We've moved, ! Update your bookmarks to https://thesouthpacific.org! These forums are being archived.

Dismiss this notice
See LegComm's announcement to make sure you're still a legislator on the new forums!

Elections Act
#1

Elections Act
An act establishing elections for office

Table of contents
  1. Election Commissioner
  2. Electoral Basics
  3. Office of the Delegate
  4. Offices of the Cabinet
  5. Office of the Chair
  6. Vacancies of Office
  7. Separation of Powers
  8. Constitutional Law

1. Election Commissioner

(1) An Election Commissioner will be appointed by the Council on Regional Security to administer all forum elections.

(2) The Commissioner will be responsible for the creation of election notices, the organization of election forums, the verification of candidate eligibility, the distribution and collection of ballots, and counting and verifying cast ballots.

(3) The Commissioner may not run for or hold an elected office during their tenure as Commissioner.
a. This does not prohibit the Commissioner from resigning to seek office via an election or finding an accepted surrogate to oversee the election in their place.

(4) The Commissioner will be a permanent position and shall be replaced as needed due to inactivity or ineligibility by the Council on Regional Security. The Assembly may recall a Commissioner for abuse of power or neglect of responsibilities through regular order.

(5) Any election-related disputes will be arbitrated by the Commissioner; should the dispute be on a matter of law, the Commissioner shall refer it to the High Court. The Commissioner will not finalize any election until all disputes have been settled.

2. Electoral Basics

(1) For forum-based voting, voters have the option to cast either a public or a secret ballot, and may not alter it once cast. The method of casting secret ballots will be selected by the Election Commissioner. The chosen method must utilize an unaffiliated account or server, with the method and all votes remaining available for audit. Named ballots are not to be released under any circumstances.

(2) In each election, voters can, subject to limitations set for the specific voting method, vote for the Re-Open Nominations option, which shall function like a normal candidate in the election. If, under the voting method used, the option to Re-Open Nominations is a winner, the election process for the exact position won by it shall restart.

(3) To be eligible to be included on a ballot, a candidate must post a campaign in an area designated by the Election Commissioner. The campaign must prominently include a truthful declaration of all potential conflicts of interest the candidate may have within and outside of the South Pacific.

(4) To be eligible to vote in, or stand for, a forum-based election, a legislator must have been accepted by the Legislator Committee before the period for nominations began for that particular election.

(5) If the voting method used in an election ties candidates, whether for elimination or winning, the Election Commissioner will select a method of arbitration, unless the tie can be resolved by special provisions set for the election in law. If the method chosen involves chance, an unaffiliated Discord bot will be used to generate a result in a public channel randomly using a coin toss or some similar set of pre-defined outcomes.

(6) Under Instant-Runoff Voting, the sole winner is determined as follows;
a. As their ballot, a voter lists any candidates they wish in descending order of preference.
b. Until a candidate has received an absolute majority of first-place preferences and thus becomes the winner, the candidate with the fewest first-place preferences is eliminated and the ballots get retallied, ignoring any eliminated candidates and discounting ballots solely listing eliminated candidates.
c. If candidates tie for elimination, all those receiving the fewest second-place preferences among them are eliminated.

(7) Under Approval Voting, winners ‒ as many as specified for the respective position ‒ are determined as follows;
a. As their ballot, a voter either indicates all candidates they approve of, or the option to Re-Open Nominations.
b. Until enough winners have been found, the most-approved candidate among the non-winners becomes a winner.
c. The option to Re-Open Nominations wins in place of the winners who have been approved on less than half of all ballots.

(8) Under Majority Voting, the sole winner is determined as follows;
a. As their ballot, a voter indicates the candidate their vote shall go towards.
b. If a candidate has received an absolute majority of votes, they are the winner; otherwise, the two candidates who have received the most votes advance to a runoff, held under the same rules as this round of voting. Should this runoff result in a tie, then the tie shall be broken according to the general tie-breaking procedure.

3. Office of the Delegate

(1) The Delegate will be elected in a two-round process constituting a single election, with the Assembly voting on a slate of nominees on the forums, and candidates advancing from that process being voted on by regional poll on-site.

