Southern Constitutional Convention 2023

[reagente]

As interim chair, I will begin proceedings.

I and the other assembled delegates will begin to put forward a number of provisions. At the end, we will vote on which proposed changes to accept, and then whether to put forward a new constitution to the Southern voters for ratification.

First, I will propose the following changes given the changes to Article 2, Section 2 of the Federal Constitution:

1. Deleting references to Greenland
2. Editing Article 8, Section 7
3. Removing Article 10.

1. The South and the Constitution thereof shall be representative of the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Greenland, Louisiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

2. The region may also be referred to as the Southern Region.

3. The regional capital for The South established in this Constitution shall be Nashville, Tennessee.

4. For purposes of electoral representation, The South shall be divided into two Subregions:

i. The Upper Southern Subregion shall consist of the states of Arkansas, Delaware, Greenland, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

ii. The Deep Southern Subregion shall consist of the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Texas.

7. The South shall become sovereign after having made a formal offer to Atlasia for a new economic and political partnership. strive to obtain the maximum degree of autonomy to the extent allowable under the Atlasian Constitution.

1. Given a public affirmative vote in support of the Southern becoming sovereign, should the Southern have failed to secure sovereignty after the following avenues have been attempted:

1a. Formal dialogue between the President of Atlasia and the President of the South.

1b. Any legislation considered by the full Senate on further devolved powers for the regions.

1c. Commissions, Committees, or Delegations authorized by executives from both parties having discussed separation formally.

2. The Southern Region may formally withdraw itself from the Republic of Atlasia, as the threshold for secession under the Federal Constitution has been satisfied.

3. The House of Burgesses may introduce legislation formalizing the South's exit from the Republic of Atlasia or delegate said authority in a manner of its own choosing. This legislation may include contingency clauses.

4. Should any legislation or action with regards to secession be enacted, the South will be a fully independent nation and exclusively subject to this constitution. All mentions of the Federal Government, the Republic of Atlasia, and Atlasia shall hereby be stricken, and the South will be a separate entity.

Up next, I will post provisions to reduce term lengths and reintroduce at-large seats.

[AustralianSwingVoter]

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Thanks for taking a more reasonable path.

[reagente]

Reforming the House of Burgesses:

1. The executive authority of The South shall be vested in the President of The South. The President must be a registered voter in The South.

2. The President must be elected democratically by the people of The South. Elections are to be held every April, August, and December for President. The appropriate election administrator will open the voting booth at 12:00:00am EDT of the penultimate Friday of the month and will close said booth the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT. The election administrator must accept any absentee ballot received no more than 168 hours prior to the opening of the polls.

3. Candidates for governor will be given until the Wednesday Thursday at 10:59:59 pm 11:59:59 pm EDT preceding the first date of polling in the election they wish to contest to announce their candidacy and appear on the ballot. This is to be done by officially declaring their candidacy in the Candidate Declaration Thread.

6. In the event that the President of The South, the Vice President of the South, or any other executive official, commits an action or an instance of negligence that is deemed injurious to the public welfare or morals or to the interests of the Region and that is legally prohibited, The House of Burgesses shall begin impeachment proceedings upon the sponsoring of one or more articles of impeachment by a member of the House of Burgesses and the seconding of such articles by another member. Should two-thirds three-fourths of the House vote to convict on one or more articles, the executive officer in question shall immediately forfeit their office and be banned from running for any Southern office arising under this constitution for two years.

9. The President is obligated to present a yearly budget by July 1 October 1 of each year. The structure and procedure for the budget process are to be determined by law. The budget of all government activities is to be voted on by the House after a normal debate period. The budget shall remain in effect for 1 year from its date of passage, or until July 21st November 21st of the calendar year after that of its passage, whichever is earlier. The President is obligated to ensure that the budget does not provide for any deficits except in times of emergency or war, a condition the House of Burgesses must successfully endorse by a two-thirds majority. All budgets must include a plan for revenue and taxation.

13. The Vice President must be elected democratically by the people of The South separately from the President of The South. Elections are to be held every April, August, and December for Vice President. The appropriate election administrator will open the voting booth at 12:00:00am EDT of the penultimate Friday of the month and will close said booth the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT. The election administrator must accept any absentee ballot received no more than 168 hours prior to the opening of the polls.

14. Candidates for Vice President will be given until the Thursday at 10:59:59 pm 11:49:59 pm EDT preceding the first date of polling in the election they wish to contest to announce their candidacy and appear on the ballot. This is to be done by officially declaring their candidacy in the Candidate Declaration Thread.

1. The legislative power of The South shall be vested to the House of Burgesses, which shall be composed of four (4) three (3) representatives elected at large. The House of Burgesses shall be divided into two classes, Class I and Class II. Each class will consist of one (1) representative elected by each of the two sub-regions.

2. Representatives elected from a given subregion are to be elected by all citizens registered and eligible to vote in the South respective subregion. Representatives must be registered to vote in The South to qualify as candidates.

