fit and appoint party members to them.

Section 4. Vice Chair Powers

The Democratic Alliance Convention Vice Chair shall temporarily assume the powers of the Chair in the case of the Chair’s absence for 48 hours during party business, a leave of absence, or resignation, until they return; the Vice Chair shall become the Chair if the current Chair is absent for more than 168 hours during party business without a posted leave of absence, or if the Chair resigns.

Article 4. Endorsements

Section 1. Automatic Endorsements

A Democratic Alliance candidate/ticket running for an office shall be automatically endorsed, unless there is an objection raised by a party member against such endorsement, if they are the only candidate/ticket running in a single-seat election, or if the number of Democratic Alliance candidates running is equal to or less than the number of seats needed to hold a majority in such legislature in a multi-seat election.

Section 2. Endorsements of Candidates From Other Parties

A candidate who is not a member of Democratic Alliance may request an endorsement for an upcoming election that is taking place no more than 30 days later.

Section 3. Endorsement Vote Schedule

All endorsement votes shall begin 3 weeks before such election is scheduled to take place; in the case no Democratic Alliance candidate/ticket running for an office, the endorsement vote for such office shall be held 1 week before such election is scheduled to take place.

Section 4. Endorsement Vote Process

If two or more Democratic Alliance candidates/tickets running in the same single-seat election, if the number of Democratic Alliance candidates running greater than the number of seats needed to hold a majority in such legislature in a multi-seat election, or if an objection was raised by a party member against an automatic endorsement of a Democratic Alliance candidate/ticket, a primary hall be held as follows: the applicable candidates for each office should each be put on a ballot, and party members shall have 48 hours to vote to determine which candidate or candidates shall receive full support in the election from the party through instant-runoff voting; a Democratic Alliance candidate/ticket needs a simple majority of support, and a non-party candidate needs a 60% majority of support to be endorsed, unless there is no Democratic Alliance candidate/ticket running for such office, where in such case a non-party candidate only needs a simple majority of support to be endorsed.

Article 5. Platform and Amendments

Section 1. Platform Adoption

Democratic Alliance shall adopt a platform at the beginning of each convention with input from party members, using the amendment process described in Section 3 of this Article.

Section 2. Amendment Proposals

Any party member may propose an amendment to the party bylaws or platform.

Section 3. Amendment Process

Amendments to the party bylaws or platform shall happen as follows: party members shall have 24 hours to object to a proposed amendment; if there are no objections, the amendment shall be adopted; otherwise, if there is an objection, a vote lasting 48 hours shall be held on whether to adopt or reject the amendment, requiring a simple majority to pass.

Democratic Alliance Platform
I.) Economic Policy

1.) Democratic Alliance is a firm believer in capitalism with regulations necessary to protect consumers and ensure fair business practices.

2.) Democratic Alliance supports a progressive tax system that promotes financial equity. Tax loopholes need to be closed so that no person can avoid paying the taxes they are supposed to. At the same time, the tax system should be made easier to understand and more efficient.

3.) Welfare and social programs must be protected from harmful funding cuts.

4.) We believe strong stimulus measures are needed in times of economic recession or hardship.

5.) Expand trade agreements with countries that share Atlasia's values of liberal democracy, strong workers' rights, and environmental protection.

6.) The enforcement of anti-monopoly laws should be strengthened and the government should prevent large corporate mergers that are harmful to the consumer.

7.) Immediately expand assistance programs for struggling businesses and start-up businesses, with emphasis on small businesses and non-corporate farms.

8.) Rural areas of Atlasia continue to be lacking in basic social services such as healthcare and education. We support increasing investments in rural development programs and providing subsidies and relief to ensure that all citizens have access to this.

9.) Investment in infrastructure development and maintenance to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure will create jobs and modernize Atlasia.

10.) Increase investments into programs that help communities suffering from economic decline to rebound.

11.) We support the establishment of an affordable public option for healthcare, that any Atlasian may choose to buy into.
II.) Foreign Policy

1.) The Democratic Alliance recognizes Atlasia has a role to play in the security of countries around the world, however, Atlasia should choose pacifism over bloodshed whenever possible through the use of diplomacy and avoid foreign and regime-change wars costly in both lives and resources.

2.) The Democratic Alliance actively promotes Atlasian values of liberal democracy, free and fair markets and elections.

3.) The Democratic Alliance maintains that the nation should stand firmly with our allies, however, will not turn a blind eye to those who commit major offenses against human rights or international law.