(2) On the first of every January and July, the Assembly will convene for the first round of Delegate elections.
a. Any eligible legislator wishing to run for Delegate may declare their candidacy, and the Assembly will debate the merits of their platform. Any player who has been banned from World Assembly membership will be considered ineligible and any candidate who is later discovered to be banned from World Assembly membership will be immediately disqualified. Legislators wishing to run for Delegate must hold a number of endorsements equal to at least 80% of the existing general endorsement cap at the commencement of the election period.
b. The campaign and debate period will last one week, after which the Assembly will vote for 3 days.
c. This round of voting for Delegate will use Approval Voting to determine two winners of positions as candidates in the second round. If candidates tie for being a winner, all of those tied candidates shall be considered winners.

(3) After the winners of the first round have been determined, the second round will commence with them as candidates.
a. The Election Commissioner will create a week-long regional poll through which voters may cast their ballots. The poll must provide instructions for them on how to do so, and may only allow Native World Assembly members to participate.
b. A Dispatch containing the campaigns of all candidates will be created to aid voters in their choice.
c. Members of the South Pacific Special Forces who are on deployment at the conclusion of the regional poll are eligible to cast a ballot. The Minister of Defense shall provide a list of deployed personnel to the Election Commissioner. Members on the list can cast their ballot through a public post on the Regional Message Board which tags the Election Commissioner.  
d. The winner of this round, as decided using Majority Voting, will be declared the Delegate-elect.

(4) The Delegate-elect will be considered formally inaugurated upon achieving the most endorsements. Prior to inauguration, the sole responsibility of the Delegate-elect is to gather endorsements, in coordination with the incumbent Delegate and in cooperation with the Council on Regional Security. The incumbent will continue to hold the office of the Delegate and will remain responsible for all responsibilities of that office, serving out the remainder of their term, until the inauguration of the Delegate-elect.   

4. Offices of the Cabinet

(1) On the first of every February, June and October, the Assembly will convene to elect the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.
a. After the first 4 days of the election period, during which legislators may declare their candidacy and campaign for only one position, and a campaign-only period of two days, where candidates may campaign and the Assembly will debate the merits of their platforms, the Assembly will vote for 3 days.
b. For each position, the respective winner, as decided using Instant-Runoff Voting, will be declared the Minister-elect by the Election Commissioner.

(2) The terms for the incoming Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers will begin the week after elections. Before this inauguration, any and all election-related disputes must be settled. The outgoing Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers will maintain their offices until then.

5. Office of the Chair

(1) Eight days before the end of a Chair's term, the Assembly will convene to elect the Chair of the Assembly.
a. Any legislator wishing to run for Chair may declare their candidacy, and the Assembly will debate the merits of their platform.
b. The campaign and debate period will last 5 days, after which the Assembly will vote for 3 days.
c. The sole winner, as decided using Approval Voting, will be declared Chair of the Assembly by the Election Commissioner.

(2) The term for the incoming Chair will begin immediately following the conclusion of the election.

6. Vacancies of Office

(1) A special election will be held for vacancies arising within the Cabinet, if at least half of the term remains. If less than half of the term remains, or the position is vacant due to nobody running in its election, the Cabinet may appoint a replacement until the next regularly scheduled election.

(2) Should the office of Delegate become vacant, the next person in the line of succession will become interim Delegate until the next regularly scheduled election. If no person qualifies for the office, then a special election will be held.

(3) If a Chair is no longer in office prior to the election of a new Chair, a deputy appointed by the outgoing Chair will serve as Acting Chair to exercise all powers and responsibilities of the office of the Chair, subject to all regulations and restrictions imposed upon the Chair by law. In the event that more than one deputy was appointed, the most senior deputy according to the order of appointment and availability will serve as Acting Chair. In the event that no deputy was appointed or is available, the Cabinet will designate a legislator to serve as Acting Chair.

7. Separation of Powers

(1) Offices of the Coalition are the Delegate, the Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers, the Chair of the Assembly, Local Councillors, the Chief Justice, and any of their appointed deputies.