3. Elections to Class I seats of the House of Burgesses shall occur every April, August, and December. Elections to Class II seats of the House of Burgesses shall occur in April of 2023, then every subsequent October. Each Class of seat to the House of Burgesses shall always be voted on separately, as their own ballot line. The election administrator must accept any absentee ballot received no more than one week prior to the opening of the polls.

4. Candidates for the House of Burgesses will be given until the Thursday Wednesday at 10:59:59 pm EDT 11:59:59 pm EDT preceding the first date of polling in the election they wish to contest to announce their candidacy and appear on the ballot. This is to be done by officially declaring their candidacy in the Candidate Declaration Thread. Candidates should specify which subregional seat and seat class they are running for.

10. The House of Burgesses shall have the power to override the President’s veto by a two-thirds three-fourths majority vote.

11. Initiatives may be proposed for public referendum with the support of at least 25% of the number of eligible registered voters in The South. Alternatively, initiatives may be proposed for public referendum with the support of the Governor and a member of the House of Burgesses. The Secretary of Elections, or should that office be vacant the Dean of the House of Burgesses, shall have complete discretion to schedule these initiatives, except that the voting booth for such initiatives must open 12:00:00am EDT on a Friday and close the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT.

1. The people of The South shall have the power to call a referendum on any law signed by the President during the legislative session in which it was passed by the process of petition. Petitions that collect twelve or more signatures shall be considered valid. When a valid petition is presented, the appropriate election administrator shall open the voting booth on the next Friday at 12:00:00am EDT and shall close said booth the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT. The referendum question is: “Shall [name of law, followed by text] be upheld as law?” Every citizen will be given the opportunity to vote YES to uphold and NO to repeal during this time. Abstentions will not affect the results. Any bill that fails to receive a majority approval will become null and void. Only votes and signatures from eligible registered Southern voters shall be considered valid for these questions.

1. Amendments to this Constitution shall be proposed by the House of Burgesses. A proposed amendment in the House shall be forwarded to the citizens of the Southern Region for ratification by popular vote by the citizens of the Southern Region upon an affirmative vote of two-thirds three-fourths of the total members of the House of Burgesses. Alternatively, should an amendment be approved unanimously by the House of Burgesses, the House of Burgesses can amend the constitution with the signature of the President.

3. Any Amendment proposed by the House of Burgesses shall only become effective upon an affirmative vote of a majority of those citizens of the Southern Region who vote for or against the proposed Amendments, or by unanimous approval by the House of Burgesses and Presidential signature.

4. Whenever three-fourths two-thirds of the House of Burgesses or one-fourth of the registered eligible voters of the Southern Region considers it desirable to comprehensively improve this constitution, the President shall call for a Constitutional Convention to propose revisions to this document, or replace it entirely. The Constitutional Convention shall consist of a minimum of three members chosen at the discretion of the President.

5. Article VIII, Section 2 shall apply to Amendments referred to the Southern public prior to the ratification of this article that have not yet received a vote as of the time of the ratification of this article.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Is three members really big enough for a regional legislature?

[reagente]

Is three members really big enough for a regional legislature?

I've been putting off making changes to this because there's a proposed federal amendment (likely to pass) that keeps changing every other day in terms of what it requires of the regional legislature. When we see the final version of that, I will propose text that is in compliance with the federal terms.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Is three members really big enough for a regional legislature?

I've been putting off making changes to this because there's a proposed federal amendment (likely to pass) that keeps changing every other day in terms of what it requires of the regional legislature. When we see the final version of that, I will propose text that is in compliance with the federal terms.

Ah. OK, thanks for keeping us posted.

[reagente]

Since it seems like the Fair Democracy Amendments are nearly finished, time to start updating this again:

Article VII: Recall Procedure

2. The people of The South shall have the power to recall The President, Vice-President, Executive Branch officials confirmed with the advice and consent with the House of Burgesses, and Members of the House of Burgesses.

3. Recall petitions that collect twelve or more signatures shall be considered valid. When a valid petition is presented, the appropriate election administrator shall open the voting booth on the next Friday at 12:00:00am EDT and shall close said booth the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT. The recall question is: “Shall [name of office holder] be recalled?” Every citizen will be given the opportunity to vote YES, RECALL to remove the officeholder in office and NO, RETAIN to keep the office holder. Abstentions will not affect the results. The officer will be recalled if a majority is reached. Only votes and signatures from eligible Southern voters shall be considered valid for recall questions.

4. In the event that the President is recalled, the Vice-President shall take office. In the event that the Vice-President, an executive Branch official confirmed with the advice and consent with the House of Burgesses, or member of the House of Burgesses is recalled, the President shall appoint a replacement officeholder.

5. Recalled officeholders are ineligible for appointment to any office until the next general election.

---

Also wondering if there is any input on what the replacement for "President" and "Vice-President" should be

[OSR stands with Israel]

What about having an immediate special election for President . Vice Presidential vacancies can be filled like they are now

[OSR stands with Israel]

Some names we can choose are:

- Grand Master and Master

- King and Prince (for females it would be Queen and Princess)

- Maharaja and Raja

[reagente]

I am withdrawing all previous suggested changes I introduced and submitting a new document (which will be in the following posts below).

