L.C. 10.19 - Third Lincoln Constitution

[KaiserDave]

Ignoring the quixotic and constitutionally deranged argument (this is Atlasia....not America, we haven't been around for 300 years!), I want 3 or 2 months. I think the legislature agrees.

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

Poison pills rarely seem like poison pills to their supporters. But after watching politics for years, and our own intense debate in L.C. 10.14, I know that risking the issue was simply not the right choice given how important Philly Plan Repeal is.

Sometimes, you have meritful ideas - but it simply isn't the right time. That applies here. You need to learn restraint. Tanking bills with poison pills is rarely worth it long term - as some RL politicians have had to learn the hard way.

[OBD]

The purpose of this Constitution is to improve the system of governance of Lincoln. It is not to relitigate an issue that Lincoln - and Atlasia is a whole - is deeply divided on.

Frankly annoyed that the councilor from New Jersey is engaging in political posturing in a bill that is pretty explicitly nonpartisan. The introduction of the contentious issue of gun rights into this debate is both counterproductive and a clear delaying tactic. Shameful.

[Continential]

Also, the NRA doesn't exist.

[S019]

I am irritated that I'm being accused of political posturing, when everyone here involved knows my views on the gun issue, and knows that I genuinely believe in such a narrow interpretation of gun ownership (confused why people responded to my argument, when they knew that the amendment would fail and they thought that it was deranged ramblings, this is not an invitation to reopen said argument). Putting that aside, I'm unsure why the opposition to 4 months is so loud, and the arguments against 2 can easily be deciphered looking through this thread. Also I don't understand the issue with 7 member legislatures, especially given how uncommon they've been. They haven't occurred since I lost re-election, and for better or for worse, Lincoln had a much larger active player base back then (not going to debate the merits of that). If we have enough players to sustain a 7 member legislature, imo that is a sign of heightened interest in the region, and we might want to have the seats to accommodate that heightened interest. Likewise, when I returned to the Council in October 2019, interest in the region was very low and the region could only sustain a three person legislature. The only case where large legislatures could be bad is April 2019, when both sides were forced to recruit way too many candidates and that resulted in a chamber where four people (me, Pyro, Tack, and Griff) wrote all of the bills. None of the people running right now strike me as people who will be super inactive in office, so I don't think this situation will repeat.

[YE]

Lots of people in this game are anti-gun. They don’t start discussions on the IRL 2nd amendment which just for cultural reasons merits of its existence aside is going to be a hot issue just because they don’t like the return of presidentialism or the strengthening of executive power. This is the short of sh**t I would have expected from the Federalists in the aftermath of June 2019, not to derail the efforts of a new constitution proposed by the governor of your own party that you happen to disagree with.

As for the seven versus five member debate, all I’m saying is seven is no more efficient than five. If you think 7 is reasonable when there’s literally 9 candidates because it wouldn’t be a good idea to deny 4 candidates a chance to win elected office, that’s a fair point. I’m not sure what else is here to discuss other than remind you the dangerous of excessive offices can create in the long run that Adam and others have warned about in the leadup to June 2019 as well as during Rimjob.

[S019]

As for the seven versus five member debate, all I’m saying is seven is no more efficient than five. If you think 7 is reasonable when there’s literally 9 candidates because it wouldn’t be a good idea to deny 4 candidates a chance to win elected office, that’s a fair point. I’m not sure what else is here to discuss other than remind you the dangerous of excessive offices can create in the long run that Adam and others have warned about in the leadup to June 2019 as well as during Rimjob.

I don't think you'd get excessive offices unless you end up with a April 2019 scenario as mentioned above, when Griffin and others did move to cap the legislature size. Also another way around this is to strengthen activity requirements, which I always thought were too lax, missing amendment votes should also count for activity requirements, imo.

[S019]

It's no secret that I don't support a hard veto, so I want to try this once, if it fails, then it fails, if it passes then it passes. This will introduce a tiered veto system, which allows the governor to have some hard vetoes and introduces a line item veto that can be used once in a blue moon. I think this a fair compromise on veto power, this gives the governor flexibility in which type of veto they'd like to use. It also keeps referendum vetoes, as well. The flexibility that this system provides I think is a better alternative than restricting the Governor to one type of veto.

