10th Council of Lincoln Legislative Introduction Thread

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Thread should be titled "10th Council....."

EDIT: for Speaker's announced policies, see: https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=409010.msg7709800#msg7709800

Anyways:

Resolution condemning Fast-Food Burger Restaurants

The Lincoln Council hereby:

- Recognizes that fast-food Burgers are typically made with grease, ingredients designed to add fat, and/or inordinately large amounts of toppings, and typically served with ridiculously unhealthy french fries.
- Recognizes that Restaurants, including but not limited to, McDonalds, Burger King, Five Guys, Wendy's, In-And-Out, and What-a-burger, that serve fast-food burgers serve little purpose other than to make people Obese.
- Hereby Condemns all such fast-food burger restaurants for being the biggest cause of obesity in the region, and urges the populace to never eat at such places.

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Cis Tax Act


1. All Lincoln Individuals identifying as Cisgender shall have $0.24 added to their Income Tax Bill each year.

2. All Lincoln Individuals identifying as Straight shall have $0.24 added to their Income Tax Bill each year, in addition to the amount added by Section 1 if applicable.

3. If there is any ambiguity as to whether Section 1 or Section 2 applies to a given individual, it shall apply to them.

4. Revenues raised from this bill will go to a dedicated fund to provide governmental assistance to those seeking Gender Reassignment Surgery.

5. If someone changes their identity during the middle of a tax year in a way that changes what they would be charged under Section 1 or 2, they will instead be charged a prorated amount of $0.02 per month, or $0.01 per fortnight, for each time period in which they need  to be charged.

6. When filing taxes for income made in 2020, Residents will indicate their current identification for the purposes of Section 1 and 2. In the event someone has already filed taxes for income made in 2020, the IRS shall send them an additional form to obtain their identities. Residents will be able to update their identities at any time by calling, faxing, emailing, or a sending a letter to the IRS. No charges are applied for income made in 2020 or earlier.

7. For income made in 2021, the appropriate amount of money shall be charged according to the identity known on March 1, 2021 (For instance, if someone is known to be straight on March 1, 2021, $0.24 will be added to the tax liability due April 15, 2022), unless another identity is made clear later in 2021.

8. Charges will apply on a rolling basis for income made in 2022 or later.

9. Where not otherwise stated, the bill shall take immediate effect once signed by the Governor. 

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

End of Affirmative Action Again Act
1. L.C. 6:15 is repealed, effective immediately
2. L.C 2:18 is reinstated, effective immediately

Someone should sponsor it if they support it

Sponsoring

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Alcohol Policy Adjustment Act

An Act to Loosen Alcohol Policies

1. The legal age to purchase, sell, and consume alcohol in Lincoln shall be 18 years of age.
2. This act shall take effect 1 month after passage.

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Due to the lack of a Chancellor, any new bills posted here will be temporarily held until a new Chancellor is selected and confirmed. The bills already on the floor (LC 10.10, 10.6, 9.9) may still proceed as normal.

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

As a Chancellor has been confirmed, the Council is once again open to new legislation.

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Lincoln Pain-Capable Abortion Prohibition and Born Alive Survivor Protection Act

1. Title 6, Section 7 of the Consolidated Omnibus Laws of Lincoln Act is hereby amended as follows:

Section 7. Abortion services

(a) In general. —

A licensed or certified health care practitioner acting within his or her lawful scope of practice may perform an abortion when, according to the practitioner's reasonable and professional judgement that —
(1) the patient is within twenty-four twenty weeks from the commencement of pregnancy conception;
(2) there is an absence of fetal viability; or
(3)(2) the abortion is necessary to protect the patient's life or physical
health.