In consultation with numerous regional stakeholders, including the other two delegates of this convention, OSR and FireWaterMike, and Southern President TheSaint250, I am introducing a replacement Constitution for the South (that will comply with the Fair Democracy Amendment). The current Constitution can be found in one location on the Wiki here.

It is apparent that Southern politics over the past months have become increasingly polarized in a way that damages regional interests. I do not believe (and I think I can speak for my fellow delegates on this matter) that simply restoring the pre-2023 status quo will do much to fix this. To that end, the Constitutional Convention is proposing a bold reform to the way the Southern Government operates in an attempt to decrease polarization and foster increased participation of Southern Citizens: a direct democracy system. A direct democracy system for the legislature will ensure that everyone will have a chance to advocate for their own legislation before the Southern people, unencumbered by party labels and related political rivalries.

Here is a brief summary of how the new system will work: The House of Burgesses will be replaced by a universal legislature of Southern Citizens known as the State Diet. The State Diet will regularly meet every two months (with a mechanism to call for an emergency voting session quicker if need be) to vote on legislation proposed by each citizen. Each citizen will be allowed to sponsor two items of legislation each session. There will be still be an elected executive and vice-executive, albeit ones whose powers are substantially weakened compared to the current President – with the only real responsibilities of staffing the executive departments and filling certain vacancies for federally created offices (regional senators, subregional senators, Southern circuit court Justice, etc).

The Fair Democracy Amendment – which seems likely to pass due to support in Fremont and Lincoln, mandates among other things that regions cannot use “President” or “Vice-President” as regional titles. As a callback the Old South of the pre-reset era, we deemed that a monarchist theme would be a suitable replacement – hence the decision to call our executive “Prince” and vice-executive “hereditary prince”.

Much time has been spent reviewing this document, so I am moving for a final vote so that we can refer this document to the voters during this weekend’s special-election for the Fair Democracy Amendment.

[reagente]

PAGE 1 OF 2

Preamble

We, the people of Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, being grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, in order to secure its benefits, perfect our government, insure domestic tranquility, maintain public order, and guarantee equal civil and political rights to all, do ordain and establish this constitution for the Principality of the South.

Article I: The Region

1. The Principality of the South and the Constitution thereof shall be representative of the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

2. The official name of the region shall be the “Principality of the South.” The region may also be referred to as “The South,” the “South Region,” or the “Southern Region.”

3. The capital of the Principality of the South shall be Nashville, Tennessee.

4. For purposes of federal electoral representation, the Principality of the South shall be divided into two Subregions:

i. The Upper Southern Subregion shall consist of the states of Arkansas, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

ii. The Deep Southern Subregion shall consist of the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Texas.

Article II: Regional Symbols

1. The flag of The South (The Flag) shall consist of two horizontal bands, one Navy Blue and one Red with the Navy Blue band on top, defaced in the center with the Coat of Arms of the South. The proportion of the Flag shall be 3:5 and the height of the Coat of Arms shall be two-thirds the height of the flag. The Flag acknowledges the heritage and identity of The South in a historically relevant, inclusive and respectful manner and shall serve as a symbol of unity and pride for all citizens of The South. The Flag shall be flown at all regional government properties that are accessible to the public or where government business is regularly conducted. Where multiple flags are flown beside each other, no flag in The South shall be flown at a higher level than The Flag.

2. The South shall have an official coat of arms (Coat of Arms) which shall be as follows: a shield upon which is carried the flags of four of the nations which have at various times held sovereignty over a part or the whole of what is now the South: Spain, France, Great Britain and West Florida. The union binding these flags shall be the shield of Atlasia. The shield upon which the flags and shield of Atlasia are placed shall be supported on either side by an eagle. The crest of the coat of arms shall be a ship representing the "Santiago" which brought Juan Ponce de León and other Spanish explorers to Florida. Beneath the shield there shall be a scroll containing the sentence in Latin: "Derelinquas Nos Solus," the English interpretation of which is "Let us Alone."

i. The coat of arms of Alabama as described in heraldic terms shall be as follows: arms: quarterly, the first azure three fleur de lis or (for France); second quarterly first and fourth gules a tower tripple towered or, second and third argent a lion rampant gules (for Spain); third azure a saltire argent and gules over all a cross of the last fimbriated of the second (for Great Britain); fourth dark azure a mullet of argent (for West Florida); at center in escutcheon per bend sinister gules and azure, bend sinister argent three sable mullets (for Atlasia) arms supported by two Atlasian eagles displayed. Crest: A full rigged ship proper.

3. The Merchant Ensign of The South (Civil Ensign) shall consist of two horizontal bands, one Navy Blue and one Red, with the Navy Blue band on top. The proportion of the Civil Ensign shall be 3:5.

4. The Great Seal of  The South (The Great Seal) shall consist of twenty (20) white five-pointed stars of equal size on a blue background, representing the twenty (20) states that make up the South, arranged in two concentric circles, all pointing outward. The outer concentric circle shall have thirteen (13) stars while the inner concentric circle shall have seven (7) stars. The seal is encircled with the words "Great Seal of The South" and the Roman numerals “MMXVI,” signifying the founding year of the new South, written in red on a goldenrod background. No person other than the Prince, Hereditary Prince, appointed executive branch official, or a judicial official of the South shall use The Great Seal without express permission from the Prince or the State Diet.