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. No government organization shall sponsor religion in any way.
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 nine or more candidates on the ballot in a regular election, in which case it shall be seven, or if there are less than five candidates running, in which case the number of candidates shall be one less than those contesting the election, chosen every fourth 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, per the guidelines in I:6, 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, per the guidelines in I:6 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 they deem fit, and return it to the legislature for reconsideration. If the redrafted bill is rejected by the chamber, and the original bill passed the chamber by a two-thirds margin, the original bill shall be sent to referendum. If the redrafted bill is rejected by the Chamber, and the original bill passed by less than two-thirds, the Governor shall be compelled to sign or veto, per the guidelines in I:6 the original bill.

6. The governor shall have three types of vetos: a hard veto, a soft veto, and a line item veto. A soft veto shall allow the governor to send the bill to referendum, if said veto is not overridden. A hard veto shall allow the governor to kill a bill, if said veto is not overridden. A line item veto shall allow the governor to kill some clauses of a bill, and sign others, at their discretion, if said veto is not overridden. The governor shall have 5 hard vetoes per legislative session and 2 line item vetoes. The governor may not use a line item veto on the same legislation on which they use the redraft. Other than these 7 vetoes, all other vetoes of the Governor shall be soft vetoes

6. 7. 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. 8. 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. 9. 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 and Chamber shall be held in the months of April, August, 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.

Occupying: Government Slot 7 of 12
Sponsor: Speaker Dwarven Dragon

[/quote]

[At-Large Senator LouisvilleThunder]

My suggestion would be to just make the constitution and government structure as simple as possible since that will allow Lincoln to be able to focus on having fair passionate fights over all sorts of ideological issues that this region has been known for years.

Either a 4 month governor term with 2 month legislative terms or having both at 3 months would work. I feel like 4 and 2 would be a better arrangement for Lincoln due to its history and culture being prone to wild shifts and the elections are what makes the history in a way the South and Fremont aren't  (since the South has always had a more conservative natural bent while Fremont is more consistently progressive dominated without much opposition). I feel like this spirit should be embraced as the core character of the region as I have written in detail about on the wiki page. https://talkelections.org/AFEWIKI/index.php?title=Lincoln#History

As for legislature size, I think 5 and 7 is a standard that works fine.

[S019]

My suggestion would be to just make the constitution and government structure as simple as possible since that will allow Lincoln to be able to focus on having fair passionate fights over all sorts of ideological issues that this region has been known for years.

Either a 4 month governor term with 2 month legislative terms or having both at 3 months would work. I feel like 4 and 2 would be a better arrangement for Lincoln due to its history and culture being prone to wild shifts and the elections are what makes the history in a way the South and Fremont aren't  (since the South has always had a more conservative natural bent while Fremont is more consistently progressive dominated without much opposition). I feel like this spirit should be embraced as the core character of the region as I have written in detail about on the wiki page. https://talkelections.org/AFEWIKI/index.php?title=Lincoln#History

As for legislature size, I think 5 and 7 is a standard that works fine.

2 months is way too frequent. 3 or 4 is fine.

[At-Large Senator LouisvilleThunder]

My suggestion would be to just make the constitution and government structure as simple as possible since that will allow Lincoln to be able to focus on having fair passionate fights over all sorts of ideological issues that this region has been known for years.

Either a 4 month governor term with 2 month legislative terms or having both at 3 months would work. I feel like 4 and 2 would be a better arrangement for Lincoln due to its history and culture being prone to wild shifts and the elections are what makes the history in a way the South and Fremont aren't  (since the South has always had a more conservative natural bent while Fremont is more consistently progressive dominated without much opposition). I feel like this spirit should be embraced as the core character of the region as I have written in detail about on the wiki page. https://talkelections.org/AFEWIKI/index.php?title=Lincoln#History

As for legislature size, I think 5 and 7 is a standard that works fine.