(b) The Punishment for performing or facilitating an abortion outside of the circumstances prescribed in (a) shall be a prison sentence of at least 1 year, but no more than 5 years, for the doctor, nurse, or other medical practitioner(s) performing or facilitating the illegal abortion. However, nothing within this section shall be construed to allow any punishment of the woman receiving the illegal abortion, nor shall this section permit punishment of anyone employed by the abortion facility as a receptionist, technical assistant, janitor, or any similar position provided they are not present in the room where the abortion is occurring while it is occurring.

2. In the event of an unsuccessful abortion or attempted abortion that results in the live birth of the fetus, defined as the complete expulsion or extraction from his or her mother of that fetus, at any stage of development, who after such expulsion or extraction breathes or has a beating heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, regardless of whether the umbilical cord has been cut, and regardless of whether the expulsion or extraction occurs as a result of natural or induced labor, cesarean section, or induced abortion, the abortion facility shall:

1) exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child as a reasonably diligent and conscientious health care practitioner would render to any other child born alive at the same gestational age.

2) Immediately Transport and admit such child to a hospital, except in a case where it is indisputably clear that the abortion facility can provide equivalent care to that provided in a hospital, or where the abortion facility is a hospital.

3) Punishment for violating 1) and/or 2) shall be a prison sentence of at least six months, but not more than five years.

4) Nothing within this legislation shall be construed to allow punishment of the woman on whom the unsuccessful abortion or attempted abortion was performed.

5) The woman receiving the unsuccessful abortion or attempted abortion shall be able to bring a civil suit against any health care practitioners who violate 1) or 2).

6) Nothing within this legislation shall prevent prosecution under Lincoln or Federal Law for Murder, in the case of an overt act by a medical practitioner to intentionally kill the child.


3. This law shall take effect 60 days after passage.

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Comprehensive Rules Cleanup


1. The Rules of the Lincoln Council are hereby amended as followed:

AN ACT relative to establishing parliamentary procedure of the Council of Lincoln.

Be it resolved that the Council of Lincoln adopts the following:

Section 1: Proposed Legislation Thread
A. Members of the Council, the Governor, and any concerned Lincoln citizen shall post the full text of any proposed legislation in a response to the Council of Lincoln Legislation Introduction Thread. Each response shall contain only one piece of proposed legislation.

B. Nothing shall be posted to the Council of Lincoln proposed legislation thread except proposed legislation or a Lincoln citizen's signature for proposed citizen legislation.

C: All action taken by the Council is considered to be Legislation. Items requiring the signature of the Governor shall be additionally categorized as Bills. All legislation regarding the rules of the Council shall be called the Standing Orders.


Section 2: Movement of Legislation to the Floor
A. The Speaker shall keep a thread on the Regional Governments board wherein for introducing legislation. This thread shall be known as the Lincoln Council Legislation Introduction Thread. Sitting Councillors may post in this thread.

B. The number of threads about legislation that may be opened simultaneously shall be determined using the following formula. The number of Government slots shall be twice the number of Councillors being members of the government, with an additional two slots. The number of Opposition slots shall be twice the number of Councillors being members of the opposition.

C. The Speaker shall move government and opposition legislation to these threads in the order in which it was introduced in the Legislation Introduction Thread. If a government sponsor has 3 or more pieces of legislation in the floor, or an opposition sponsor has 2 or more pieces of legislation in the floor, legislation from other government or opposition sponsors who do not shall take priority instead.

D. Each piece of legislation on the floor shall receive its own thread. Threads shall be titled as follows:

L 1.1: The BLANK Act, where L acknowledges the legislation is in the Council of Lincoln, 1 indicating that the legislation is in the first meeting of the Council of Lincoln, 1 indicating that the legislation was the first piece of legislation introduced in the Legislation Introduction Thread, and BLANK being replaced with the name of the piece of legislation.

E. If a change in government or in a bill's sponsorship implies that there are more bills than there are slots available for the government or the opposition, the speaker may open temporary extra slots for these pieces of legislation. These slots shall be removed once a permanent slot is opened (at which point the bill in the temporary slot shall moved to the opened permanent slot), or the bill legislation is removed from the floor by the means described in Section 2.F., 2G., or 3.H..