5. The motto of the South shall be "In God We Trust". The motto shall adorn all regional government properties that are accessible to the public or where government business is regularly conducted, as well as all license plates issued in The South and upon all public school buses in The South and upon the wall of each public classroom in The South.

6. The official language of The South is Southron English. No pronouncement, law, regulation, ballot, or other official document or act of the South need be distributed or conducted in any language other than Southron English. Nothing in this section shall be construed to infringe upon the right of States to adopt additional official languages beyond English.

7. The South recognizes the following official holidays:

i. New Years Day (January 1)
ii. Southern Memorial Month (January 1 - 31)
iii. George Washington's Birthday (Third Monday in February)
iv. Easter Sunday (First Sunday after the ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or soonest after 21 March)
v. Gun Rights Day (April 19)
vi. New Market Day (May 15)
vii. National Memorial Day (Last Monday in May)
viii. Pentecost Sunday (The Sunday fifty (50) days subsequent to Easter Sunday)
ix. Southern Flag Day (June 3)
x. Freedom Day (June 19)
xi. Independence Day (July 4)
xii. Labor Day (First Monday in September)
xiii. Christopher Columbus Day (Second Monday in October)
xiv. Veterans Day (November 11)
xv. Thanksgiving (Fourth Thursday in November)
xvi. Christmas Day (December 25)

8.  The South adopts the following as official symbols of The South:

i. Official Anthem: Dixie
ii. Official Flower: Flower of the Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)
iii. Official Tree: Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)
iv. Official Animal: Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)
v. Official Bird: Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
vi. Official Reptile: American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
vii. Official Amphibian: Southern Cricket Frog (Acris gryllus)
viii. Official Insect: Carolina Mantis (Stagmomantis carolina)
ix. Official Crustacean: Maryland Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus)
x. Official Fish: Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)
xi. Official Morning Beverage: Orange Juice
xii. Official Afternoon Beverage: Sweet Tea
xiii. Official Evening Beverage: Bourbon Whiskey
xiv. Official Firearm: Colt Walker
xv. Official Fiber: Cotton
xvi. Official Nut: Pecan
xvii. Official Fruit: Peach
xviii. Official Food: Fried Chicken
xix. Official Gem: Freshwater Pearl
xx. Official Mineral: Galena
xxi. Official Dog Breed: Redbone Coonhound
xxii. Official Deli Meat: Gabagool

Article III: Bill of Rights

The people of The South are naturally endowed by our creator, God, with certain inalienable rights which shall not be infringed under this constitution, including:

1. Freedom of Speech — All persons in The South are entitled to their freedom of thought and expression of their ideas and to communicate these ideas. No person shall be compelled to communicate or fund any thought repugnant to him, excepting sworn testimony before a court or board as well as information necessary and proper to commercial transactions. No laws shall be passed regulating or restraining the freedom of persons to reduce protected speech into other mediums, to make noncommercial copies thereof, and to publish or broadcast this protected speech. Freedom of speech and press shall be protected by the law with exceptions made for only those categories of speech not traditionally protected at common law. There shall be no law limiting the right of southern citizens to submit petitions to their elected officials free from retaliation and to sue in a proper court for proper relief. Additionally, there shall be no law prohibiting the right of persons to gather or assemble, on either public or private property, for any peaceful reason. Persons enjoy the right to associate together for the purpose of exercising any other right in concert, including the right to form entities for such purpose subject to law, as well as the right to exclude persons from noncommercial associations, the right to refuse to associate with an association, and the freedom from excessive burdens imposed upon associations.

2. Equality — All persons in The South are born equal, and shall be treated as so under the law, no matter their sex, race, color, or ethnicity, religion, parentage, disability, economic status, or State of residence within the Region. The provision of separate but equal facilities or programs based on sex in areas where such separation is traditional does not violate this provision. No government institution may explicitly favor one group over another, including through affirmative action programs, nor shall any government exempt its officers or employees from any law applying generally to the public nor shall the executive suspend any law without consent of the legislature. No person in the South shall be excluded from participating in public life based on the arbitrary classifications enumerated herein, including participation in the militia, in court proceedings as a witness or juror, or in consideration for public office or employment.

3. Democracy — The people of The South live in a republican democracy, and therefore all law-abiding citizens who meet voting requirements as established by law shall be granted the right to vote.

4. Rights of the Accused — All persons accused of a crime shall be presumed innocent until convicted by law. No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or felony crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and locale wherein the crime shall have been committed, as determined by law and allowing for changes of venue when an impartial jury cannot be empaneled, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation and be provided with a copy thereof; to a writ of habeas corpus when appropriate; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, to have the assistance of counsel for his defense, to present evidence of his innocence, offer jury instructions, exclude evidence obtained in violation of this Bill of Rights, and raise alternative arguments without prejudice. No person shall be tried for a crime in absentia or by a bill of attainder. Vague criminal laws shall be construed in favor of the accused. A person may voluntarily waive any of these rights upon declaration under oath to the court that such waiver is being made knowingly and freely. A jury conviction shall be unanimous. All persons standing trial shall be entitled to a copy of any exculpatory evidence in the possession of the prosecutor.