2 months is way too frequent. 3 or 4 is fine.

House elections are every 2 months, and that works well in this game.

[S019]

My suggestion would be to just make the constitution and government structure as simple as possible since that will allow Lincoln to be able to focus on having fair passionate fights over all sorts of ideological issues that this region has been known for years.

Either a 4 month governor term with 2 month legislative terms or having both at 3 months would work. I feel like 4 and 2 would be a better arrangement for Lincoln due to its history and culture being prone to wild shifts and the elections are what makes the history in a way the South and Fremont aren't  (since the South has always had a more conservative natural bent while Fremont is more consistently progressive dominated without much opposition). I feel like this spirit should be embraced as the core character of the region as I have written in detail about on the wiki page. https://talkelections.org/AFEWIKI/index.php?title=Lincoln#History

As for legislature size, I think 5 and 7 is a standard that works fine.

2 months is way too frequent. 3 or 4 is fine.

House elections are every 2 months, and that works well in this game.

I mean a majority of the chamber is opposed to 2 months, so just like I did on the gun issue, you should frankly move on, I don't know how to put it any nicer, but it is annoying to have people spamming "2 months" in this thread, when it was voted down. 3 seems like where we'll end up, and the current off-year system has worked well. Also longer terms allow for legislators to get more done in office, and that would be better than like 2 weeks out of an 8 week term spent campaigning, that is 25% of the time in office that legislators are forced to campaign and not able to focus on making lives better for their constituents. 25% of an office's term being spent mostly campaigning would be frankly absurd, and unlike the House we don't have the 2-3 week lame duck period.

[At-Large Senator LouisvilleThunder]

My suggestion would be to just make the constitution and government structure as simple as possible since that will allow Lincoln to be able to focus on having fair passionate fights over all sorts of ideological issues that this region has been known for years.

Either a 4 month governor term with 2 month legislative terms or having both at 3 months would work. I feel like 4 and 2 would be a better arrangement for Lincoln due to its history and culture being prone to wild shifts and the elections are what makes the history in a way the South and Fremont aren't  (since the South has always had a more conservative natural bent while Fremont is more consistently progressive dominated without much opposition). I feel like this spirit should be embraced as the core character of the region as I have written in detail about on the wiki page. https://talkelections.org/AFEWIKI/index.php?title=Lincoln#History

As for legislature size, I think 5 and 7 is a standard that works fine.

2 months is way too frequent. 3 or 4 is fine.

House elections are every 2 months, and that works well in this game.

I mean a majority of the chamber is opposed to 2 months, so just like I did on the gun issue, you should frankly move on, I don't know how to put it any nicer, but it is annoying to have people spamming "2 months" in this thread, when it was voted down. 3 seems like where we'll end up, and the current off-year system has worked well. Also longer terms allow for legislators to get more done in office, and that would be better than like 2 weeks out of an 8 week term spent campaigning, that is 25% of the time in office that legislators are forced to campaign and not able to focus on making lives better for their constituents. 25% of an office's term being spent mostly campaigning would be frankly absurd, and unlike the House we don't have the 2-3 week lame duck period.

Brother Jonathan and IBNU didn't vote on term length, so you don't even have a mandate to tell me to "move on."

[S019]

My suggestion would be to just make the constitution and government structure as simple as possible since that will allow Lincoln to be able to focus on having fair passionate fights over all sorts of ideological issues that this region has been known for years.

Either a 4 month governor term with 2 month legislative terms or having both at 3 months would work. I feel like 4 and 2 would be a better arrangement for Lincoln due to its history and culture being prone to wild shifts and the elections are what makes the history in a way the South and Fremont aren't  (since the South has always had a more conservative natural bent while Fremont is more consistently progressive dominated without much opposition). I feel like this spirit should be embraced as the core character of the region as I have written in detail about on the wiki page. https://talkelections.org/AFEWIKI/index.php?title=Lincoln#History

As for legislature size, I think 5 and 7 is a standard that works fine.

2 months is way too frequent. 3 or 4 is fine.