4.) Atlasia should expand its partnerships with fellow democratic nations and create competitive incentives for nations to democratize and cooperate with the greater democratic community.

5.) Atlasia should implement a major economic support program for developing countries to improve living conditions throughout the world, promote democracy, and build new alliances.
III.) Social Issues

1.)The Democratic Alliance fully stands behind the solemn existence of the state of Atlasia. All who attempt to insurect or abolish the government of our nation deserve to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

2.) Our nation’s democracy is sacred, the right to vote should be protected and violated under no circumstance.

3.) The Democratic Alliance believes in the constitutional right to own firearms and supports responsible gun ownership for uses of self-defense and sport alongside reasonable measures to prevent gun violence such as comprehensive background checks and reformed sentencing laws for gun-related crimes.

4.) Abortion should be safe, legal, and rare. The right to have access to abortion services should not be restricted to women during their first 20 weeks of pregnancy. All Atlasians should also have the right to readily available and accessible contraception and reproductive health care.

5.) Every Atlasian deserves equal rights and treatment, regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. The Democratic Alliance believes in protecting the civil rights of each and every one of our citizens.

6.) All children have the right to a thorough and secular public education. We support the establishment of a quality 21st-century curriculum, classroom innovation, flexibility for students’ learning needs, and higher quality and better-paid teachers. Furthermore, we oppose reactionary efforts to prevent diversity in teaching, stop discussion of social issues, prevent the teaching of scientific consensus, limit access to age-appropriate reading material, and undermine sexual education, as these efforts stand in the way of a complete education.

7.) The Democratic Alliance believes that drug abuse should be treated as a health issue, and thus supports the decriminalization of the purchase, possession, and use of drugs for Atlasian adults. The party also supports the establishment and maintenance of addiction support centers for those who need to get clean and avoid endangering themselves or others.
IV.) Environmental Policy

1.) The Democratic Alliance views global warming as an existential threat to humanity, and believes actions must be taken to reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses. This includes investment in clean energy development and production, especially in areas with economies based around fossil fuels.

2.) By incentivizing private businesses, Atlasia can continue to innovate and develop more green infrastructure and technologies, and create good-paying jobs.

3.) Protecting public lands and waters, and the wildlife that live in them is important for the future of Atlasia. Balancing development with these goals will be key to ensuring our environment will be protected for future generations.

4.) The Democratic Alliance supports expanding high-speed rail systems and continual expansion of access to public transportation and reducing our carbon footprint. The party supports passing a variation of the High-Speed Rail Act of 2018.


V.) Other

1.) Democratic Alliance is a unionist party. We oppose any attempt of regional or state secession.

[GM Team Member and Deputy PPT WB]

Without hearing objections, all DA candidates are auto-endorsed.

48 hours to vote on these requested endorsements:

For at-large Senate
Devout Centrist (LAB) [ ]
Lakigigar (PAX) [ ]
NewYorkExpress (PAX) [ ]
Spiral (PAX) [ ]
Write in [ ]
No endorsement [ ]

For Northeast Senate
PyroTheFox (LAB) [ ]
Write in [ ]
No endorsement [ ]

For Lincoln General Court
NewYorkExpress (PAX) [ ]
Write in [ ]
No endorsement [ ]

[ZMUN M441]

For at-large Senate
Devout Centrist (LAB) [✓]
Lakigigar (PAX) [✓]
NewYorkExpress (PAX) [ ]
Spiral (PAX) [✓]
Write in [ ]
No endorsement [ ]

For Northeast Senate
PyroTheFox (LAB) [✓]
Write in [ ]
No endorsement [ ]

For Lincoln General Court
NewYorkExpress (PAX) [ ]
Write in [ ]
No endorsement [✓]

[West_Midlander]

My apologies for being so late. I would like to stand as a write-in candidate for the DA nomination if the honorable delegates would be so kind as to consider my bid.