(2) It is not permitted for any individual to hold more than one office within the Coalition's government.

(3) It is permitted to seek election or appointment to a new office while holding an existing office.

(4) Election or appointment to a new office constitutes explicit resignation of an existing office.

(5) No person holding a Cabinet office or the office of the Delegate may hold any equivalent office in a foreign region or organisation.

8. Constitutional Law

(1) The Elections Act is a constitutional law, and further amendments to it must meet constitutional amendment requirements.
[-] The following 1 user Likes Awe's post:
  • Pinel M
Reply
#2

Articles 4, 5 & 6 were passed by the Assembly and added to the Elections Act on 16 June 2016




Reply
#3

Article 3.1 was amended from the following on 30 June 2016

Quote:(1) On the first of every March, June, September, and December, the Assembly will convene to elect the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.




Reply
#4

The Elections Act was amended from the previous version in December 29, 2016, according to the legislation passed before:

Quote:Election Act
An act establishing elections for office

1. Election Commission

(1) An Election Commission will be appointed to administer all forum elections, consisting of at least one unique member from the following bodies, or their duly chosen surrogates--
a. The Forum Administration Team, solely to observe,
b. The Council on Regional Security,
c. The High Court.

(2) The commissioners will be responsible for the creation of election notices, the organization of election forums, the verification of candidate eligibility, the distribution and collection of ballots, and counting and verifying cast ballots.

(3) No member of the Election Commission may run for office or hold the office of Delegate, Prime Minister, or Cabinet Minister, during their tenure on the commission.

(4) The commission will be a permanent body, with members replaced as needed due to inactivity or ineligibility by their respective bodies. Two-thirds of the commission, or a majority of the Assembly, may remove a sitting commissioner for corruption or abuse of power.

(5) Any election-related disputes will be arbitrated by the Election Commission.. Commissioners will not finalize any election until all disputes have been settled.

2. Office of The Delegate

(1) The Delegate will be elected in a two-step process, with the Assembly voting on a slate of nominees on the forums, and the top two winners in that process being voted on by regional poll on-site.

(2) On the first of every January and July, the Assembly will convene for the first round of Delegate elections.
a. Any legislator wishing to run for Delegate may declare their candidacy, and the Assembly will debate the merits of their platform.
b. The campaign and debate period will last one week, after which the Assembly will vote for 3 days.
c. Legislators will cast a ballot, listing their top two preferred candidates, and may abstain in one or both of their choices. Both votes may not be given to the same candidate.
d. The two candidates who receive the most votes will move on to the second round.

(3) After receiving the top two candidates in the forum election, the sitting Delegate will create a week-long regional poll accessible to World Assembly Natives, instructing them to vote for their preferred candidate.
a. A Dispatch containing the campaigns of both candidates will be created to aid voters in their choice.
b. The candidate who wins a majority of the votes will be declared the Delegate-elect.

(4) The incumbent Delegate will coordinate with the Delegate-elect in transitioning the seat, along with cooperation from the Council on Regional Security. Until the Delegate-elect achieves the most endorsements, the incumbent Delegate will still be responsible for all responsibilities that involve use of Delegate-restricted regional controls.

3. Offices of the Cabinet

(1) On the first of every February, June and October, the Assembly will convene to elect the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.
a. For the first 3 days of the election period, legislators may declare their candidacy for only one position.
b. Following this nomination period, a campaign period of one week will start, where candidates may campaign and the Assembly will debate the merits of their platforms.
c. After the week-long campaign period, a voting period of 3 days will start. Legislators will cast their ballots for each position, listing one candidate per position. Legislators may choose to abstain from voting on any or all positions.

(2) The candidate for each position with the most votes will be declared the Minister-elect by the Election Commission.

(3) The terms for the incoming Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers will begin the week after elections, during which any and all election-related disputes must be settled. The outgoing Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers will maintain their offices until then.

4. Local Council
(1) Immediately following the ending of the Cabinet elections, the Election Commission will begin an election for the Local Council.

a. For the first 3 days of the election period, residents may declare their candidacy by telegramming an election commissioner
b. Following this nomination period, a campaign period of one week will start, where candidates may campaign and debate the merits of their platforms.
c. After the week-long campaign period, a voting period of 3 days will start.