House elections are every 2 months, and that works well in this game.

I mean a majority of the chamber is opposed to 2 months, so just like I did on the gun issue, you should frankly move on, I don't know how to put it any nicer, but it is annoying to have people spamming "2 months" in this thread, when it was voted down. 3 seems like where we'll end up, and the current off-year system has worked well. Also longer terms allow for legislators to get more done in office, and that would be better than like 2 weeks out of an 8 week term spent campaigning, that is 25% of the time in office that legislators are forced to campaign and not able to focus on making lives better for their constituents. 25% of an office's term being spent mostly campaigning would be frankly absurd, and unlike the House we don't have the 2-3 week lame duck period.

Brother Jonathan and IBNU didn't vote on term length, so you don't even have a mandate to tell me to "move on."

Well the amendment changing it to 4 did pass earlier, so it's clear that 2 was at least not the first preference, regardless of whether or not it is preferred over 3. I know people hate Condorcet Voting but it's particularly relevant here, 4 would win a Condorcet over 2 pretty clearly, if 2 wins this upcoming vote, then it is preferred over 3, but not preferred over 4, meaning 4 would obv be the Condorcet winner. Now, if 3 wins, doing a 3 v 4 vote might make sense, but in any case, I don't think you can argue that a majority of the current chambers prefers 2 as their first choice.

[YE]

My suggestion would be to just make the constitution and government structure as simple as possible since that will allow Lincoln to be able to focus on having fair passionate fights over all sorts of ideological issues that this region has been known for years.

Either a 4 month governor term with 2 month legislative terms or having both at 3 months would work. I feel like 4 and 2 would be a better arrangement for Lincoln due to its history and culture being prone to wild shifts and the elections are what makes the history in a way the South and Fremont aren't  (since the South has always had a more conservative natural bent while Fremont is more consistently progressive dominated without much opposition). I feel like this spirit should be embraced as the core character of the region as I have written in detail about on the wiki page. https://talkelections.org/AFEWIKI/index.php?title=Lincoln#History

As for legislature size, I think 5 and 7 is a standard that works fine.

2 months is way too frequent. 3 or 4 is fine.

House elections are every 2 months, and that works well in this game.

I mean a majority of the chamber is opposed to 2 months, so just like I did on the gun issue, you should frankly move on, I don't know how to put it any nicer, but it is annoying to have people spamming "2 months" in this thread, when it was voted down. 3 seems like where we'll end up, and the current off-year system has worked well. Also longer terms allow for legislators to get more done in office, and that would be better than like 2 weeks out of an 8 week term spent campaigning, that is 25% of the time in office that legislators are forced to campaign and not able to focus on making lives better for their constituents. 25% of an office's term being spent mostly campaigning would be frankly absurd, and unlike the House we don't have the 2-3 week lame duck period.

Brother Jonathan and IBNU didn't vote on term length, so you don't even have a mandate to tell me to "move on."

Yeah, I think this only failed because of all the confusion with so many amendments proposed and that’s at least somewhat on the speaker.

Also who actually spends 2 weeks actually campaigning in this game except for presidential races and Senate races to the point where serving in the legislature becomes particularly time consuming? In fact I’d be surprised if more than a third of all Labor members who have ever sent a campaign PM while serving in the regional legislature unless they were a veteran player who returned to the low levels and was always involved in GOTV or something (I fall in this category).

[S019]

My suggestion would be to just make the constitution and government structure as simple as possible since that will allow Lincoln to be able to focus on having fair passionate fights over all sorts of ideological issues that this region has been known for years.

Either a 4 month governor term with 2 month legislative terms or having both at 3 months would work. I feel like 4 and 2 would be a better arrangement for Lincoln due to its history and culture being prone to wild shifts and the elections are what makes the history in a way the South and Fremont aren't  (since the South has always had a more conservative natural bent while Fremont is more consistently progressive dominated without much opposition). I feel like this spirit should be embraced as the core character of the region as I have written in detail about on the wiki page. https://talkelections.org/AFEWIKI/index.php?title=Lincoln#History

As for legislature size, I think 5 and 7 is a standard that works fine.

