L.C. 10.19 - Third Lincoln Constitution

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

It is very annoying that people keep posting in this thread accusing of delaying and whatnot, when they opposed the four month term that did pass the legislature. Quite frankly, it's pretty clear they only care what the legislature thinks when it agrees with them.

Yeah that is how politics works. Majority rule!

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

Starting a vote on the 2 month Court elections amendment


Aye

[Brother Jonathan]

Aye

[AGA]

Aye

[S019]

NAY, what a trainwreck

[KaiserDave]

Great job Councillors

[At-Large Senator LouisvilleThunder]

I noticed a couple other things. One is that special elections don't have a required date to be held. That doesn't seem to be good since a Governor could just refuse to hold it if he doesn't want to. Another thing is that since gubernatorial races would be in April, August,  and December,  the current governor may not be up again until August, giving him a 5 month term which was more than what he was originally elected to.

I think a couple of clauses to sort this out will be good for the members to add in.

[At-Large Senator LouisvilleThunder]

I noticed a couple other things. One is that special elections don't have a required date to be held. That doesn't seem to be good since a Governor could just refuse to hold it if he doesn't want to. Another thing is that since gubernatorial races would be in April, August,  and December,  the current governor may not be up again until August, giving him a 5 month term which was more than what he was originally elected to.

I think a couple of clauses to sort this out will be good for the members to add in.

Also, there isn't an election mechanism in case the Governor resigns.

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

I noticed a couple other things. One is that special elections don't have a required date to be held. That doesn't seem to be good since a Governor could just refuse to hold it if he doesn't want to. Another thing is that since gubernatorial races would be in April, August,  and December,  the current governor may not be up again until August, giving him a 5 month term which was more than what he was originally elected to.

I think a couple of clauses to sort this out will be good for the members to add in.

Also, there isn't an election mechanism in case the Governor resigns.

Ok - On special elections for Governor and General Court, inclined to just input the standard indicated for special elections to the Senate. But willing to hear arguments for a different timeframe.

Admittedly I'm not sure of the best way to resolve the situation of Kaiser serving a 5 month term. If we force the next governor election to be in July, and then resume the regular schedule, that does create the situation of Kaiser's successor (or himself if re-elected), getting a 5 month term later in the year, a situation that no other governor would get later on. However it would be a fair point that the citizenry would be more aware they are voting for a one time 5 month term under that schema. Another solution could be to change up the election calendar so it is January(court only)-March-May(court only)-July-September(court only)-November, but that seems to undermine the whole reason why we avoided the idea of the 3 month election system (turnout concerns), as under such a calendar elections would literally never coincide with federal elections. Of course, the 3 month elections system: January-April-July-October remains an option, but I feel like we just sort of settled that debate and it may not be the best idea to reopen it.

An option not involving changes in language would be Kaiser agreeing to and honoring a gentleman's agreement to resign his job in July and then run in the special election for the remaining month or so of the term. This option is interesting because if I am still Speaker then I would end up as acting governor for a while 

Finally we could just leave it and accept that the ratification vote is also an implicit authorization of Kaiser getting an extra month. I honestly don't really have a problem with this as I approve of the Governor's performance so far but I understand that feeling is not unanimous in the region.

I'll let the debate on this go on for a while.

[AGA]

I don't think that the five-month term is a big deal. It's only one month longer than the normal term.

[Former President tack50]

2 month elections is not a good idea, I object. Frequent elections result in voter fatigue, and also as I said earlier, new players are not as good at campaigning.

How would it result in voter fatigue when the House already has two-month elections?

I will note that if anything, 2 month terms would result in less voter fatigue as off season elections would be eliminated; with regional elections happening at the same time as federal ones.

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

Aye on adoption

[KaiserDave]

I recuse myself from any decision making regarding my own term, I'll agree to any decision the legislature makes in that area.

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

The two month elections amendment is adopted 4-1

[S019]

Amendment to address LT's concerns and some of my own (excluding the veto thing, I'll put that in an amendment that is not meant to be minor fixes), it also adds a provision for early elections, which we have had to call some time and has mechanisms for both the governor and the legislature to do it. Also sorry if this was unusually wordy, I've been writing a lot recently, so my brain is in that state. (I don't even know why I'm trying to fix this, given so many bad provisions have already been approved, but whatever)

A. The Lincoln Council is hereby renamed to the Lincoln General Court, 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 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 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 General 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.