F. If the thread is for a motion of no confidence, a motion to remove the Speaker or appoint a new one, a motion to appoint a chancellor (whether via the traditional state opening process or in the form of a bill), an amendment to modify the SOAP or the Errata, or a special rule providing for special consideration of a given bill, it shall remain open until it either (a) it becomes passed via majority vote of the Council, (b) fails to receive majority support from council, (c) the Chancellor moves to revoke it from the floor, subject to a majority vote, or (d) it is removed pursuant to Section 3.H..


F.G. Each thread shall remain open until the bill either (a) becomes law via the Governor's signature, lack of Gubernatorial action, or referendum override, (b) fails to receive majority support from Council, (c) is sent to the public for a referendum, pursuant to Article I, Section 6 of the Comprehensive Constitutional Amendment, (d) it is removed pursuant to Section 3.H., or (d)(e) the Chancellor moves to revoke it from the floor, subject to a majority vote.

Section 3: Legislative Debates and Voting
A. All proposed legislation shall be open for debate for no less than 72 hours after the Speaker places it on the floor, except that a motion of no confidence or a motion to appoint a speaker or chancellor (whether via the traditional state opening process or otherwise), shall only be open for debate at the discretion of the presiding officer. The presiding officer, not withstanding any other part of these rules, may block amendments in such cases and open a final vote immediately, unless doing so is directly prohibited by the Lincoln Constitution.

B. During debate, Councillors and sponsors of proposed legislation may suggest amendments to proposed legislation. If the sponsor of the proposed legislation publicly deems the amendment friendly, no one objects to the amendment within 24 hours,no vote on the amendment shall be required. If the sponsor of the proposed legislation does not publicly deem the amendment friendly, or any other Councillor objects to the amendment Otherwise, a vote on the amendment shall be taken 24 hours after being proposed unless there is less than 24 hours of debate remaining on the bill. If there is less than 24 hours of debate remaining on the bill, a vote on the amendment shall be taken before proceeding to a final vote on the bill. Such vote shall be open for 2448 hours, or until all Councillors have voted, if earlier. An amendment shall pass if a majority of Councillors vote in favor of it (with abstentions and absences not counted as votes).

C. The sponsor of a proposed amendment may remove it from the Council floor by tabling it at any time before a vote on the amendment is started.has concluded.

D. After the conclusion of the first 72 hours for debate, any Councillor or the Chancellor may call for a vote on said legislation. The Speaker shall open a vote if neither another Councillor nor the Chancellor objects within 24 hours of the call for a vote. If a Councillor objects to the motion within 24 hours, a vote shall be held on whether or not to proceed to a final vote, with a two thirds majority required for the objection to be overruled if the legislation has been on the floor for less than 240 hours; and a simple majority required if the legislation has been on the floor for more than 240 hours.

E. After the conclusion of the first 72 hours for debate, the Chancellor or the Leader of the Opposition may move for cloture. Upon the concurrence of two-thirds of the membership, the Council shall end debate and the Speaker immediately declare a vote on the affected legislation. A motion for cloture shall overrule any amendments presented and any ongoing debates, but any votes which are already open shall stay open; with the motion for cloture being opened immediately after said open vote is closed.

F. At the motion of the Chancellor, the Council may waive the 72 hour requirement by unanimous consent. Consent shall be granted should no Member object to the motion of the Chancellor within 24 hours of its introduction.

G. Votes on legislation shall last for 48 hours, or until the whole membership has voted, whichever comes first. Only votes cast within the exact 48 hours after the Speaker has opened the vote shall be valid. Any votes cast after the 48 hours has expired are to be considered invalid, and may not be counted by the Speaker. This text shall not be interpreted as to deny Councillors the right to change their vote before the Speaker has officially closed voting via a post in the appropriate legislation thread. A piece of proposed legislation shall pass if a majority of Councillors vote in favour of it (with abstentions and absences not counted as votes). The Speaker shall certify the results of any vote within 24 hours of the end of the voting period.