2 months is way too frequent. 3 or 4 is fine.

House elections are every 2 months, and that works well in this game.

I mean a majority of the chamber is opposed to 2 months, so just like I did on the gun issue, you should frankly move on, I don't know how to put it any nicer, but it is annoying to have people spamming "2 months" in this thread, when it was voted down. 3 seems like where we'll end up, and the current off-year system has worked well. Also longer terms allow for legislators to get more done in office, and that would be better than like 2 weeks out of an 8 week term spent campaigning, that is 25% of the time in office that legislators are forced to campaign and not able to focus on making lives better for their constituents. 25% of an office's term being spent mostly campaigning would be frankly absurd, and unlike the House we don't have the 2-3 week lame duck period.

Brother Jonathan and IBNU didn't vote on term length, so you don't even have a mandate to tell me to "move on."

Yeah, I think this only failed because of all the confusion with so many amendments proposed and that’s at least somewhat on the speaker.

Also who actually spends 2 weeks actually campaigning in this game except for presidential races and Senate races to the point where serving in the legislature becomes particularly time consuming? In fact I’d be surprised if more than a third of all Labor members who have ever sent a campaign PM while serving in the regional legislature unless they were a veteran player who returned to the low levels and was always involved in GOTV or something (I fall in this category).

I can't speak for anyone else, but I have sent GOTV messages for myself in the past in almost every election I ran in, and I ran almost all of my GOTV back in July 2019, when I was a Fed. New players especially often post speeches as part of campaigning too, all of this can eat away time, also longer terms gives them time to learn in office, and hopefully grow as players.

[At-Large Senator LouisvilleThunder]

My suggestion would be to just make the constitution and government structure as simple as possible since that will allow Lincoln to be able to focus on having fair passionate fights over all sorts of ideological issues that this region has been known for years.

Either a 4 month governor term with 2 month legislative terms or having both at 3 months would work. I feel like 4 and 2 would be a better arrangement for Lincoln due to its history and culture being prone to wild shifts and the elections are what makes the history in a way the South and Fremont aren't  (since the South has always had a more conservative natural bent while Fremont is more consistently progressive dominated without much opposition). I feel like this spirit should be embraced as the core character of the region as I have written in detail about on the wiki page. https://talkelections.org/AFEWIKI/index.php?title=Lincoln#History

As for legislature size, I think 5 and 7 is a standard that works fine.

2 months is way too frequent. 3 or 4 is fine.

House elections are every 2 months, and that works well in this game.

I mean a majority of the chamber is opposed to 2 months, so just like I did on the gun issue, you should frankly move on, I don't know how to put it any nicer, but it is annoying to have people spamming "2 months" in this thread, when it was voted down. 3 seems like where we'll end up, and the current off-year system has worked well. Also longer terms allow for legislators to get more done in office, and that would be better than like 2 weeks out of an 8 week term spent campaigning, that is 25% of the time in office that legislators are forced to campaign and not able to focus on making lives better for their constituents. 25% of an office's term being spent mostly campaigning would be frankly absurd, and unlike the House we don't have the 2-3 week lame duck period.

Brother Jonathan and IBNU didn't vote on term length, so you don't even have a mandate to tell me to "move on."

Yeah, I think this only failed because of all the confusion with so many amendments proposed and that’s at least somewhat on the speaker.

Also who actually spends 2 weeks actually campaigning in this game except for presidential races and Senate races to the point where serving in the legislature becomes particularly time consuming? In fact I’d be surprised if more than a third of all Labor members who have ever sent a campaign PM while serving in the regional legislature unless they were a veteran player who returned to the low levels and was always involved in GOTV or something (I fall in this category).

I can't speak for anyone else, but I have sent GOTV messages for myself in the past in almost every election I ran in, and I ran almost all of my GOTV back in July 2019, when I was a Fed. New players especially often post speeches as part of campaigning too, all of this can eat away time, also longer terms gives them time to learn in office, and hopefully grow as players.