[GM Team Member and Deputy PPT WB]

For at-large Senate
Devout Centrist (LAB) [ ]
Lakigigar (PAX) [ ]
NewYorkExpress (PAX) [ ✓ ]
Spiral (PAX) [ ✓ ]
Write in [ ]
No endorsement [ ]

For Northeast Senate
PyroTheFox (LAB) [ ✓ ]
Write in [ ]
No endorsement [ ]

For Lincoln General Court
NewYorkExpress (PAX) [ ✓ ]
Write in [ ]
No endorsement [ ]

[Sirius_]

For at-large Senate
Devout Centrist (LAB) [ ]
Lakigigar (PAX) [ ]
NewYorkExpress (PAX) [X]
Spiral (PAX) [X]
Write in: West_Midlander [X]
No endorsement [ ]

For Northeast Senate
PyroTheFox (LAB) [X]
Write in [ ]
No endorsement [ ]

For Lincoln General Court
NewYorkExpress (PAX) [X]
Write in [ ]
No endorsement [ ]

[Utah Neolib]

For at-large Senate
Devout Centrist (LAB) [ ]
Lakigigar (PAX) [ ]
NewYorkExpress (PAX) [X]
Spiral (PAX) [X]
Write in: West_Midlander [X]
No endorsement [ ]

For Northeast Senate
PyroTheFox (LAB) [X]
Write in [ ]
No endorsement [ ]

For Lincoln General Court
NewYorkExpress (PAX) [X]
Write in [ ]
No endorsement [ ]

[GM Team Member and Deputy PPT WB]

Spiral, NYE, and WM are endorsed for at-large senate.

Pyro is endorsed for NE Senate.

NYE is endorsed for LGC.

[West_Midlander]

Thank you, folks! I appreciate it!

[Sirius_]

I propose that we adopt the following special resolution:

We hereby resolve that the official ideology of Democratic Alliance shall be Atlasian Humanism, which shall be defined by the following guiding principles:
1. Liberal Democracy: The state must be organized through a liberal democratic framework, in which the people are free to elect their own representatives and civil rights are guaranteed. The state must not use its authority for any purpose except for the benefit of humanity.
2. Social Market Economy: We support a market-based economic system, however the market should exist to enrich society as a whole rather than only benefiting a few. This shall be accomplished through re-distributive welfare, worker protections, and anti-trust laws.
3. Human Welfare: The state should promote the general well being of its populace, by ensuring that all of its citizens have access to adequate healthcare, education, and housing, by ensuring public safety, by protecting workers and consumers, by investing in public infrastructure, and by providing a safety net for those in unfortunate circumstances. Atlasia should also promote the well being of the global populace by providing foreign aid, cooperating with fellow democracies, and promoting democracy in the world.
4. Environmental Welfare: We must take action to protect the environment which we live in, by eliminating carbon emissions to the greatest extent possible, and capturing carbon from the atmosphere, by ensuring that excessive pollutants do not enter the environment, by minimizing environmental degradation where possible, and by preventing human-caused extinction. We reject the notion that human living standards must be sacrificed to protect the environment.
5. Promoting Science and Technology: In order to improve our knowledge and living standards, we must further humanity's scientific progress. The state should accommodate this by providing funding to research institutions, facilitating the education of researchers and engineers, and expanding the scope of our space exploration.

I also propose the following platform amendments:

Democratic Alliance Platform
I.) Economic Policy

1.) Democratic Alliance is a firm believer in capitalism the social market economic system, supported by the with regulations necessary to protect consumers and ensure fair business practices.

2.) Democratic Alliance supports a progressive tax system that promotes financial equity. Tax loopholes need to be closed so that no person can avoid paying the taxes they are supposed to. At the same time, the tax system should be made easier to understand and more efficient.

3.) Welfare and social programs must be protected from harmful funding cuts.

4.) We believe strong stimulus measures are needed in times of economic recession or hardship.

5.) Expand trade agreements with countries that share Atlasia's values of liberal democracy, strong workers' rights, and environmental protection.

6.) The enforcement of anti-monopoly laws should be strengthened and the government should prevent large corporate mergers that are harmful to the consumer.

7.) Immediately expand assistance programs for struggling businesses and start-up businesses, with emphasis on small businesses and non-corporate farms.

8.) Rural areas of Atlasia continue to be lacking in basic social services such as healthcare and education. We support increasing investments in rural development programs and providing subsidies and relief to ensure that all citizens have access to this.

9.) Investment in infrastructure development and maintenance to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure will create jobs and modernize Atlasia, including major upgrades to the conventional rail network and fully electrified public transportation.

10.) Increase investments into programs that help communities suffering from economic decline to rebound.

11.) We support the establishment of an affordable public option for healthcare, that any Atlasian may choose to buy into.

12.) We support the levying of a tax on the value of land.

