Some senator please help the DoFA by suggesting appropriate legislation!

[Franzl]

We have some problems with our electoral system that I've only just discovered.

1. The Senate recently passed legislation (in December) requiring candidates to only declare their candidacies 24 hours in advance, as opposed to 7 days before then.

The problem, however, is that one must be a registered voter 7 days in advance in order to be a candidate in an election, according to the Constitution.

Therefore:

A: Go back to 7 days as a deadline for declaration of candidacy.

B: Move up the deadline for voter registration to 24 hours to match the other requirement.

Personally, I would prefer A, but I tend to be conservative in that regard.


Next issue, absentee voting must begin when the candidacy declaration period is over. Unfortunately, as indicated in the other thread, I opened absentee voting under the assumption that 7 days was the deadline. It appears, however, under current law, that I am only able to open absentee voting 24 hours in advance.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Considering the very clear legislation here....I am forced to declare the absentee voting that has already occured invalid.

But we have a very big problem here....because one day is clearly insufficient for absentee voting.

So, next suggestion:

Abolish absentee voting! Extend the regular election to 5 or 7 days...but the absentee voting is stupid.


I may have more things to say....but this is all for now.

[Franzl]

Anybody want to talk about the problem?

[Barnes]

Oh no! I hope someone acts on this quickly, because my absentee vote has been invalidated. 

[Franzl]

Oh no! I hope someone acts on this quickly, because my absentee vote has been invalidated. 

There is no way to correct that.....and I'm not sure it'd be legal to change anything for this election.

This is more for the future.

[Vepres]

Oh no! I hope someone acts on this quickly, because my absentee vote has been invalidated. 

... and then Barnes loses by one vote.

[Barnes]

Oh no! I hope someone acts on this quickly, because my absentee vote has been invalidated. 

... and then Barnes loses by one vote.

Shhhhh!

[Sam Spade]

lol

Seriously, do you think the folks around here who write legislation have any brains?  They'd probably create another 100 different mistakes if you asked them to clear up this one.

Anyways, if there are any real problems, the Court will be happy to clean up your mess by diktat...

[Franzl]

Anyways, if there are any real problems, the Court will be happy to clean up your mess by diktat...

I'm hoping it won't come to that.....seeing as only two voters until now have voted absentee Hopefully they will be able to either vote in the one day before the election or during the general election.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Why does candidate declaration and vote registration have to occur at the same time?

[Franzl]

Why does candidate declaration and vote registration have to occur at the same time?

It doesn't necessarily have to, but it would make things simpler, and it would prevent cases like John Engle (note: he's ineligible anyway because his account is so new....but it shows what can happen in theory.)

The absentee voting is the main problem, considering that current law mandates that it only be opened after the declaration deadline.....24 hours before the regular election.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Why does candidate declaration and vote registration have to occur at the same time?

It doesn't necessarily have to, but it would make things simpler, and it would prevent cases like John Engle (note: he's ineligible anyway because his account is so new....but it shows what can happen in theory.)

The absentee voting is the main problem, considering that current law mandates that it only be opened after the declaration deadline.....24 hours before the regular election.

I still don't see it. In the case of Engle he is inegligble for being to new and the fact that he isn't a properly registered voter prior to seven days before the eleciton so he is not eligible to run in the election no matter when the declaration deadline is.

The absentee vote problem is still boggling my currently absentee mind(writing essays that are four pages long will do that, )

[Badger]

lol

Seriously, do you think the folks around here who write legislation have any brains?  They'd probably create another 100 different mistakes if you asked them to clear up this one.

Anyways, if there are any real problems, the Court will be happy to clean up your mess by diktat...

Good to hear.

[Sam Spade]

lol

Seriously, do you think the folks around here who write legislation have any brains?  They'd probably create another 100 different mistakes if you asked them to clear up this one.

Anyways, if there are any real problems, the Court will be happy to clean up your mess by diktat...

Good to hear.

We aim to please.

Or maybe that just means that we aim to tell you how to do your job.

Whatever, it's good to be the king (of elections).

[Franzl]

Why does candidate declaration and vote registration have to occur at the same time?

It doesn't necessarily have to, but it would make things simpler, and it would prevent cases like John Engle (note: he's ineligible anyway because his account is so new....but it shows what can happen in theory.)

The absentee voting is the main problem, considering that current law mandates that it only be opened after the declaration deadline.....24 hours before the regular election.

I still don't see it. In the case of Engle he is inegligble for being to new and the fact that he isn't a properly registered voter prior to seven days before the eleciton so he is not eligible to run in the election no matter when the declaration deadline is.

The absentee vote problem is still boggling my currently absentee mind(writing essays that are four pages long will do that, )

Absentee voting can only be opened after the candidacy declaration deadline. That is 24 hours under current law.

I don't think absentee voting 24 hours before the election serves a very good purpose...

[minionofmidas]

How about we just change the law on absentee voting so that it's your bad if you do it before all possible candidates have declared? I mean, the way it is now (with the request'n'all) it's supposed to be basically abolished except for people who actually *need* it because they won't be online that weekend.

I don't really see a problem with the declaration / voter registration thing. Although we did align the two on purpose once when I was "powerful" around here, previously one was seven days and the other ten.
I certainly don't want people to be able to register their socks, or move on account of electoral math, until 24 hours before polls open.

[Franzl]

How about we just abolish absentee voting and extend the general election to say....5 days?

And then you can keep candidacy declaration at 24 hours before that....and I suppose leave voter registration at whatever you want.

[minionofmidas]

How about we just (...) extend the general election to say....5 days?

Before we changed the law on absentee voting, they basically ran for ten days with a random switch to another thread three days before the end. Most people voted in the last three days, but quite a few did before that.
It was stupid. Keep the election at three days.

[Franzl]

How about we just (...) extend the general election to say....5 days?

Before we changed the law on absentee voting, they basically ran for ten days with a random switch to another thread three days before the end. Most people voted in the last three days, but quite a few did before that.
It was stupid. Keep the election at three days.

Well alright...but if we're going to keep absentee voting, then we need to change the start to the voter registration deadline instead of the candidacy declaration deadline.

It doesn't make any sense to have absentee voting for 24 hours before the election, as we're going to have this time.

[minionofmidas]

It doesn't make any sense to have absentee voting for 24 hours before the election, as we're going to have this time.

Too true.

[Antonio the Sixth]

It's not so complicated : Someone may declare candidacy until 24h before the election, but only if he has registered 7 days before. Where is the problem ?

[minionofmidas]

It's not so complicated : Someone may declare candidacy until 24h before the election, but only if he has registered 7 days before. Where is the problem ?

No problem with that part, really.

The second part is the important part. Pretty classic drafting oversight.