Article I: The Legislative power
1. All legislative powers granted herein shall be vested in a General Court.
2. The Chamber shall consist of five deputies, 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 on the ballot, in which case the number of candidates shall be equal to those on 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 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 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 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 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 General 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 General 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 General 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 General Court, the governor shall appoint a replacement. A special election shall be held no sooner than 1 week following the opening of the vacancy, and no later than 3 weeks following the opening of the vacancy. The special election shall begin on any Friday at 12:00 AM Eastern Time and end on the following Monday at 12:00 AM Eastern time, the entire interval of time that encompasses the duration of the election shall occur within the prescribed time interval from the vacancy, as outlined above Should the vacancy have occurred fewer than 336 hours before the next general election, the 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 General 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 all 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 General 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 third 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 General 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 General Court.
4. Should the governor vacate their office either by their death, removal, forfeiture, or resignation, then the speaker of the General 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 General 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 General 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. A gubernatorial special election shall be held no sooner than 1 week following the opening of the vacancy and no later than 3 weeks following the opening of said vacancy. The special election shall begin on any Friday at 12:00 AM Eastern Time and end on the following Monday at 12:00 AM Eastern time, the entire interval of time that encompasses the duration of the election shall occur within the prescribed time interval from the vacancy, as outlined above
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 General 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 General Court, or in their absence the most senior member, shall administer the election.
4. Elections for governor and General Court shall be held in the months of April, August, and December.
5. Candidates for governor, General 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, General 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 General 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.
12. Early elections may be called by either the Chamber or the Governor. In the case of an early election all seats of the Chamber and the Governorship shall be up, regardless of the current month, early elections will also not impact the regular elections schedule. Early elections may not occur two weeks before either a regularly scheduled gubernatorial or council election. The governor may request that the Chamber vote on a motion for an early election, shall it be approved by a vote of a majority of seats in the Chamber, early elections shall be called for the following Friday, unless the vote occurred on either a Wednesday or Thursday in which case the elections shall be on the second Friday following the vote. The Chamber may also call early elections by passing an early elections resolution with three-fifths of the vote of sitting Chamber members, the governor shall have no veto over this resolution and early elections shall be held on the following Friday, unless the vote occurred on either a Wednesday or Thursday in which case the elections shall be on the second Friday following the vote. The incumbent Governor and Chamber members shall keep their seats as part of the current government until the ensuing elections.
Article V: Amendments
1. The General 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

[/quote]

[At-Large Senator LouisvilleThunder]

I suppose that this remedy to my concerns makes the government too complicated. I think the guidelines of Article III Section 3 is an excellent and simple way to handle special elections. Also keeping a 4 month gubernatorial term in the long term ought to be the goal, so keeping the original language but adding in a clause mandating a one-time extra gubernatorial election to be held in say May or June would work out well.

[AGA]

Objection due to three-month gubernatorial term.

[S019]

I suppose that this remedy to my concerns makes the government too complicated. I think the guidelines of Article III Section 3 is an excellent and simple way to handle special elections. Also keeping a 4 month gubernatorial term in the long term ought to be the goal, so keeping the original language but adding in a clause mandating a one-time extra gubernatorial election to be held in say May or June would work out well.

okay, fixed the term thing, also I'm pretty sure the language in both cases means the exact same thing, just the wording changed. 

Objection due to three-month gubernatorial term.

okay, withdrawing and proposing this:

A. The Lincoln Council is hereby renamed to the Lincoln General Court, 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 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 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 General 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.

