*CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION*

[Platypus]

msn is my significant preference

[Platypus]

demRepDans seems better to me, but hey.

One change to both: Senatorial elections should be every fortnight. It gives us something to do. For example in a four month cycle:

weekend 1: Presidential election
weekend 3: senatorial region 1, senator A
weekend 5: senatorial region 2, senator A
7: 3, A
9: 4, A
11: 5, A
13: 1, B
15: 2, B
17: 3, B
19: 4, B
21: 5, B

There is about 22 weeks in 4 months, IIRC, ao the equivalent of weekend 23 would be weekend 1-the Presidential election.

I've played political sims before, and to be honest, there really isn't that much to do between electon, so if we have them often it will keep interest up.

people can apply to be 'caretaker' senators until the election for that seat.

I'm happy with everything else, but I really think that positions (and how they are attained) is very important. I like DemRepDan's idea for the house, but I think that the houseshould only be created once the senate is full.

[Platypus]

One other thing-if, at it looks like will happen, we are going to have a three party system, i suggest we have preferential voting.

Clause X: All elections shall run using the preferential (or alternate) voting system. Voters shall list their preferences for the seat, presidency or other position by ranking them 1,2,3 etc. until all candidates have recieved the voter's preferences. The candidate with the least first round preferences will be eliminated, and all the votes that preferenced that candidate shall be divided into the remaining candidates by second preferences of the voter. This shall continue until one candidate has over 50% of the vote. in the event of a tie, the candidate who recieved the most first-round votes shall be elected.

[Platypus]

The system works really well in Australia and New Zealand, and also in the other politics sim I play it. If we are going to have three viable candidates for president (and who knows, we might have more in the future, I don't think we'll remain like the current US system, things will change), we need to have a fair method of election. If 40% of the voters like one candidates, but 60% would prefer the other, how is it fair that the one with 40% is elected (the 60% being split 30-30, just say)

The game will evolve into something that isn't just a Republicans v. Democrats game. It wuill become more international, as Europeans, and indeed, Australians and New Zealanders become interested in the US election. This is the atlas forum, and as such it should represent the whole world. It will become even more international then it lready is, and we need to have a system that allows for new parties, as well as the Democrats and Republicans. A preferential system allows small parties to get some votes, and keeps them intact.

I have a compromize, that is OK, but I still don't love it: the presidential and senatorial elections are first past the post voting, and the house is preferential by party list-ie, every party submits a list of candidates, and voters vote for a party by preferences.

[Platypus]

demRepDans seems better to me, but hey.

One change to both: Senatorial elections should be every fortnight. It gives us something to do. For example in a four month cycle:

weekend 1: Presidential election
weekend 3: senatorial region 1, senator A
weekend 5: senatorial region 2, senator A
7: 3, A
9: 4, A
11: 5, A
13: 1, B
15: 2, B
17: 3, B
19: 4, B
21: 5, B

There is about 22 weeks in 4 months, IIRC, ao the equivalent of weekend 23 would be weekend 1-the Presidential election.

I've played political sims before, and to be honest, there really isn't that much to do between electon, so if we have them often it will keep interest up.

people can apply to be 'caretaker' senators until the election for that seat.

I'm happy with everything else, but I really think that positions (and how they are attained) is very important. I like DemRepDan's idea for the house, but I think that the houseshould only be created once the senate is full.

That is WAY too often.  Maybe Senate elections every 2 months.  Not every two weeks.

What are we going to do in the meantime?

Remember its only one election every two weeks, so it won't take over everything, but as this forum states, its for Fantasy Elections...there just isn't that much to do between them, unless we create an events writer, who writes good, bad and humoress events for the government to respond to, Ie, the atlas forum has been invaded by holidaying gays and lesbians, who want to take advantage of the fact that our marriage laws do not state gender in them (just say). The senate now has to draft legislation to either 1) Band gay marriage 2) Allow gay marriage, but only between two Atlas citizens, 3) Leave the situation as is, 4)whatever...