It really makes no difference. People will be interested in the election side of things too if they're going to be an active new player who stays around in the game for a long time. Shorter terms help provide a shorter wait period for interested new players and it also makes it so that those who go inactive or only do the bare minimum in office can leave earlier.

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

This is a general grammatical amendment. It includes setting the name at "General Court", while retaining Deputies as the name for the members themselves. I think I got all the mentions of Chamber, but let me know if you see something I missed. I also added in the ability for the Governor to name someone else to be the regular overseer of elections, since the current incumbent has made use of the existing "Minister of Regional Elections" position.

A. The Lincoln Council is hereby renamed to the Lincoln Chamber General Court 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 General Court's 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 General Court 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 ChamberGeneral Court shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, nor obstructing the freedom of worship. No government organization shall sponsor religion in any way.
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.General Court.
2. The Chamber shall consist of five membersdeputies, except when there are nine or more candidates on the ballot in a regular election, in which case it shall be seven, or if there are less than five candidates runningon the ballot, in which case the number of candidates shall be one less than those contesting the electionon the ballot, chosen every fourth 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 General Court 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 General Court 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 General Court 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 General Court 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 ChamberGeneral Court. The Governor shall have the authority to submit revisions to passed legislation, if they deem fit, and return it to the legislature for reconsideration. If the redrafted bill is rejected by the chamberGeneral Court, and the original bill passed the chamber by a two-thirds margin, the original bill shall be sent to referendum. If the redrafted bill is rejected by the ChamberGeneral Court, and the original bill passed by less than two-thirds, the Governor shall be compelled to sign or veto the original bill.
6. Whenever a vacancy should occur in the composition of the ChamberGeneral Court, the governor shall appoint a replacement. Should the vacancy have occurred fewer than 336 hours before the next general election, the member deputy thus nominated shall serve the remainder of the existing term; otherwise, they shall serve only until a new member may be elected.
7. The ChamberGeneral Court 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 presentall sitting deputies, 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 ChamberGeneral Court, the governor shall have the power to break the tie.
9. Where the text above references a two-thirds margin, it shall be construed to refer to the support of two-thirds of all sitting deputies.

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 ChamberGeneral Court.
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 ChamberGeneral Court.
4. Should the governor vacate their office either by their death, removal, forfeiture, or resignation, then the speaker of the ChamberGeneral Court, 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 ChamberGeneral Court, 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 ChamberGeneral Court, 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 CouncilGeneral Court 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, or a person of their choosing. Whenever the governor and their designee if applicable should be unable to perform this duty, the speaker of the ChamberGeneral Court, or in their absence the most senior member, shall administer the election.
4. Elections for governor and Chamber General Court shall be held in the months of April, August, and December.
5. Candidates for governor, ChamberGeneral Court, 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, ChamberGeneral Court, 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 ChamberGeneral Court  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 ChamberGeneral Court 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.

Occupying: Government Slot 7 of 12
Sponsor: Speaker Dwarven Dragon

My suggestion would be to just make the constitution and government structure as simple as possible since that will allow Lincoln to be able to focus on having fair passionate fights over all sorts of ideological issues that this region has been known for years.

Either a 4 month governor term with 2 month legislative terms or having both at 3 months would work. I feel like 4 and 2 would be a better arrangement for Lincoln due to its history and culture being prone to wild shifts and the elections are what makes the history in a way the South and Fremont aren't  (since the South has always had a more conservative natural bent while Fremont is more consistently progressive dominated without much opposition). I feel like this spirit should be embraced as the core character of the region as I have written in detail about on the wiki page. https://talkelections.org/AFEWIKI/index.php?title=Lincoln#History

As for legislature size, I think 5 and 7 is a standard that works fine.

2 months is way too frequent. 3 or 4 is fine.

House elections are every 2 months, and that works well in this game.

