Southern Regional Committee

[NeverAgain]

The Southern Regional Committee!

Gentlemen and gentlewomen! I am filled with such joy to do this! Let's get to work!

For Reference: Here are the most secure and prominent constitutions currently:

Mideast and Northeast

[tmthforu94]

Excited to work with all of you!

I think the first thing we should do is establish rules and elect a chairperson for the committee. This will help ensure that we achieve this in an efficient and orderly way. Due to his great work with the federal constitution, I nominate Leinad to serve in that capacity.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I am likewise excited to work with the members and look forward to establishing a solid governing system for the Southern Region.

I second Leinad's nomination for Chairperson of the Committee.


Finally, what is meant by "secure"?

[Leinad]

Thanks for starting this NeverAgain--I'm also making a discussion/information thread, both to update people on the Committee's happenings, and to give everyone a chance to comment, ask questions, and offer suggestions.

I look forward to working with you four, and the Southern public at large, to promptly, thoroughly, and effectively putting together a Constitution for the South, and elect our first two Senators.

I accept the nomination for Committee Chair, and thank Tmth and Yankee for said nomination.

[tmthforu94]

That is a majority for Leinad - are there any objections or another nominations? If not, I say we get the ball rolling tomorrow with Leinad leading this.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

The following amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Atlasia have passed the Senate and await ratification by the Regions. I recommend that the Legislative Committee place these amendments on the ballot alongside the special senatorial election.

Regards,
Harry S Truman
Speaker of the Senate

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[/quote]

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[Leinad]

Thanks, Truman, I'll make sure we vote on those!

That is a majority for Leinad - are there any objections or another nominations? If not, I say we get the ball rolling tomorrow with Leinad leading this.

Sounds good to me, Tmth.


Have we decided how we will elect Senate seats? Presuming no one takes issue with my nomination for Chair, I believe this shall be my first order of business.

So, I encourage the 4 other Committee members to present ways we can do this. Of course, it may seem obvious, but there are a few variations (partially given the fact that we have 2 separate Senate seats).

[tmthforu94]

I see two different routes we could take:
Route 1: Have separate special elections for the Class A and Class B Senate seats as soon as possible.
Route 2: Let this committee appoint the two senators.

There could also be a hybrid option, where we appoint the seat that is to be elected in June and hold a special election for the seat that is to be elected in August.

Those are what I see as the most plausible options - I'll leave it open for others to discuss before weighing in.

[NeverAgain]

I see two different routes we could take:
Route 1: Have separate special elections for the Class A and Class B Senate seats as soon as possible.
Route 2: Let this committee appoint the two senators.

There could also be a hybrid option, where we appoint the seat that is to be elected in June and hold a special election for the seat that is to be elected in August.

Those are what I see as the most plausible options - I'll leave it open for others to discuss before weighing in.

Well, here's how I see it. We're going to have to have elections for ratification of the new amendment so we could theoretically hold elections on both at the same time (Single Senate Seat and Ratification). The only problem is the South holds one candidate (Peebs) with no opponent. What we could do is appoint Peebs now, then as we get more candidates we could have a Special Election in August for her, and also have one for the Class B seat.

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Also wanted to clear this up. "Secure" means least loopholes, most long lasting and safest for our new region. My apologies for not being clear.

[tmthforu94]

Well if we're going to appoint someone, we need to do it properly: open a timeline for citizens to apply, evaluate all the applicants then decide. My understanding is that one senator will be elected for a full term in June and the other in August. If we are exploring the appointment route, I could only support it for the seat in June since it is so close. One thing I am personally set on: the seat that is to be elected for a full term in August should have a special election.

[NeverAgain]

Well if we're going to appoint someone, we need to do it properly: open a timeline for citizens to apply, evaluate all the applicants then decide. My understanding is that one senator will be elected for a full term in June and the other in August. If we are exploring the appointment route, I could only support it for the seat in June since it is so close. One thing I am personally set on: the seat that is to be elected for a full term in August should have a special election.

I agree. I'd love to hear our other member's opinions first, but my idea would be to, as you said, bring together some resumes and appoint a Senator. Then in August have a special election for the incumbent while also having an election for the Class B seat. Then the process can continue from there.

My proposal:

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[Leinad]

I agree with Tmth on both counts--NeverAgain ninja'd me, I'll respond to his newest post tonight (I am currently needing to leave the house where my computer is ASAP, so bare with me...).

Regarding Peebs' declaration, it would be remarkably unfair to assume that people that are yet to declare are doing so for lack of interest. Rather, I'd presume they're doing so for lack of information. I mean, we'll most likely have separate elections for each seat--which seat is Peebs declaring for? The Feb/Jun/Oct one or the Apr/Aug/Dec one? Or will the former be based on appointment? It is not outrageous to suggest that the general hesitance to declare for Senate seats is due to the fact that we still haven't decided what method we will use for filling them.

Also,

What we could do is appoint Peebs now, then as we get more candidates we could have a Special Election in August for her, and also have one for the Class B seat.