H. Budget bills shall be considered a meaningful vote of confidence in the Government.

I. In the event that passed legislation is recommended to a referendum by the Governor, either the Chancellor or any Councilor may introduce a motion to override the move to a referendum within 72 hours for the Governor's move to a referendum being announced. An override vote shall last 48 hours, or until all Councillors have voted, if earlier. This text shall not be interpreted as to deny Councillors the right to change their vote before the Speaker has officially closed voting via a post in the appropriate legislation thread.

J. In the event where all Councilors have missed a vote, the Presiding Officer may exercise one of three two options: they may extend the vote for 24 hours, this shall not require consent to suspend the rules, or they may certify the vote as a failed vote, due to not receiving a single AYE vote. Whichever option the presiding officer chooses may be overridden if 2/3rd's of sitting Councilors object, in which case the presiding officer must choose another option. If a sufficient amount of Councilors object to all three options, the presiding officer may choose whichever option they desire.

H. Any Councillor may remove their sponsorship of a bill at any time. If no one sponsors the bill within 24 hours, the bill shall be removed from the floor.

Section 4: Final Business

A. Pursuant to Article 1.15 of the Lincoln Constitution, the Council shall be dissolved at the start of the general or snap elections.

B. The "Final Business" period of Council shall commence 36 hours prior to dissolution of the Council session and shall end at dissolution.

  i. At the start of Final Business, the Speaker shall declare in all pending legislative threads that Final Business has commenced and the session is nearing its end.

    a. At this time, the Speaker must no longer open new legislative threads.

    b. At this time, neither the Speaker nor legislative sponsors shall not consider new amendment proposals or votes.

   ii. All legislation on the floor of the Council shall go to a final vote at the start of the final business period, if more than 72 hours of debate have occurred on the legislation, unless either the sponsor of the legislation or a majority of the Council voices an objection to the vote

Section 5: Non Sitting Days

A. The Chancellor may declare any other day a non-sitting day, subject to a majority vote.

B. A "Non-Sitting Day" shall be defined as a day not counted in the official duration of debates, votes, and other business of the Council. A member shall be entitled but not required to speak in any open business of the Council on a Non-Sitting Day.

Section 6: Role of the Speaker
A. The Speaker is the presiding officer of the Council and is tasked with interpreting and enforcing the Standing Orders as prescribed in this bill.

B. At the beginning of each term of the Council, and at any time when the office is vacant, the second order of business of the Council shall be to elect the Speaker after the election of the Chancellor. Prior to the election of a Speaker, the Chancellor may serve as Acting Speaker for the purposes of electing a Speaker only. If there is not a Speaker, the Governor may preside over the election of the Chancellor. If the Governor is unavailable for any reason, the most senior Councillor shall preside.

C. The Chancellor shall introduce a piece of legislation to nominate a candidate for Speaker, who will then face a vote before the Council, requiring a majority support to assume office.

D. The Chancellor shall certify the results following the election, and the Speaker shall immediately assume office.

E. The Council may, at any time, remove the Speaker by making introducing repeal legislation to the introductory legislation of Section VI, Part C. The motion shall take precedence over all other motions and bills before the Council, and shall be conducted in the manner outlined in the section entitled legislative debates and voting. The Chancellor will designate a Councillor to preside in the place of the Speaker. The Repeal Legislation may designate the new Speaker, or the Chancellor may introduce a separate bill to do that.

Section 7: Rules Dispute

1A. The Council may elect to suspend any section of these rules at any time with the consent of two-thirds of sitting Councilors. Such a vote may begin at any time,  shall last for 48 hours, and shall not require any debate period beforehand.

