| Legal Question: LC Block Vote |
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Mr. Justice the Charter states the following in article IV
Quote:7. The Local Council representative will have a weighted vote of 20% of all non-abstaining votes cast on bills. The Chair will calculate how many votes are allotted to the representative at the close of each vote, and then add the representative’s total votes to the final tally. My question is as follows: is this vote total meant to be rounded or is it meant to be exactly 20% of all non-abstaining votes? Thank you for the clarification. Above all else, I hope to be a decent person.
Has Been What's Next? CoA: August 2016-January 2017
Minister of Foreign Affairs: October 2019-June 2020, October 2020- February 2021
Your honor,
as you are surely aware, using rounded votes will not give an exact 20% of representation, as is mandated in the charter. I've included a table below listing the actual percentage when using rounded votes for vote counts between 25 and 30 (a count that can be expected at this time). -- Roavin
![[Image: XXPV74Y.png?1]](https://i.imgur.com/XXPV74Y.png?1)
This isn't so much a brief, as a simple point that the idea of ".8" of a vote is absurd. Reductio ad absurdum clearly dictates that as such the block vote must be rounded.
Minister of Media, Subversion and Sandwich Making
Associate Justice of the High Court and Senior Moderator ![[Image: B9ytUsy.png]](https://i.imgur.com/B9ytUsy.png)
I would like to ask the court that any ruling given on this matter only apply to votes that have ended after the ruling is made.
Above all else, I hope to be a decent person.
Has Been What's Next? CoA: August 2016-January 2017
Minister of Foreign Affairs: October 2019-June 2020, October 2020- February 2021
The court will answer this question; giving 48 hours for Amicus Briefs.
Amicus Brief
Your Honor, if I may, Regarding this legal question, it is to my belief that an exact, accurate block vote of 20% of the already-cast votes must be awarded to the Local Council as a block vote, representing more than one person. However, like inconsistencies in the law, mathematics is not always perfect. Furthermore, a decimal vote does not count, no matter how you put it... ...If it is from a single person. In this case, rounding a decimal number is not required. It is also not possible either to round it, as the law does not allow such event. Therefore, it is to my belief that if this "decimal vote" does not meet the standards of a "vote", it is not one, only if it is a single-person vote. The Local Council is representing dozens, if not, hundreds of people, so, it is to my belief that even decimals impact percentage. The will of the people must be represented. If this was a one-person vote, a decimal is not a vote. However, this is a collective vote from an entire community. My conclusion is that the decimals are legitimate when representing the will of the people. Therefore, a "5.8" is an accurate representation of the Gameside Community. If that "5.8" is 20% of the vote, then a "5.8" block vote must be cast as the law says. No round ups, no 6, no change. I understand that decimal votes are kind of uncharted territory for the region. There has never been such a case, to my knowledge. However, this is a block vote, not a one-person vote, and the law is clear: it says exactly 20%. Not around 20%, and a round up would violate our laws, as 20% is what the law says. No more, no less.
Deputy Regional Minister of the Planning and Development Agency(March 8-May 19, 2014)
Local Council Member(April 24-August 11) Court Justice of TSP(August 15-December 7)
Your honour,
The LC awards votes not percentages. How can the LC vote 5.8 in favour? The LC vote must be rounded for logical sense. A final vote tally cannot be 30.8 votes in favour and 16 votes against. It makes no logical sense. Votes are whole numbers. Europeian Ambassador to The South Pacific
Former Local Council Member Former Minister of Regional Affairs Former High Court Justice
Even a 0.1 affects the percentage of a vote. Plus, this is not your run-of-the-mill, single-person vote. This is a block vote; a vote representing an entire community. Furthermore, the law says 20%. There is no section in our laws that says that it can or must be rounded up.
Therefore, if 5.8 is 20% of the vote, the LC Block Vote must be 5.8.
Deputy Regional Minister of the Planning and Development Agency(March 8-May 19, 2014)
Local Council Member(April 24-August 11) Court Justice of TSP(August 15-December 7)
Your honour, I would like to point out that any literal reading of the law in its current state will not resolve the issue as it merely reveals the ambiguous nature of the wording. Currently, it is not actually clear what the LC block vote is to be 20% of.
The law states that "The Local Council representative will have a weighted vote of 20% of all non-abstaining votes cast on bills", but fails to state whether it should be 20% of the total vote (thus including the LC block vote), or whether it should be an additional 20% added on to the votes cast in the voting thread on the forums (as everyone seems to have assumed it meant). These are two different quantities and could potentially make a significant difference in contentious votes. Whilst I appreciate the necessity of a ruling for the purpose of the most recently cast vote, and any subsequent votes until the law can be clarified through an amendment, it is clearly the latter which is needed in the long term. Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond! Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi. Salma 145:8
Your Honor,
Not at all. The law clearly says that "The Local Council representative will have a weighted vote of 20% of all non-abstaining votes cast on bills", yes? That means that the Local Council has a weighted vote(a.k.a block vote) with the numerical value of 20% of all non-abstaining votes. For example, if 30 is the numerical value of all non-abstaining votes, then 6 is 20% of this numerical value. Therefore, the Local Council gets a block vote having the value of 6.
Deputy Regional Minister of the Planning and Development Agency(March 8-May 19, 2014)
Local Council Member(April 24-August 11) Court Justice of TSP(August 15-December 7) |
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