Are you suggesting that we go multiple months with 1 Senator? If you are, I must very strenuously object to such an idea. We must ensure that the Southern Senate seats are filled promptly, according to President Griffin's timetable: where our region's two Senators are ready to swear in on Monday, June 6th. Anything later would bee wholly unacceptable.


Also, am I now the Committee Chair, since no one objected? (Yes, we're kind of making up rules.)

If so, I suggest we hold a vote on the method of selecting Senators. Unless someone thinks I should do this differently, I suggest we give 24 hours for people to discuss ideas, then we hold a vote at 6:42 (7:42 EDT) tomorrow. (After that we can, you know, make real rules. )

[NeverAgain]

Let me clear this up, I'm sorry for my confusing posts. NO! We need two Senators to swear in on the 6th. My proposal was to have the Class A Feb/Jun/Oct election coinciding with the needed ratification of the Amendment to the Constitution and then we appoint a Senator for Class B (Apr/Aug/Dec) with the process I proposed. The Senator that we appoint will stand for re-election in August.

I'm sorry for the confusion! Also no problems here with you being chair. Hope you get to your computer quick hehe!

Also, under my idea Peebs would be running for the Class A seat. Then we can hold an election and then have other people gunning for the seat apply and we will review and appoint the nominee we all can agree on.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Just a quick note: the terms "Class A" and "Class B" do not appear in the new Constitution, which uses numbers rather than letters to label the Senate classes (Class I is elected in February, June, and October; Class II is elected in April, August, and December).

[NeverAgain]

Just a quick note: the terms "Class A" and "Class B" do not appear in the new Constitution, which uses numbers rather than letters to label the Senate classes (Class I is elected in February, June, and October; Class II is elected in April, August, and December).

Gotcha! I'll reflect that in the future! Apologies.

[tmthforu94]

I just got confirmation from Senator Truman that there will be Class I elections at the end of June. Since that is so close, it makes more sense to have an appointment for that seat and hold a special election for the Class II seat, where we can also vote on the constitutional amendments. That being said, I'm also not terribly opposed to have both seats elected in a special election, I just thin it would be a tad confusing to have special elections for both seats at the same time. I would also prefer that we operate at the same or ahead of other regions in order to maintain seniority for the region.

My proposal:

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[Leinad]

Back home--and thanks for the clarification, Truman!

Anyway, I just realized that we seem to have 3 different factors:

-Will the Class I (Feb/Jun/Oct) seats be elected or appointed?

-Will the Class I (Feb/Jun/Oct) seats be filled for a few weeks, and then up for re-election at the normally scheduled time (which is yet to be determined, but will presumably be simultaneous with the Presidential election), or will we select a Senator to serve slightly longer than a full term--until October?

-Will the Class II (Apr/Aug/Dec) seats be elected or appointed?

There are 8 possible combinations from that (2*2*2=8). If we rule out any plan that appoints a Senator to serve for longer than a full term (i.e. until the October Class I election), and any hybrid plan (i.e. we appoint one and elect the other) in which the appointed Senator is in the Class that goes longer until election, we have 5 options:

-PLAN A: Elect both on June 3rd-5th, the Class I Senator until later in June, the Class II Senator until August. (One of Tmth's ideas.)

-PLAN B: Elect both on June 3rd-5th, the Class I Senator until October, the Class II Senator until August.

-PLAN C: Appoint the Class I Senator on or before June 5th until later in June, elect the Class II Senator on June 3rd-5th until August. (Tmth's hybrid idea.)

-PLAN D: Elect the Class I Senator on June 3rd-5th until October, appoint the Class II Senator on or before June 5th until August. (I believe this is NeverAgain's idea--correct me if I'm wrong.)

-PLAN E: Appoint both Senators on or before June 5th, the Class I Senator until later in June, the Class II Senator until August. (Another of Tmth's ideas.)

Did I miss anything? Of course, I'm not trying to limit what ideas we can go with, only trying to map out the most obvious ideas.

Presuming there are no other suggestions or ideas, I'll have a vote starting tomorrow with those 5 options. How long should the vote be for? 24 hours, perhaps?

[NeverAgain]

Thanks for putting these up, helps map it out a lot!

Okay so with the new info about the end of June Elections I have some new proposals (Sorry y'all).

Plan One: Elect Class I Senator, skip June Elections, Appoint Class II Senator until August where they will run for re-election

Plan Two: (Buffed Version of Tmth's): Appoint Class I Senator until Late June Elections, Elect Class II Senator for Re-Election in August.

Plan Three: Appoint both Senators to stand for re-election at their correct times.

Personally, I think Plan Two (Leinad's plan C) is the winner. I don't think two coinciding Senate elections would turn out too well, so I think one must be appointed and it should probably be the one with the soonest referendum on the appointment. This reminds me a bit of the 1992 California Senate Elections, hehe.

[Leinad]

Your Plan 1 is my Plan D, your Plan 2 is my Plan C, and your Plan 3 is my Plan E.

Okay, principle vote (sorry for being late on this, by the way):

Principle Vote

Question: how should we fill the two Southern Senate seats?

[ ] PLAN A: Elect both on June 3rd-5th, the Class I Senator until later in June, the Class II Senator until August.

