LGC 12.14 - Streamlining Amendment Adoption Amendment - RATIFIED

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Streamlining Amendment Adoption Amendment  

To improve voter interest, align with past precedent, and avoid constant flooding to the polls, the following changes are made to the Lincoln Constitution:

Amend Article IV, Section 6 to read as follows:

6. 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. on the date of the next scheduled election for any office, which may be a special election. 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.

Add to Article IV the following new section:

9. Should any election or referendum conicide with the beginning or end of Daylight Savings Time, it will begin at the usual time and conclude after 72 full-length hours have elapsed.

Sponsor: Speaker Dwarven Dragon
Occupying: Slot 2 of 10

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

This simple amendment will ensure that all future referendums will align with an election to elected office, special or regular. Currently, the language sends referendums to a vote on the first or second friday after LGC/Senate passage, which can result in voter apathy and burnout. While recent referendums happened to conicide with special elections to the LGC, we cannot guarantee that will always be the case, and indeed it only happened that way because I miscalculated when the Public Health Amendment was supposed to come up and realized my mistake late enough that it got postponed. This amendment will ensure that future referendums always conicide with a contest for an elected office. It aligns with language already adopted for laws adopted by referendum.

The amendment also formalizes a current election admins precedent regarding by-elections conciding with DST changes.

I intend to delay LGC passage of this until the next federal amendment passes or until April 13th, whichever comes first, so that this does not send voters to the ballot on its own.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

it definitely was a bit of a slog for everyone involved to have to go to the polls several weeks in a row, so I can get behind this.

[FairBol]

Mr. Speaker,

I rise in support of this common sense legislation.  Hopefully, the amendment will achieve quick passage by this body.   

I yield.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Motion for a final vote

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

A vote on this is beginning.

Aye

[ZMUN M441]

Aye.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

aye

[Vice President Christian Man]

Aye

[FairBol]

Aye.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Passes 5-0. This will go before the people next weekend.