5. Right to Privacy — All people have the general right to privacy subject to the public health and safety. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, records, and property, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall be issued, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. A copy of the warrant shall be provided to the person being searched. No Soldier, militiaman, police, or public employee shall, in time of peace be quartered in any private property, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, invasion, or imminent peril, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. No person shall be required by law to present identification merely to be physically present in a public place. No list or database shall ever be created, compiled, or maintained of any privately owned weapons nor shall any list or database of persons exercising these rights be created.

6. Right to Religious Freedom — Each person possesses the right to believe or not believe whatever religious ideas they choose. No government shall infringe upon anyone's right to believe, worship, or participate in religious rites, subject to laws of general applicability where a reasonable accommodation is not possible. No person conscientiously opposed to the bearing of arms shall be compelled to do so. Furthermore there shall be no preference, endorsement, nor biases against or in favor of any one religion or a combination of religions, nor shall the religious be excluded from receiving public funds. No religious test or oath of office shall be required for public office or public employment. No government power shall be delegated to a religious body or organization nor shall the government have any power to determine or resolve disputed religious doctrine. The use of nondenominational prayers by public officials and employees shall not constitute the preferencing or endorsement of a religion nor shall the use of the Bible as a teaching tool in public schools, provided that such instructional use is not presented as pure fact.

7. Right to Property — All persons possess the general right of quiet enjoyment of their real, personal, and intangible property including the right to use, transport, alienate, and dispose of such property subject to the public interest. The taking of private property of any type for actual use by the public without just compensation determined by a proper court of law is prohibited, and the owner of any property taken in such manner shall have the right to reacquire such property for just compensation if such property is not actually used by the public.

8. Right to Travel — All persons have the right to move, travel, and roam, with or without other persons and with or without their lawful property on public lands and right-of-ways, when such movement does not imminently jeopardize the public health or safety. All persons also have the right to hunt, fish, forage for sustenance, camp, harvest timber, and consume public natural resources subject to reasonable laws for the promotion of conservation and good stewardship.

9. Right to Arms —The right of all persons who have not been convicted of a violent crime or have been declared incompetent through due process of law to own and publicly carry as many of any type of any lawful weapon as is desired for whatever lawful purpose shall not be infringed. Lawful weapons include but shall not be limited to any caliber of any firearm that can be carried and operated by a single person, bladed or blunt melee weapons, fireworks, hand-propelled explosives such as hand grenades, and electric stun guns. Accessories and ammunition for lawful weapons shall be construed as lawful weapons.

10. Cruel and Unusual Punishment — Excessive bail shall not be required nor unreasonably denied when the suspect is not a flight or safety risk, nor excessive fines or punitive damages imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. Humane capital punishment after due process for murder or rape convictions shall not be considered a cruel or unusual punishment.

11. Personal autonomy — All persons are sovereign over their physical persons. All persons have a right to be born when such birth does not endanger the life of the mother. All persons have a right to a name. All persons have the right to engage in self-defense. No competent person shall be compelled to receive any medical treatment, sterilization, abortion, drug, or vaccine, nor shall any competent person be compelled to ingest anything, or have an organ or body part removed, or receive any tattoo, marking, or microchip. No person shall be compelled to become impregnated or engage in sexual conduct with any person nor shall any unrelated consenting adults be prohibited from engaging in non-commercial sexual conduct in private, subject to reasonable public health measures to prevent the spread of sexually transmissible diseases and reasonable protections against coercive sex resulting from hierarchical power imbalances. Slavery and involuntary servitude, whether as a result of legal status, punishment, peonage, debts, or contracts is hereby prohibited. This shall not include participation in legal proceedings or in a draft or militia service during an emergency declared pursuant to law.

12. Family — All persons have the right to form families. No two consenting adults disrelated by blood by at least two degrees of family lineage shall be prohibited from legal marriage. No person shall be prohibited by law from conceiving and bearing children nor shall any law unreasonably limit the legal adoption of children by adults determined by law to be competent parents or of incapacitated adults by family members determined by law to be competent guardians. Parents shall have the right to direct the care, custody, and education of their child, provided that the best interests of the child are not greatly endangered by such determination. Family members and descendants shall be entitled to prevent the intentional desecration, destruction, damaging, or removal of the graves of and public monuments to their loved ones, whether by force, injunction, or other legal remedy.

13. Contract — All persons possess the general right to contract with other persons, whether for goods, property, wages, labor, personal services, insurance, or other lawful purpose, subject to the public policy and laws of The South. No person shall refuse to contract with another person for goods, property, wages, or insurance on the basis of being a member in a classification protected in Paragraph 2 of this Bill of Rights.

14. Labor — All persons possess the right to engage in a skilled trade, the right to alienate their labor, the right to collectively bargain their labor, the right to form and join unions for such purpose, the right to refuse to join or fund unions without retaliation, and the right to privacy both through a secret ballot in any union certification election and protection from having personal information given by an employer to representatives of a union.

