LGC 4.6 - Periodic Secession Referendum Act - Failed

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

Periodic Secession Referendum Act

1. Concurrent with each gubernatorial election, there shall be an additional question on the ballot on whether Lincoln should enter into negotiations on its place within Atlasia.

2. The question shall be "Should the Regional Government be granted the authority to negotiate with the federal government on new terms of union for Lincoln within Atlasia". It shall require a 75% threshold to pass in accordance with the federal constitution.

3. Should the question pass, the Governor shall be empowered to seek and enter into negotiations with the federal government on Lincoln's place within Atlasia.

4.Such question shall be repeated at each gubernatorial election until it passes, or it should be removed from the ballot by order of the Governor or through legislation passed by the General Court.

5. A further referendum must be held on any deal concluded between the federal and regional governments, or on any attempt to alter the existing relationship between Lincoln and the rest of Atlasia, pursuant to the Constitutional requirements related to the effects of the measures to be voted on.

6. Any further referendums to be held pursuant to section 5 of this act must be scheduled to occur at the next regional general election and may be included on the ballot in lieu of this question by an act of the General Court

Sponsor: Speaker Dwarven Dragon
Occupying: Slot 6 of 6

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

So this bill authorizes a secession referendum concurrent with each gubernatorial election. This avoids any retroactivity or SNAP election requirement as it will simply be an additional question on the ballot at times where all regional officials are on the ballot. This will allow the cause of constitutional secession to not die, prevent any need for the past attempt at violent secession to be repeated, and put Nyman on notice that many Lincolnities are dissatisfied with the present union and wish to leave. The question shall be repeated until it passes as we do not intend to stay longer than we have to or let this issue die.

[S019]

This is not a good idea, you don't propose nonstop indyrefs, if you lose. We should not push IndyRef2 unless it is clear that the support for it exists. As far as I know, there is still an overwhelming majority for union.

[Brother Jonathan]

Amendment Proposal

Periodic Secession Referendum Act

1. Concurrent with each gubernatorial election, there shall be an additional question on the ballot on whether Lincoln should secede from enter into negotiations on its place within Atlasia.

2. The question shall be "Shall Lincoln become an independent nation?" "Should the Regional Government be granted the authority to negotiate with the federal government on new terms of union for Lincoln within Atlasia". It shall require a 75% threshold to pass in accordance with the federal constitution, and Lincoln shall leave Atlasia should it pass.

3. Should the question pass, the Governor shall be empowered to seek and enter into negotiations with the federal government on Lincoln's place within Atlasia.

3. 4.Such question shall be repeated at each gubernatorial election until it passes, or it should be removed from the ballot by order of the Governor or through legislation passed by the General Court.

If the desire is to show discontent, this would seem a better way to do it, in a manner that might actually show a level of seriousness and a willingness to find solutions. Further, it would allow time for negotiations between the regional and federal government which might help to stave off future crises.

[KaiserDave]

Agreed with Brother Jonathan's amendment, but honestly I am apathetic. Secession was a means to engage in the game, I think engagement is back at a decent level.

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

I'm prepared to accept the amendment, I do not want to have to override a veto on this particular bill and it does not appear to close off the possibility of a hard exit.

24 hours to object to the amendment

[S019]

A hard exit should be a nonstarter and those who support it clearly have their head in the sand.

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

Amendment is adopted

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Wulfricism is a disunionist agenda!

[Brother Jonathan]

Another amendment

Periodic Secession Referendum Act

1. Concurrent with each gubernatorial election, there shall be an additional question on the ballot on whether Lincoln should enter into negotiations on its place within Atlasia.

2. The question shall be "Should the Regional Government be granted the authority to negotiate with the federal government on new terms of union for Lincoln within Atlasia". It shall require a 75% threshold to pass in accordance with the federal constitution.

3. Should the question pass, the Governor shall be empowered to seek and enter into negotiations with the federal government on Lincoln's place within Atlasia.

4.Such question shall be repeated at each gubernatorial election until it passes, or it should be removed from the ballot by order of the Governor or through legislation passed by the General Court.

5. A further referendum must be held on any deal concluded between the federal and regional governments, or on any attempt to alter the existing relationship between Lincoln and the rest of Atlasia, pursuant to the Constitutional requirements related to the effects of the measures to be voted on.

6. Any further referendums to be held pursuant to section 5 of this act must be scheduled to occur at the next regional general election and may be included on the ballot in lieu of this question by an act of the General Court

A so-called "hard exit" simply isn't feasible, and given the wording of the current referendum question, it would be dubious if the regional government would have a meaningful mandate for secession if the measure were to carry. I think it only makes sense that we allow for another vote on the outcome of the negotiations, the approval of which by the voters is not in itself a grant to leave the union. I think this measure is essentially common sense.

Section 6 simply recognizes that a) we don't want future referendums to crop up where a SNAP election will be needed, that was a major point of the bill, and b) that the General Court should be able to have a say over the deal and referendum question before it goes to the ballot, which would be facilitated by their scheduling powers here.

I would like to say that there are many other provisions I would prefer to include, such as Federal AG oversight over all amendment wording and legislative approval for all future referendums, but I am not going to press for them when I think the majority is against them. I just think these are fairly modest compromises that go a long way to making this proposal more reasonable, and allow us to actually present a untied front to air our concerns before the federal government.

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

Without Objection the amendment is adopted

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

Moving for a final vote

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

A negotiated exit from the Union has no constitutional basis and is practically absurd. I move that this assembly resolve that Wulfric be involuntarily committed for endangering the health of the people of Lincoln.

[Brother Jonathan]

I will say that I agree, a negotiated exit is absurd—any exit, for that matter, would be and I hope that the governor will veto this bill should it pass. I urge my fellow members of the General Court to vote against this measure and ask that we recommit ourselves to getting the best deal for Lincoln within the Union. Still, the wording of the measure as it currently stands is significantly better and more even-keeled than when it was introduced, and I applaud my fellow members for recognizing the importance of prudence in even the most charged of political debates.

[KaiserDave]

Periodic referendums are a bad idea. One was fun and good for activity, but people said no, and we should move on.

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

Question is on passage

AYE

[Never Made it to Graceland]

Abstain

[Brother Jonathan]

Nay

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

Changing my vote to Abstain

This fails on a 0-1-2 vote.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Huzzah! THE PEOPLE have won another victory against Wulfricism!

[WD]

Huzzah! THE PEOPLE have won another victory against Wulfricism!

Wulfricism is in RETREAT. But the fight is not over, for we will always pursue villainy and treachery to the ends of the earth and the depths of hell.