HB 18-51: House Vacancies Amendment (Voting)

[Esteemed Jimmy]

HOUSE VACANCIES AMENDMENT

HOUSE BILL

SECTION 1.

1. This Act may be cited as the "House Vacancies Amendment”.

SECTION 2.

Article III, Section 3, Clause 7, of the Fourth Constitution, is amended to read as follows:

Vacancies in the House of Representatives shall be filled by the member of the effected Party who received the highest number of first preferences that was not elected in the preceding election. Should they fail to swear in within seven days of the vacancy, or be they ineligible due to deregistration, or should all of the candidates of the effected Party have been elected in the preceding election, the seat shall be filled by an appointment by the executive of the effected Party. Should a vacancy occur as the result of the death, expulsion, or resignation of a Representative not being a member of a major Party, then a special election shall be held to choose a replacement to serve the remainder of the existing term.

Amendment Explanation
Changes procedure for filling house vacancies from appointment by the affected party's chair to highest placing unelected candidate of that party from the previous election.

People's House of Representatives
Pending

Sponsor: MB
House Designation: HB 18-51

[Esteemed Jimmy]

HB 18-51 is now on the House floor. Debate on this legislation has begun and shall last for no less than 72 hours.

[Dr. MB]

Introducing an amendment to fix the formatting:

HOUSE VACANCIES AMENDMENT

HOUSE BILL RESOLUTION

SECTION 1.

1. This Act may be cited as the "House Vacancies Amendment”.

SECTION 2.

Article III, Section 3, Clause 7, of the Fourth Constitution, is amended to read as follows:

Vacancies in the House of Representatives shall be filled by the member of the affected Party who received the highest number of first preferences that was not elected in the preceding election. Should they fail to swear in within seven days of the vacancy, or be they ineligible due to deregistration, or should all of the candidates of the affected Party have been elected in the preceding election, the seat shall be filled by an appointment by the executive of the affected Party. Should a vacancy occur as the result of the death, expulsion, or resignation of a Representative not being a member of a major Party, then a special election shall be held to choose a replacement to serve the remainder of the existing term.

Amendment Explanation
Changes procedure for filling house vacancies from appointment by the affected party's chair to highest placing unelected candidate of that party from the previous election.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I disagree with this for this reason.

For the longest time, until we stopped doing it last year because of changing demographics, the Federalist Party had candidates catering to defined blocks.

There was a libertarian candidate, a moderate candidate, a so con, an establishment guy and a generic mainstream conservative typically.

Each of these had rather defined voting blocks and when a vacancy occurred, I made an effort to fill the seat with someone who had voted for that particular candidate or had similar political views.

This amendment would mean a so-con (often the ones coming up short back then because of narrow base) could end up filling the seat of a libertarian or moderate (most likely to win a region wide office) and those voters would thus go unrepresented despite the fact that their candidate had won and the guy filling their seat with different viewpoints had lost.

This would have meant that in 2016 Santander would have had to replace DFW (elected to Senate) whose voters had primarily came from Libertarians and ran as a moderate libertarian, instead of Enduro, who was a better match for that base of voters.

I understand the intent of the amendment is to "respect the will of the voters" but it would do just the opposite and it prioritizes nominal partisanship over ideology and other factors and causes winning voter coalitions for house to "take it on the chin".

[fhtagn]

Having been involved in major party leadership, vacancies have almost always been filled by someone who is ideologically similar to the representative that vacated office. Their policy positions and issues they care about were chosen by the people, and pushing up someone who may be completely different goes against the will of the people.

This is something I cannot support. The current system works just fine.

[Poirot]

Amendment Explanation
Changes procedure for filling house vacancies from appointment by the affected party's chair to highest placing unelected candidate of that party from the previous election.

Citizen's comment:
I would be more interested if the replcement would be the highest placing unelected candidate from the previous election (not necessarily of that party). It could give a race for people who don't have enough votes to win so a contest to be on the waiting list.