15. Civil Lawsuits — In civil cases where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty-five thousand dollars fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court, than according to the rules of the common law nor shall any jury be bifurcated between determining facts and determining a reward. The legislature may establish a cap on punitive, non-economic, and other intangible damages. Equitable remedies shall be solely reserved for the judiciary which shall possess the power to issue all writs to provide an adequate remedy. No defendant shall be denied the presumption of non-liability. Any person may settle a civil claim without approval of a court.

16. Crime Victims— The victim of any crime as determined by due process of law shall be entitled to restitution from the criminal, the right to address the court prior to sentencing, and the right to notice when the criminal has escaped or is released from prison.

17. Marijuana — The right of adults to cultivate, harvest, and consume tobacco, marijuana, cannabis, or derivatives thereof for personal use shall not be violated, subject to reasonable regulation of the time, place, and manner of consuming the same. No law shall prohibit in totality the commercial sale or distribution of such products.

18. Revolution — Government being instituted for the common benefit, protection, and security, of the whole community, and not for the private interest or emolument of any one man, family, or class of men; therefore, whenever the ends of government are perverted, and public liberty manifestly endangered, and all other means of redress are ineffectual, the people may, and of right ought to reform the old, or establish a new government. The doctrine of nonresistance against arbitrary power, and oppression, is absurd, slavish, and destructive of the good and happiness of mankind.

19. Other Rights — The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

[reagente]

PAGE 2 OF 2

Article IV: The Executive Branch

1. The executive authority of The South shall be vested in the Prince of The South. The Prince must be a registered voter in The South.

2. The Prince must be elected democratically by the people of The South. Elections are to be held every February, April, June, August, October, and December.

i. For elections in February, April, June, August, October, the appropriate election administrator will open the voting booth at 12:00:00am EDT of the penultimate Friday of the month and will close said booth the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT.

ii. For elections in December, the appropriate election administrator will open the voting booth at 12:00:00am EDT of the second Friday of the month and will close said booth the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT.

3. Candidates for Prince will be given until the Wednesday at 11:59:59 pm EDT preceding the first date of polling in the election they wish to contest to announce their candidacy and appear on the ballot. This is to be done by officially declaring their candidacy in the Candidate Declaration Thread.

4. When the polls close, the appropriate election administrator of The South shall be given twenty-four hours to count the votes and declare a winner. All Princely elections shall be by first-past-the-post, unless otherwise specified by law. The newly elected Prince is to be officially enthroned on the Friday following the election. In the case of a tie, the outgoing Prince shall break the tie. There may only be one Prince at any point in time. Once a new Prince is sworn in, the old one forfeits their office.

5. Should the office of Prince fall vacant at any point during the term, the Hereditary Prince shall immediately assume the role of Prince.

6. The Prince shall have the power to carry out all acts in association with the enforcement of the laws passed under this Constitution; to command the regional militia in times of war; to appoint and dismiss the heads of any executive 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 he shall have no power to pardon himself; and to appoint, in accordance with Article V of the Constitution of the Republic of Atlasia, the Associate Justice for this Region.

7. The Prince is obligated to submit a budget for approval by the State Diet before the end of their term. The budget shall remain in effect until subsequently amended or replaced. The Prince is obliged to ensure that the budget does not provide for any deficits except in times of emergency or war, a condition the State Diet must successfully endorse by a two-thirds majority. All budgets must include a plan for revenue and taxation and will be voted on during regularly scheduled voting assemblies.

8. The office of Prince is to be deemed vacant upon the resignation or recall of the sitting Prince.

9. The Hereditary-Prince must be a registered voter in the South.

10. The Hereditary-Prince must be elected democratically by the people of The South on a separate ballot line from the Prince. Elections are to be held every February, April, June, August, October, and December.

i. For elections in February, April, June, August, October, the appropriate election administrator will open the voting booth at 12:00:00am EDT of the penultimate Friday of the month and will close said booth the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT.

ii. For elections in December, the appropriate election administrator will open the voting booth at 12:00:00am EDT of the second Friday of the month and will close said booth the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT.

11. Candidates for Hereditary-Prince will be given until the Wednesday at 11:59:59 pm EDT preceding the first date of polling in the election they wish to contest to announce their candidacy and appear on the ballot. This is to be done by officially declaring their candidacy in the Candidate Declaration Thread.

12. When the polls close, the appropriate election administrator of The South shall be given twenty-four hours to count the votes and declare a winner. All Hereditary-Princely elections shall be by first-past-the-post, unless otherwise specified by law. The newly elected Hereditary-Prince is to be officially enthroned on the Friday following the election. In the case of a tie, the incoming Prince shall break the tie. The winner will be eligible to swear in immediately. There may only be one Hereditary-Prince at any point in time. Once a new Hereditary-Prince is sworn in, the old one forfeits their office.

13. Should the office of Hereditary-Prince fall vacant at any point during the term, the Prince shall appoint a new Hereditary-Prince.

14. The office of Hereditary-Prince is to be deemed vacant upon the resignation or recall of the sitting Hereditary-Prince.