2B. The presiding officer may unilaterally suspend any section of these rules at any time, unless another Councillor objects. If a Councillor objects, suspending the rules shall require the consent of two-thirds of sitting Councillors.

--- Such objection must be raised within 24 hours. The presiding officer shall have the option to proceed with the effect of the suspension without waiting for an objection, and then turn back if an objection is raised within 24 hours, but if this option is taken, all action taken going back to the moment of the suspension becomes null and void if an objection is raised. The presiding officer may also elect to wait the full 24 hours before proceeding. The suspension must be announced in some form - there does not need to be any specific phrasing, but it must be made clear that some sort of action is being taken that one could stop or alter by the means of objecting within 24 hours.



3.C. If the Council cannot resolve a rules dispute, Lincoln's chief judicial office may issue a binding decision dictating the proper interpretation.If a Councillor believes that a given action is in violation of the rules, such a Councillor may raise a point of order. This can be done on the thread in which rules are being broken, or on a new thread the Councillor may create. The Speaker shall immediately rule on the point of order. If there is no speaker, The Chancellor shall rule. If there is neither, the most senior Councillor shall rule. If the point of order is upheld, all action objected to by the point of order shall be null and void. If the point of order is overruled, any Councillor may demand an immediate vote on it within 24 hours. Such a vote will last 48 hours and serve as the final disposition of the point of order.

D. Questions or Disputes regarding the Council Rules shall not be within the purview of the Lincoln Court or the Supreme Court, unless:

1) Such provision of the Rules violates the Constitution of Lincoln or the Republic of Atlasia, or

2) The Speaker is refusing to recognize the existence of a point of order, in which case the court shall be limited to the ability to compel the Speaker to proceed with handling the point of order and any related appeal. However, in this case, the authority of the court to hear the case ends the moment the Speaker complies with his duties relevant to the point of order, even if such compliance comes during legal proceedings.  


Section 8. Amending the SOAP
A. In recognizing that the Lincoln Council has the right to determine its own operating procedures without outside approval, future amendments to the SOAP will no longer require the Governor's signature upon passing.


Section 9: Terminology

A. All legislation regarding the rules of the Council shall be called the Standing Orders.

B. All proposed legislation that requires the signature of the Governor shall be called a Bill until signed and thereafter an Act.

2. Section 2.G. of the Errata shall hereby be removed in its entirety.

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Cameras in The Courtroom Act

To permit the televising of Court proceedings.

Be it enacted by the Lincoln Council:

1. State, County, Local, Special, and any other NPC courts within Lincoln shall permit television coverage of all open sessions of the Court unless the Court decides, by a three-fifths vote of all sitting justices or judges, that allowing such coverage in a particular case would constitute a violation of the due process rights of 1 or more of the parties before the Court.

2. 1. shall also apply to the Lincoln Regional Court should it ever conduct proceedings outside of the Atlas Forum, with the exception that a public video file (or audio file if no video was used) may substitute for actual television coverage.

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

A. The Lincoln Council is hereby renamed to the Lincoln Chamber of Deputies, and notwithstanding anything else in this amendment, the Councillors (who shall now be known as Deputies), along with the incumbent governor, shall serve as acting officials in their respective offices under this new constitution until the next applicable election. The Chamber of Deputies first order of business will be writing a new SOAP.

B. If any existing Lincoln laws conflict with this amendment, they are hereby amended such that they comply/agree with the amendment, with full severability if a provision would need to be removed.