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

I believe the system we have currently works fine as is, I echo the sentiments of Yankee on this bill. I cannot support this bill in its current form.

[Esteemed Jimmy]

With no objections, the bill now stands as:

HOUSE VACANCIES AMENDMENT

HOUSE BILL RESOLUTION

SECTION 1.

1. This Act may be cited as the "House Vacancies Amendment”.

SECTION 2.

Article III, Section 3, Clause 7, of the Fourth Constitution, is amended to read as follows:

Vacancies in the House of Representatives shall be filled by the member of the affected Party who received the highest number of first preferences that was not elected in the preceding election. Should they fail to swear in within seven days of the vacancy, or be they ineligible due to deregistration, or should all of the candidates of the affected Party have been elected in the preceding election, the seat shall be filled by an appointment by the executive of the affected Party. Should a vacancy occur as the result of the death, expulsion, or resignation of a Representative not being a member of a major Party, then a special election shall be held to choose a replacement to serve the remainder of the existing term.

Amendment Explanation
Changes procedure for filling house vacancies from appointment by the affected party's chair to highest placing unelected candidate of that party from the previous election.

[Attorney General & Senator Dwarven Dragon]

Amendment Explanation
Changes procedure for filling house vacancies from appointment by the affected party's chair to highest placing unelected candidate of that party from the previous election.

Citizen's comment:
I would be more interested if the replcement would be the highest placing unelected candidate from the previous election (not necessarily of that party). It could give a race for people who don't have enough votes to win so a contest to be on the waiting list.

Problem with this is it leaves the door open for a President to blackmail members of an unfavorable Congress into resigning (perhaps for a cabinet position or something), with the knowledge that such members would be replaced by a favorable member(s) who narrowly lost the previous election.

[Esteemed Jimmy]

I support the current system, with that said:

I motion for a final vote. Representatives have 24 hours for objections.

[Esteemed Jimmy]

A final vote has begun on this bill. Please vote AYE, NAY, or ABSTAIN.

HOUSE VACANCIES AMENDMENT

HOUSE BILL RESOLUTION

SECTION 1.

1. This Act may be cited as the "House Vacancies Amendment”.

SECTION 2.

Article III, Section 3, Clause 7, of the Fourth Constitution, is amended to read as follows:

Vacancies in the House of Representatives shall be filled by the member of the affected Party who received the highest number of first preferences that was not elected in the preceding election. Should they fail to swear in within seven days of the vacancy, or be they ineligible due to deregistration, or should all of the candidates of the affected Party have been elected in the preceding election, the seat shall be filled by an appointment by the executive of the affected Party. Should a vacancy occur as the result of the death, expulsion, or resignation of a Representative not being a member of a major Party, then a special election shall be held to choose a replacement to serve the remainder of the existing term.

Amendment Explanation
Changes procedure for filling house vacancies from appointment by the affected party's chair to highest placing unelected candidate of that party from the previous election.

[Esteemed Jimmy]

Nay

I support the current system.

[fhtagn]

Nay

[Poirot]

Amendment Explanation
Changes procedure for filling house vacancies from appointment by the affected party's chair to highest placing unelected candidate of that party from the previous election.

Citizen's comment:
I would be more interested if the replcement would be the highest placing unelected candidate from the previous election (not necessarily of that party). It could give a race for people who don't have enough votes to win so a contest to be on the waiting list.

Problem with this is it leaves the door open for a President to blackmail members of an unfavorable Congress into resigning (perhaps for a cabinet position or something), with the knowledge that such members would be replaced by a favorable member(s) who narrowly lost the previous election.

I think dual officeholding is allowed for House members so blackmail unlikely.
A change in the current system which favors party over individual would be welcomed and could bring more candidates and make the election interesting.

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

Nay

[Dr. MB]

Aye

[Coastal Elitist]

Nay

[JGibson]

Abstain

[YE]

Nay

[Attorney General & Senator Dwarven Dragon]

Aye

[YE]

Fails 2-3-1-3.