15. The State Diet may pass a law providing an order of succession in the event that both the office of Prince and Hereditary-Prince are vacant.

Article V: Princely Titles

1. The long-form title of the Prince shall be: “His Serene Highness the Prince of The South”

2. The Prince shall have the following ceremonial titles:

i. Count of the Upper South
ii. Lord of the Deep South

3. The long-form title of the Hereditary-Prince are shall be: “His Serene Highness the Hereditary-Prince of The South”

4. In the event that a female holds the office of Prince or Hereditary-Prince, they shall be styled as Princess or Hereditary-Princess respectively, and the long-form and ceremonial titles for that office holder shall have male pronouns replaced with female ones.

Article VI: The Legislative Branch

1. The legislative power of The South shall be vested to the State Diet. The State Diet shall be a universal legislature composed of all eligible Southern citizens, including any executive and judicial officers.

2. The State Diet shall assemble to vote on legislation six times each year, in February, April, June, August, October, and December.

i. For voting assemblies in February, April, June, August, October, the appropriate election administrator will open the voting booth at 12:00:00am EDT of the penultimate Friday of the month and will close said booth the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT.

ii. For voting assemblies in December, the appropriate election administrator will open the voting booth at 12:00:00am EDT of the second Friday of the month and will close said booth the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT.

3. The State Diet shall not admit as eligible members any person having resided in any other region within the fifty-six (56) days prior to the commencement of a voting assembly, nor any person who has registered to vote within one hundred sixty-eight (168) hours prior to the commencement of a voting assembly.

4. 168 hours prior to the commencement of a voting assembly, the appropriate election administrator shall conduct and publish a census of eligible members.

5. The Prince shall open a new Legislation Submission thread at the start of each session. If the Prince fails to do so within seventy-two (72) hours of enthronement, any Southern citizen may open a new Legislation Submission thread.

6. Each member of the State Diet shall be allowed to submit up to two pieces of legislation for a vote each session. Finalized legislation must be posted in the Legislation Submission thread by 11:59:59 pm EDT on the Wednesday preceding the first day of a session’s voting assembly. The Prince’s budget shall not be counted against this two-bill limit.

i. Members of the State Diet may create threads for proposed legislation to solicit feedback from other members, but any proposed legislation must ultimately be submitted in the Legislation Submission thread in order to be voted on by the State Diet.

ii. If a member of the State Diet submits more than two pieces of legislation to the Legislation Submission thread, only the first two pieces of legislation will be voted on.

iii. Legislation submitted or edited within twenty-four (24) hours of a voting assembly will not be voted on by the State Diet at that voting assembly.

7. Each submitted bill will receive an identification number in accordance with its order of submission in the Legislation Submission thread.

8. The appropriate election administrator shall include the bill’s identification number, the bill’s short-form title, the bill’s sponsor, the federal and regional party of the bill’s sponsor, and a link to the full text of the legislation in the voting booth.

9. Any piece of legislation attaining a majority of votes cast shall be considered passed by the State Diet. No legislation shall become law without obtaining such a majority. There shall be no tie-breaking – any bill that attains only a tied vote shall not be considered passed by the State Diet.

10. The laws of the State Diet shall be the supreme law of the South, and no State, local, territorial, tribal, or other subordinate government in the South shall be entitled to nullify, countermand, or contradict Southern law. The State Diet shall have the power to determine the eligibility and methods of organizing and electing any subordinate NPC State or local government office or title in the South.

Article VII: The Judicial Branch

1. The judicial power of The South shall be vested in the Southern Circuit Court, whose membership is the Associate Justice from The South.

2. The jurisdiction of the Southern Circuit Court shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, arising under this Constitution and all official acts made under its authority and to controversies between two or more citizens of the South. No State, local, territorial, or tribal government shall be entitled to invoke sovereign immunity in the Southern Circuit Court unless expressly authorized by a duly passed statute from the legislature.

3. Treason against The South, shall consist only in levying War or Rebellion against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

4. The State Diet shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.
 
Article VIII: Elections

1. Any votes by people who have not been registered to vote in The South for 168 hours at the start of the election will be invalid.

2. All ballots must be cast in-person in the appropriate Voting Booth Thread. No voter may deliver his or her ballot early or by mail, email, PM, off-site drop box, or other means. Ballots shall only be valid if posted in the appropriate Voting Booth Thread during the election period.

3. No ballot may be delivered to the Voting Booth Thread by a proxy or ballot harvester.

4. Should a candidate for office wish to appear on the ballot under something other than their permanent Atlas Forum username, the officer preparing the ballot shall accommodate that request if it is a long-standing alternative username, unless the alternative username would confuse the candidate with another user. The Atlas Forum username shall appear in brackets in equal formatting after the alternative username.

5. Citizens of The South may register in regional parties in addition to and separate from federal parties. On official ballots, all candidates shall be listed with their regional party first, followed by the candidate's federal party.

Article IX: Federal Senators

1. As mandated by the federal constitution, The South shall elect one (1) senator to represent the entire region in the federal senate and one (1) senator to represent each subregion in the federal senate. Senators must be a registered voter in The South.