Truly, until we did this, it was terribly borin. We had full elections (inc. president) every two months; we had a 12-member parliament, we had ministers (it was a Swedish forum, in english), etc., and it was still tedious until we created more elections and introduced events

In three months dont come running to me when youre all bored is all i can say ;p

[Platypus]

we did that during the presidential election, and it won't change.

We need to have something happening all the time, wheher its the elections or fantasy events, or even real events that we draft.

Also Dan, do you ever wonder why the rest of the world thinks we are arrogant?

This is the Atlas Fantasy Elections folder, not the American fantasy elections folder. Sure, we should focus on the US system, it is a great one, but if something from the ROTW works, why not use it? American democtracy isn't perfect, neither is Australia's, but they have a better system of counting votes for sure.

Either way, I think i'm going to lose that vote, so I will concede that the population wants unrepresentative democracy-fine.

But having elections only every 2 months is a BIG mistake, trust me. We at least need events, minimum. I'm happy to be the event writer, excluding me from a position in the government, because I feel so strongly about the need for it.

[Platypus]

wow, a fellow preferential voting voter-hallelujah!

I'm still willing to let that vote go ahead, btw. See what the public thinks-although as I said the anti-Preferentials will prolly win.

Hope about every four weeks instead of every fortnight, at least? trust me, by the time we reach the month it will have felt like a long time.

[Platypus]

Me likey. Put DC in there also so we can actually have 10 state regions, and call that region the "Soon-to-be-states region"

DC statehood! wOOt!

[Platypus]

If we are having 10 state regions, thats impossible.

[Platypus]

I did a map a few weeks ago of EVs, but they werein 10 regions not five.

[Platypus]

Equal EV Regions:

[Platypus]

10-state regions proposal #3984756230

[Platypus]

Well, there are about a million proposals, so I suggest if everyone who wants to proposes a map, presuming we have 5 regions, in a thread I'll create, we can put up a poll with the best 5-6.

Max. 3 maps per person, and only 1 of the person's three will be in the poll?

[Platypus]

I personally significantly prefer popular vote for preferential elections; everything else is just too complicated. You get the most votes and you win. (If we also include preferential voting, then it is even fairer)

[Platypus]

i have a qualm with demrep's version, he says that no one who doesn't live in the region can be elected, what about us foreigners, are we then excluded from this?

no, your region would be the region of the state in your avatar

I really think that we should do the President by popular preferential voting, b/c the amount of people in regions will change, and peoples votes might be usesless (for example and D in Fl would have a void vote b/c of all the FL Republicans).

The senate should also have popular preferential voting, but in regions that they represent. Two senators per region representing that region.

[Platypus]

We need a general moderator who is kind of like the speaker-they can be from one party but they remain neutral for official business. This person would count ballots, call elections, and post events. I would like to have this position if you want me to have it

I think we can basically all agree that within the US at least, there are 5 regions. The final regions can be decided by the 5 state regions thread (and soon, poll).

I think we should have a thre--leel government- 1. The president and VP; 2. The senate, a 10 member body with two senators from every region and the VP casting a vote if it is tied; 3. A House of Reps that anyone can be a member of, but they don't actually do anything.

The senate seats would be filled by a method of preferential direct election, without EVs for individual states in the region.

The Presidential election would use popular votes in the regions, with each region having one EV for every three voters in that region.

Also, to prevent people changing regions all the time, people must register in a thread that we politely ask Dave to sticky. People must register as voters, and include the following information:

Username:
Location (City/State/Country):

So for example, when i filled it out, it would be:

Username: hughento
Location (City/State/Country): Davenport, IA, USA

whoever is our game mod would keep a hardcopy list of registered voters so that they can't be edited. If someone moves, then the mod can change their location, but this can only happen every calendar year max. (who moves more then once a year anyway).

[Platypus]

People like positions, and it doesnt hurt to pander to their egos