[ ] PLAN B: Elect both on June 3rd-5th, the Class I Senator until October, the Class II Senator until August.

[ ] PLAN C: Appoint the Class I Senator on or before June 5th until later in June, elect the Class II Senator on June 3rd-5th until August.

[ ] PLAN D: Elect the Class I Senator on June 3rd-5th until October, appoint the Class II Senator on or before June 5th until August.

[ ] PLAN E: Appoint both Senators on or before June 5th, the Class I Senator until later in June, the Class II Senator until August.


The vote will last for 24 hours.

[Leinad]

You can use ranked-voting if you want, NeverAgain. Instant-Runoff-Voting.

[tmthforu94]

Principle Vote

Question: how should we fill the two Southern Senate seats?

[3] PLAN A: Elect both on June 3rd-5th, the Class I Senator until later in June, the Class II Senator until August.

[2] PLAN B: Elect both on June 3rd-5th, the Class I Senator until October, the Class II Senator until August.

[1] PLAN C: Appoint the Class I Senator on or before June 5th until later in June, elect the Class II Senator on June 3rd-5th until August.

[4] PLAN D: Elect the Class I Senator on June 3rd-5th until October, appoint the Class II Senator on or before June 5th until August.

[5] PLAN E: Appoint both Senators on or before June 5th, the Class I Senator until later in June, the Class II Senator until August.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Principle Vote

Question: how should we fill the two Southern Senate seats?

[ 4 ] PLAN A: Elect both on June 3rd-5th, the Class I Senator until later in June, the Class II Senator until August.

[ 3 ] PLAN B: Elect both on June 3rd-5th, the Class I Senator until October, the Class II Senator until August.

[ 1 ] PLAN C: Appoint the Class I Senator on or before June 5th until later in June, elect the Class II Senator on June 3rd-5th until August.

[ 5 ] PLAN D: Elect the Class I Senator on June 3rd-5th until October, appoint the Class II Senator on or before June 5th until August.

[ 2 ] PLAN E: Appoint both Senators on or before June 5th, the Class I Senator until later in June, the Class II Senator until August.

[Leinad]

Principle Vote

Question: how should we fill the two Southern Senate seats?

[3] PLAN A: Elect both on June 3rd-5th, the Class I Senator until later in June, the Class II Senator until August.

[2] PLAN B: Elect both on June 3rd-5th, the Class I Senator until October, the Class II Senator until August.

[1] PLAN C: Appoint the Class I Senator on or before June 5th until later in June, elect the Class II Senator on June 3rd-5th until August.

[4] PLAN D: Elect the Class I Senator on June 3rd-5th until October, appoint the Class II Senator on or before June 5th until August.

[5] PLAN E: Appoint both Senators on or before June 5th, the Class I Senator until later in June, the Class II Senator until August.

[NeverAgain]

Principle Vote

Question: how should we fill the two Southern Senate seats?

[ 5 ] PLAN A: Elect both on June 3rd-5th, the Class I Senator until later in June, the Class II Senator until August.

[ 4 ] PLAN B: Elect both on June 3rd-5th, the Class I Senator until October, the Class II Senator until August.

[ 1 ] PLAN C: Appoint the Class I Senator on or before June 5th until later in June, elect the Class II Senator on June 3rd-5th until August.

[ 3 ] PLAN D: Elect the Class I Senator on June 3rd-5th until October, appoint the Class II Senator on or before June 5th until August.

[ 2 ] PLAN E: Appoint both Senators on or before June 5th, the Class I Senator until later in June, the Class II Senator until August.

[tmthforu94]

I don't want to leave out Southern Gothic, but I think it is important that we move this process along as quickly and efficiently as possible. I would motion that the vote close and we move forward with Plan C, seeing as how that is the unanimous consensus.

Since my proposal is essentially Plan C, I motion to approve it with unanimous consent. I made a couple small changes for clarity purposes:

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I realize this moves things along quickly, but I think the formation of the regions is the only real priority happening in Atlasia right now which allows us the time to focus solely on this. To summarize, this is what the timeline would look like for this week.
Tomorrow: Candidates have until midnight tomorrow to declare interest in serving as the Class 1 appointed senator.
Wednesday: Candidates make proposals to the committees and deliberations may begin.
Thursday: The committee must decide on the Class 1 senator by 5:00 p.m. After talking with a couple Southerners outside of this committee, I believe that a lot of citizens would like to know who wins the appointed seat before the special election for the other seat begins. If someone applies to be the appointed seat and then doesn't get it, they would have until midnight to declare their candidacy (or withdraw if they win the seat). This takes out the complication of the person who wins the Class 1 seat then being on the ballot for the Class 2 seat. It might be problematic if we choose the same person for both seats.
Friday: The election commences and runs through Sunday. After the election, Leinad will certify the results and the winner of the special election will take their seat.

When will our senators be seated?
Class 1 senator: Wednesday
Class 2 senator: Monday (June 6th)

Once again, I know this is going to seem rushed. But I believe it is necessary. This is an active and competent committee - I'm sure we'll have to problem meeting these deadlines.