SB 104-02: Senate Terms Amendment (Tabled)

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As the Amendment Explanation says, this restructures the Senate terms so that half the chamber is up every two months, in a similar manner to the RL Nebraska unicameral legislature, which elects half its members every two years.

Simply put, it makes little sense to give At-Large senators shorter terms than Regional and Subregional ones, given that every senator has equal power. This amendment simplifies the calendar by merging the timing of the Regional elections with the Subregional elections to be held in the middle of the President's term, while At-Large Senators are elected with the President.

Originally, I read this amendment as removing midterm elections entirely, but after I realized that this confusion came from a misread, I may be open to voting in favor. (I was originally vehemently opposed to this amendment.) I have more thoughts that I'll edit in later -- a bit busy tonight -- but wanted to put this statement down for posterity.

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Given there's been a good bit of debate since my last comments, I thought it would be best to post my full feelings in a new post -- though some of them have been addressed already.

I agree with Scott and others that the term lengths for Senators should be the same. All of us Senators hold equal status in this body -- except for our term lengths. Having one class with a two month term and one with a four month term essentially relegates one class to an inherently different status than the other, which I do not support.

I also agree that midterm national elections are necessary. Without a national element to our midterms, interest will certainly decline and will relegate midterms to a significantly lower status than the general elections that occur every four months. In the interest of maintaining activity throughout the presidential term, I believe it is necessary that we hold At-large Senate elections during the midterm cycle.

Given these two positions that I hold, I see two potential options. First, the At-large Senate term could be extended to four months with At-large elections held only during the midterms. Like OBD, I'm not sold on this option either -- this game is all about elections and removing one from our current cycle feels like an inherently bad idea. The second option -- one I am currently in support of -- is presented in WB's amendment. Giving the people more chances to vote, I believe, presents this nation a great benefit. Not only do we increase accountability for our elected officials, but we also stimulate greater activity in a game that is all about elections.   

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Aye.

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Abstain.