Article I: The Legislative power
1. All legislative powers granted herein shall be vested in a General Court.
2. The Chamber shall consist of five deputies, 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 on the ballot, in which case the number of candidates shall be equal to those on 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 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 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 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 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 General 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 General 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 General 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 General Court, the governor shall appoint a replacement. A special election shall be held no sooner than 1 week following the opening of the vacancy, and no later than 3 weeks following the opening of the vacancy. The special election shall begin on any Friday at 12:00 AM Eastern Time and end on the following Monday at 12:00 AM Eastern time, the entire interval of time that encompasses the duration of the election shall occur within the prescribed time interval from the vacancy, as outlined above Should the vacancy have occurred fewer than 336 hours before the next general election, the 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 General 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 all 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 General 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 General Court. However, an additional gubernatorial election shall be held beginning on the third Friday in June and ending on the following Monday, during the June following ratification of this document
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 General Court.
4. Should the governor vacate their office either by their death, removal, forfeiture, or resignation, then the speaker of the General 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 General 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 General 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. A gubernatorial special election shall be held no sooner than 1 week following the opening of the vacancy and no later than 3 weeks following the opening of said vacancy. The special election shall begin on any Friday at 12:00 AM Eastern Time and end on the following Monday at 12:00 AM Eastern time, the entire interval of time that encompasses the duration of the election shall occur within the prescribed time interval from the vacancy, as outlined above
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 General 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 General Court, or in their absence the most senior member, shall administer the election.
4. Elections for governor and General Court shall be held in the months of April, August, and December.
5. Candidates for governor, General 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, General 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 General 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.
12. Early elections may be called by either the Chamber or the Governor. In the case of an early election all seats of the Chamber and the Governorship shall be up, regardless of the current month, early elections will also not impact the regular elections schedule. Early elections may not occur two weeks before either a regularly scheduled gubernatorial or council election. The governor may request that the Chamber vote on a motion for an early election, shall it be approved by a vote of a majority of seats in the Chamber, early elections shall be called for the following Friday, unless the vote occurred on either a Wednesday or Thursday in which case the elections shall be on the second Friday following the vote. The Chamber may also call early elections by passing an early elections resolution with three-fifths of the vote of sitting Chamber members, the governor shall have no veto over this resolution and early elections shall be held on the following Friday, unless the vote occurred on either a Wednesday or Thursday in which case the elections shall be on the second Friday following the vote. The incumbent Governor and Chamber members shall keep their seats as part of the current government until the ensuing elections.
Article V: Amendments
1. The General 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

[/quote]

[KaiserDave]

Vote no councillors, incorrect wording (chamber not general court), and more parliamentary mechanics.
Vote! It! Down!

LT has valid concerns but this amendment ain’t it. It addresses some of the concerns but also introduces other things.

[S019]

Vote no councillors, incorrect wording (chamber not general court), and more parliamentary mechanics.
Vote! It! Down!

LT has valid concerns but this amendment ain’t it. It addresses some of the concerns but also introduces other things.

If people are as concerned about inactive legislatures as they claim to be, early elections would fix that. But whatever, I give up, it's clear no one here is interested in compromise. Just pass this thing already then, I look forward to voting NO, and even if I am a minority, I will be proud of that vote. That's about it, I'm going to focus on other bills, everyone else figure this out, and if you can't, I'm not helping you under any conditions. I also don't understand the hate for parliamentarianism, Fremont is parliamentarian and works just fine, and I've said all along if you really wanted reform you should have just copied them.

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

Vote no councillors, incorrect wording (chamber not general court), and more parliamentary mechanics.
Vote! It! Down!

LT has valid concerns but this amendment ain’t it. It addresses some of the concerns but also introduces other things.

If people are as concerned about inactive legislatures as they claim to be, early elections would fix that. But whatever, I give up, it's clear no one here is interested in compromise. Just pass this thing already then, I look forward to voting NO, and even if I am a minority, I will be proud of that vote. That's about it, I'm going to focus on other bills, everyone else figure this out, and if you can't, I'm not helping you under any conditions. I also don't understand the hate for parliamentarianism, Fremont is parliamentarian and works just fine, and I've said all along if you really wanted reform you should have just copied them.

Is this a withdrawal of your amendment?

[At-Large Senator LouisvilleThunder]

Just apply the Senate vacancy mechanism to General Court and Gubernatorial vacancies. Then get rid of the early court elections thing added to Article IV. The other amendments proposed are ok.

[KaiserDave]

Just apply the Senate vacancy mechanism to General Court vacancies. Then get rid of the early court elections thing added to Article IV. The other amendments proposed are ok.

I agree. Let's try and get a final vote soon!

[S019]

Vote no councillors, incorrect wording (chamber not general court), and more parliamentary mechanics.
Vote! It! Down!

LT has valid concerns but this amendment ain’t it. It addresses some of the concerns but also introduces other things.

If people are as concerned about inactive legislatures as they claim to be, early elections would fix that. But whatever, I give up, it's clear no one here is interested in compromise. Just pass this thing already then, I look forward to voting NO, and even if I am a minority, I will be proud of that vote. That's about it, I'm going to focus on other bills, everyone else figure this out, and if you can't, I'm not helping you under any conditions. I also don't understand the hate for parliamentarianism, Fremont is parliamentarian and works just fine, and I've said all along if you really wanted reform you should have just copied them.

Is this a withdrawal of your amendment?

No, but it is the last amendment I'm proposing, I'm not posting in this thread anymore except to vote.

[KaiserDave]

Alright let's get a vote on this (voting no), and then pass an amendment that fixes the issues LT specified without other things.