C. The Lincoln Constitution is hereby amended to read as follows:

Third Lincoln Constitution

Preamble
We, the people of the states of Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Wisconsin, Vermont, and the Virgin Islands, acting in accordance with the great precept that all men and women are created equal, and for the purpose of preserving the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for Lincoln.
Bill of Rights
1. All persons born or naturalized in the Republic of Atlasia and being residents of one of the states of this region, are citizens of Lincoln, with all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of the same. No citizen shall be denied equal protection under the law.
2. The Chamber of Deputies shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, nor of the press, nor the right to assemble and petition for the redress of grievances.
3. The Chamber shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, nor obstructing the freedom of worship.
4. Neither slavery, nor involuntary servitude, shall exist within this region, or in any territories under its jurisdiction.
5. A well-regulated militia being necessary for the security of a free state, the right of citizens to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
6. In all suits of criminal law, the accused shall have right to a free and fair trial by an impartial jury of their peers.
7. No person accused of any crime under the laws of this region shall be subjected to warrantless search or seizure of their homes, persons, records, or possessions; nor excessive bail; nor cruel or unusual punishment; nor compelled to bear witness against herself; nor denied right to legal counsel.
8. The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, save when in times of war or rebellion the public safety may require it.
9. The enumeration of certain rights in this Constitution shall not be construed as to deny those natural and inherent rights herein unlisted.
(Copy of Fremont, cutting the collective bargaining section)
Article I: The Legislative power
1. All legislative powers granted herein shall be vested in an Chamber.
2. The Chamber shall consist of five members, except when there are 9 or more candidates on the ballot in a regular election, in which case it shall be 7, chosen every second month by the eligible voters of Lincoln, according to a method of proportional representation prescribed by law.
3. No person shall be a member of the Chamber who is not a citizen of this region, and no person shall remain a member who is found by a vote of three-fourths of their peers to be guilty of gross negligence, high crimes, or misdemeanors.
4. The Chamber shall elect its speaker and other officers and shall have sole authority to determine its own methods of proceedings.
5. Every bill passed by the Chamber shall, before it becomes law, be submitted to the judgment of the governor. If they approve of it, they should sign it and it will become law; but if they disapprove they may veto it, and it shall be returned to the Chamber. If, after considering the objections of the governor, the Chamber should by a two-thirds vote agree to pass the same bill, it shall become law regardless of the governor's objections. If the governor shall not act to sign or veto a bill, it shall become law seven (7) days after its adoption by the Chamber. The Governor shall have the authority to submit revisions to passed legislation if it has less than two thirds support of the chamber, if they deem fit, and return it to the legislature for reconsideration.
6. Whenever a vacancy should occur in the composition of the Chamber, the governor shall appoint a replacement. Should the vacancy have occurred fewer than 336 hours before the next general election, the member thus nominated shall serve the remainder of the existing term; otherwise, they shall serve only until a new member may be elected.
7. The Chamber may, by a four-fifths vote, impeach and remove the governor for gross negligence or criminal acts; but the governor shall not be convicted without the concurrence of four-fifths of the members present, and the penalty for his conviction shall not exceed removal from office and disbarment from holding any office under this region for eighteen months.
8. In the event of a tied vote of the Chamber, the governor shall have the power to break the tie.