13.) We must address the high price of housing in many parts of Atlasia by removing unnecessary barriers to housing construction and investing in social housing and homeless shelters.
II.) Foreign Policy

1.) The Democratic Alliance recognizes Atlasia has a role to play in the security of countries around the world, however, Atlasia should choose pacifism over bloodshed whenever possible through the use of diplomacy and avoid foreign and regime-change wars costly in both lives and resources.

2.) The Democratic Alliance actively promotes Atlasian values of liberal democracy, free and fair markets and elections.

3.) The Democratic Alliance maintains that the nation should stand firmly with our allies, however, will not turn a blind eye to those who commit major offenses against human rights or international law.

4.) Atlasia should expand its partnerships with fellow democratic nations and create competitive incentives for nations to democratize and cooperate with the greater democratic community.

5.) Atlasia should implement a major economic support program for developing countries to improve living conditions throughout the world, promote democracy, and build new alliances.
III.) Social Issues

1.)The Democratic Alliance fully stands behind the solemn existence of the state of Atlasia. All who attempt to insurect or abolish the government of our nation deserve to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

2.) Our nation’s democracy is sacred, the right to vote should be protected and violated under no circumstance.

3.) The Democratic Alliance believes in the constitutional right to own firearms and supports responsible gun ownership for uses of self-defense and sport alongside reasonable measures to prevent gun violence such as comprehensive background checks and reformed sentencing laws for gun-related crimes.

4.) Abortion should be safe, legal, and rare. The right to have access to abortion services should not be restricted to women during their first 20 weeks of pregnancy. All Atlasians should also have the right to readily available and accessible contraception and reproductive health care.

5.) Every Atlasian deserves equal rights and treatment, regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. The Democratic Alliance believes in protecting the civil rights of each and every one of our citizens.

6.) All children have the right to a thorough and secular public education. We support the establishment of a quality 21st-century curriculum, classroom innovation, flexibility for students’ learning needs, and higher quality and better-paid teachers. Furthermore, we oppose reactionary efforts to prevent diversity in teaching, stop discussion of social issues, prevent the teaching of scientific consensus, limit access to age-appropriate reading material, and undermine sexual education, as these efforts stand in the way of a complete education.

7.) The Democratic Alliance believes that drug abuse should be treated as a health issue, and thus supports the decriminalization of the purchase, possession, and use of drugs for Atlasian adults. The party also supports the establishment and maintenance of addiction support centers for those who need to get clean and avoid endangering themselves or others.
IV.) Environmental Policy

1.) The Democratic Alliance views global warming as an existential threat to humanity, and believes actions must be taken to reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses. This includes investment in clean energy development and production, especially in areas with economies based around fossil fuels.

2.) By incentivizing private businesses, Atlasia can continue to innovate and develop more green infrastructure and technologies, and create good-paying jobs.

3.) Protecting public lands and waters, and the wildlife that live in them is important for the future of Atlasia. Balancing development with these goals will be key to ensuring our environment will be protected for future generations.

4.) The Democratic Alliance supports expanding high-speed rail systems and continual expansion of access to public transportation and reducing our carbon footprint. The party supports passing a variation of the High-Speed Rail Act of 2018.

5.) We believe that nuclear power is a legitimate source of clean energy, and should be used in conjunction with other clean energy sources.

6.) We must de-carbonize commuting through the expansion of sidewalks, bike infrastructure, and electrified public transportation, and by incentivizing electric vehicles.

7.) We support regulations to prevent the contamination of the environment by dangerous substances and increasing support to communities affected by environmental damage.

V.) Science and Technology

1.) We believe that continued advances in science, technology, and medicine are necessary to better our understanding of the world we live in and to better improve overall living standards.

2.) We support increasing government funding for research.

3.) We support programs to encourage young people with an interest in scientific field to enter those fields, and we should improve education in those fields, with the understanding that other fields of study should not be neglected.

4.) We support space exploration, and increasing funding to NASA. It should be a national priority to land humans on Mars. The potential use for resources found in the solar system should be further researched.

5.) Research involving embryonic stem cells should not be unduly restricted.

VI.) Other

1.) Democratic Alliance is a unionist party. We oppose any attempt of regional or state secession.

[GM Team Member and Deputy PPT WB]

Any objections to the changes?

[GM Team Member and Deputy PPT WB]

Hearing no objections, the resolution and platform amendments are approved.

Now we move on to leadership. I will stand for another term as chair.