I mean a majority of the chamber is opposed to 2 months, so just like I did on the gun issue, you should frankly move on, I don't know how to put it any nicer, but it is annoying to have people spamming "2 months" in this thread, when it was voted down. 3 seems like where we'll end up, and the current off-year system has worked well. Also longer terms allow for legislators to get more done in office, and that would be better than like 2 weeks out of an 8 week term spent campaigning, that is 25% of the time in office that legislators are forced to campaign and not able to focus on making lives better for their constituents. 25% of an office's term being spent mostly campaigning would be frankly absurd, and unlike the House we don't have the 2-3 week lame duck period.

Brother Jonathan and IBNU didn't vote on term length, so you don't even have a mandate to tell me to "move on."

Uh the change to 4 months passed 3-2. TBF, not entirely sure IBNU understood what he was voting on because the gun amendment was posted during the middle of that vote, but both he and BJ cast a vote on term length. And IBNU cast a No on 4 in any case.

See Replies 40 and 49.

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

Anyways, here's where the Council stands on 2 months vs 3.

S019 wants 3
AGA wants 2

I don't really care at this point

BJ probably wants 3 because he voted for 4.

IBNU is unknown...he voted against 4 earlier, but idk if he understood what was going on at that time.

I'm kinda inclined to go with 2 at this point as that seems to be the general citizen preference though I'm aware of the fact that some of the people commenting won't even be able to vote on this at referendum. Best solution might be to put up both the 2-4 system and the "all at 3" system and go with whoever passes by the largest margin.

But not writing that up tonight.

Objecting to the S019 veto amendment because the Governor doesn't seem too eager about referendums, but if it does pass, not a huge deal I don't think. I'll start a vote tomorrow sometime, go get some sleep everyone.

[AGA]

This amendment makes it so that if there are fewer than five candidates running, the number of members is equal, not less than, the number of candidates running.

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. No government organization shall sponsor religion in any way.
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 nine or more candidates on the ballot in a regular election, in which case it shall be seven, or if there are less than five candidates running, in which case the number of candidates shall be one less thanequal to those contesting the election, chosen every fourth 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 they deem fit, and return it to the legislature for reconsideration. If the redrafted bill is rejected by the chamber, and the original bill passed the chamber by a two-thirds margin, the original bill shall be sent to referendum. If the redrafted bill is rejected by the Chamber, and the original bill passed by less than two-thirds, the Governor shall be compelled to sign or veto the original bill.
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 and Chamber shall be held in the months of April, August, 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.

[KaiserDave]

Vote down all of the poison pills from S019. Objection to them, vote them down, and move this forward.

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

No objection re: AGA amendment

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

The Question is on the amendment offered by S019 regarding vetoes:

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. No government organization shall sponsor religion in any way.
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 nine or more candidates on the ballot in a regular election, in which case it shall be seven, or if there are less than five candidates running, in which case the number of candidates shall be one less than those contesting the election, chosen every fourth 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, per the guidelines in I:6, 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, per the guidelines in I:6 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 they deem fit, and return it to the legislature for reconsideration. If the redrafted bill is rejected by the chamber, and the original bill passed the chamber by a two-thirds margin, the original bill shall be sent to referendum. If the redrafted bill is rejected by the Chamber, and the original bill passed by less than two-thirds, the Governor shall be compelled to sign or veto, per the guidelines in I:6 the original bill.

6. The governor shall have three types of vetos: a hard veto, a soft veto, and a line item veto. A soft veto shall allow the governor to send the bill to referendum, if said veto is not overridden. A hard veto shall allow the governor to kill a bill, if said veto is not overridden. A line item veto shall allow the governor to kill some clauses of a bill, and sign others, at their discretion, if said veto is not overridden. The governor shall have 5 hard vetoes per legislative session and 2 line item vetoes. The governor may not use a line item veto on the same legislation on which they use the redraft. Other than these 7 vetoes, all other vetoes of the Governor shall be soft vetoes

6. 7. 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. 8. 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. 9. 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 and Chamber shall be held in the months of April, August, 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.

Occupying: Government Slot 7 of 12
Sponsor: Speaker Dwarven Dragon

Nay

[AGA]

Nay

[KaiserDave]

Vote it down Councillors, vote it down! Thank you Speaker Dwarven Dragon and Chancellor AGA.