2. The regional senator shall be elected in the months of February, June and October. The subregional senators shall be elected in the months of April, August and December.

3. The appropriate election administrator will open the voting booth at the time specified by Federal law.

4. Candidates for senator will be given until the Wednesday at 11:59:59 pm EDT preceding the first date of polling in the election they wish to contest to announce their candidacy and appear on the ballot. This is to be done by officially declaring their candidacy in the Candidate Declaration Thread.

5. When the polls close, the appropriate election administrator of The South shall be given twenty-four hours to count the votes and declare a winner. All senatorial elections shall be by single transferable vote, unless otherwise specified by law. The newly elected senator is to be officially sworn in on the Friday following the election. In the case of a tie, all tied candidates are to run in a run-off election the following week to determine a winner, organized by the appropriate election administrator. If a tie remains, the previous senator shall remain in office until a senator is elected. Once a new senator is sworn in, the old one forfeits their office.

6. Senate vacancies occurring more than thirty days prior to the end of the term shall be filled by a special election. The appropriate election administrator shall be empowered to schedule the time of the special election, subject to the limitation that the election must be opened on a Friday at 12:00:00 AM EST and run for 72 hours.

Article X: Recall Elections

1. The people of The South shall have the power to recall the Prince, Hereditary-Prince, and other executive branch officials.

2. Recall petitions that collect at least twelve (12) signatures shall be considered valid. When a valid petition is presented, the appropriate election administrator shall open the voting booth on the next Friday at 12:00:00am EDT and shall close said booth the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT. The recall question is: “Shall [name of office holder] be recalled from the office of [name of office held]?” Every citizen will be given the opportunity to vote “YES, RECALL” to remove the officeholder and “NO, RETAIN” to keep the office holder. Abstentions will not affect the results. The officer will be recalled if a majority of Southern citizens vote affirmatively to recall. Only votes and signatures from eligible Southern voters shall be considered valid for recall questions.

3. Recall petitions will automatically lapse after one week if requisite signatures are not obtained in that time.

4. If the Prince is recalled, the Hereditary-Prince shall take office. If the Hereditary-Prince or other executive branch official is recalled, the Prince shall appoint a replacement officeholder.

5. Recalled officeholders are ineligible for appointment to any office until the next regularly scheduled Southern election.

Article XI: Emergency Voting Assembly

1. The Prince shall have the power to call an emergency voting assembly, if co-signed by twelve members of the State Diet. An emergency voting assembly shall not be considered the start of a new legislative session.

2. If the Prince calls an emergency voting assembly, he must specify the 72-hour voting period for which the emergency voting assembly will take place for the call to be valid. The emergency voting assembly must occur before the next regularly scheduled voting assembly.

3. A call for an emergency voting assembly will automatically lapse after one week if requisite co-signatures are not obtained in that time.

4. All legislation submitted to the Legislation Submission thread by twenty-four (24) hours preceding the start of the designated voting period for the emergency voting assembly shall be voted on at the emergency voting assembly.

Article XII: Amendments

1. Any member of the State Diet may propose a constitutional amendment to this constitution. Proposed constitutional amendments will count towards a member’s two-bill limit.

2. Proposed amendments to this constitution shall be voted on during the regularly scheduled voting assemblies. This constitution shall not be amended or replaced by the people of the South except by a 3/4ths vote of the citizens thereof.

3. Proposed amendments to the federal constitution shall require the affirmative vote of a majority of the citizens of The South who vote for or against the proposed amendment.

4. Proposed amendments to the federal constitution shall be voted on at the next regularly scheduled voting assembly, or at an emergency voting assembly, should one have been successfully called, whichever is sooner.

Article XIII: Continuity

1. This Constitution shall come into effect on August 18, 2023.  The previous Southern Constitution shall continue to operate until then. Any modifications made to the outgoing Constitution will not bind this document.

2. Any law passed by The South prior to August 18, 2023 shall remain in force unless modified by this Constitution or by subsequent legislation. Any criminal penalty or impeachment made prior to August 18, 2023 shall also remain in force unless modified by this Constitution or by subsequent legislation.

3. The provisions of this Constitution, and the provisions of any laws enacted pursuant thereto or prior thereto shall, to the maximum extent permissible, be severable from one another if ever struck down by any court. If a section of this Constitution is found invalid, the text of that section shall be replaced by its previous version, should a previous version exist in this Constitution or any predecessor document.

4. The State Diet may make contingent laws that only go into effect upon the occurrence of future or speculative events, however unlikely, to ensure continuity of government, sound planning, and the faithful execution of this Constitution.

[reagente]

Opening a vote. 72 hours, 24 hours after a majority have voted, or until everyone has voted.

Question: Refer the Draft Constitution to the Southern electorate?
Aye: [ ]
Nay: [ ]
Abstain: [ ]

[reagente]

Aye

[OSR stands with Israel]

Aye

[ChiefFireWaterMike]

Aye

[reagente]

All three constitutional convention delegates have voted, and the result is 3 - 0 in favor. The proposed constitution will be referred to the Southern electorate this weekend.