Article II: The Executive Power
1. The powers and duties of the executive shall be vested in the governor of Lincoln
2. The governor shall be elected every fourth month by the entire body of eligible voters. No person shall be governor who is not a citizen of Lincoln, and no elected governor shall be a member of the Chamber.
3. The governor shall have the power to carry out all acts in association with the enforcement of the laws passed under this constitution; to command the militia in times of war; to appoint the heads of such departments which may be established by law; to issue pardons and reprieves for crimes committed under the laws of this region, which shall be permanent upon their issuance, though they shall have no power to pardon themselves; to appoint, in accordance with Article V of the constitution of the Republic of Atlasia, the associate justice of the circuit court of this region; and to approve, or veto, all acts passed by the Chamber.
4. Should the governor vacate their office either by their death, removal, forfeiture, or resignation, then the speaker of the Chamber, or if there be no speaker the member with the longest continuous service, shall act as governor until a successor may be elected. The acting governor need not vacate their seat in the Chamber, but they shall have no vote in its proceedings so long as they continue to exercise the powers of the governor. If there is neither a speaker nor any members of the Chamber, then the powers and duties of the governor shall devolve upon the associate justice of the circuit court, or if there be none such officer as the president of Atlasia may appoint from among the citizens of Lincoln, until a successor may be elected.
Article III: Senators
1. Elections for the Senate of the Republic of Atlasia shall be conducted at regular intervals, in the months prescribed by the Constitution thereof.
2. Senators shall be elected by a direct vote of the people, and no person eligible to vote in elections for governor and Council shall be denied the right to vote for Senator.
3. Should a vacancy occur in the representation of this Region in the Senate, the governor shall appoint an interim senator to serve until a replacement may be elected. Special elections for the Senate shall begin on the Friday following the creation of the vacancy; but if the vacancy shall occur on a Thursday, the special election shall begin on the second Friday following the creation of the vacancy.
4. Senators who are elected in a regularly scheduled election shall take office on the first day of the next session of Congress. Senators elected in a special election shall take office immediately upon election.
Article IV: Elections
1. The right to vote in all elections and referendums called according to the provisions of this Constitution shall be exclusive to those persons being eligible to vote in elections for President of the Republic of Atlasia who have been registered to vote in one of the states of this Region for a period of at least 72 hours prior to the commencement of the election. The Chamber shall have the right to pass further residency requirements through legislation.
2. Voters shall be permitted to edit their ballots until 20 minutes after posting them in the voting booth. No voter shall edit their ballot after the official end of the voting period.
3. All elections and referendums of this region shall be administered by the governor. Whenever the governor should be unable to perform this duty, the speaker of the Chamber, or in their absence the most senior member, shall administer the election.
4. Elections for governor shall be held in the months of April, August, and December. Elections for the Chamber shall be held in the months of February, April, June, August, October, and December.
5. Candidates for governor, Chamber, and federal Senate must declare their candidacy in the appropriate thread by 2:00:00 PM, Eastern Time, on the Thursday preceding the election in order to appear on the ballot.
6. Except in the month of December, elections for governor, Chamber, and federal Senate shall begin on the penultimate Friday of the given month. In December, all elections shall begin on the second Friday of the month. Special Elections are scheduled by the Governor at any date that they deem fit. In all cases, voting shall begin at 12:00:00 AM, Eastern Time, on the appointed day and continue for 72 hours hence.
7. Following the expiration of the voting period, the election administrator shall have 24 hours to produce a tally of the votes cast and to announce the persons elected.
8. All elections shall be by single transferable vote, unless otherwise specified by law.
9. The terms of the Governor and Chamber  shall begin at 12:00:00 Eastern Time on the first Wednesday following their election. Prior to assuming office, the governor and members shall swear the following oath or equivalent: “I, [A.B.], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of [state office name] and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitutions of Lincoln and the Republic of Atlasia.” Any person elected to office under this constitution who shall fail to swear or affirm the aforesaid within 72 hours of the constitutional commencement of their term, shall forfeit their office.
10. All referendums on proposed amendments to this constitution and to the constitution of the Republic of Atlasia shall begin on the first Friday following their passage by the appropriate body; but if the passage shall occur on a Thursday, the referendum shall begin on the second Friday following passage. The appropriate election administrator shall open the voting booth at 12:00:00 AM, Eastern Time. Voting shall continue for 72 hours, and no vote cast more than 72 hours after the voting booth was opened shall be considered valid.
11. In all referendums, a “YES” vote shall be considered a vote in favor of passing the referendum and a “NO” vote shall be considered a vote against passing the referendum. Abstentions shall not affect the results of the referendum. In all cases, a simple majority of those voting “YES” or “NO” shall be required to pass the referendum.
Article V: Amendments
1. The Chamber shall have the power to propose amendments to this constitution by a two-thirds vote.
2. Lincoln shall ratify amendments to the constitution of the Republic of Atlasia by public referendum.

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Members are advised that as final business has commenced, no further legislation shall be entertained this session.