(2) The election will be held via a regional poll accessible to World Assembly Natives, instructing them to vote for their preferred candidate.

a. A Dispatch containing the campaigns of candidates will be created to aid voters in their choice.
b. The top three vote-getting candidates will win seats on the Local Council.
c. If more than 11 people are candidates, the vote will be split into two 3-day polls with the candidates split into groups; the top three of each group will then enter a final poll.

5. Vacancies of Office
(1) A special election will be held for vacancies arising within the Cabinet, if more than half of the term remains. If less than half of the term remains, or the position is vacant due to nobody running in its election, the Cabinet may appoint a replacement until the next regularly scheduled election.
(2) Should the office of Delegate become vacant, the next person in the line of succession will become interim Delegate until the next regularly scheduled election. If no person qualifies for the office, then a special election will be held.

6. Constitutional Law
(1) The Election Act is a constitutional law, and further amendments to it must meet constitutional amendment requirements.
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)


Reply
#5

Article 5 was amended from the following on 2/18/2017, per this vote: http://tspforums.xyz/thread-4806.html

Quote:5. Local Council

(1) Immediately following the ending of the Cabinet elections, the Election Commission will begin an election for the Local Council.

a. For the first 3 days of the election period, residents may declare their candidacy by telegramming an election commissioner
b. Following this nomination period, a campaign period of one week will start, where candidates may campaign and debate the merits of their platforms.
c. After the week-long campaign period, a voting period of 3 days will start.

(2) The election will be held via a regional poll accessible to World Assembly Natives, instructing them to vote for their preferred candidate.
a. A Dispatch containing the campaigns of candidates will be created to aid voters in their choice.
b. The three candidates receiving the most votes will be elected to
c. If more than twelve people are candidates, the vote will be split into multiple 3-day polls with the candidates split into groups; the top three of each group will then remain candidates, with all others eliminated, and voting will begin again.
d. Should the poll produce a tied result, then the four or more candidates in the top three places will participate in a runoff election.
Reply
#6

A new article was introduced 3/5/2017, per this vote: http://tspforums.xyz/thread-4895.html

Quote:7. Separation of Powers

(1) Offices of the Coalition are the Delegate, the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers, the Chair of the Assembly, Local Councillors, the Permanent Justice, and any of their appointed deputies.

(2) It is not permitted for any individual to hold more than one office within the Coalition's government.

(3) It is permitted to seek election or appointment to new office while holding an existing office.

(4) Election or appointment to a new office constitutes explicit resignation of an existing office.

(5) No person holding a Cabinet office or the office of the Delegate may hold any equivalent office in a foreign region or organisation.
Reply
#7

Article 5 was removed on June 12, 2017

Quote:5. Local Council

(1) Immediately following the ending of the Cabinet elections, the Election Commission will begin an election for the Local Council.

a. For the first 3 days of the election period, residents may declare their candidacy by telegramming an election commissioner
b. Following this nomination period, a campaign period of one week will start, where candidates may campaign and debate the merits of their platforms.
c. After the week-long campaign period, a three voting periods of 3 days will start.

(2) The election will be held via a regional poll accessible to World Assembly Natives, instructing them to vote for their preferred candidate.
a. A Dispatch containing the campaigns of candidates will be created to aid voters in their choice.
b. Upon the conclusion of the first and second rounds of voting, the candidates with the most votes will be awarded a spot on the Local Council.
c. If more than twelve people are candidates, the vote will be split into two 3-day polls with the top 12 vote-receiving candidates continuing onto the set of nine voting days.
d. Should the poll produce a tied result, in first or second three-day election, the tied candidates will receive seats and the unneeded elections will be canceled.
e.  Should a tie result in the third, three-day election, the tied candidates will move onto a runoff.
Reply
#8

Article 3 was amended from the below on September 3, 2017.
Quote:3. Office of The Delegate

(1) The Delegate will be elected in a two-step process, with the Assembly voting on a slate of nominees on the forums, and the top two candidates in that process being voted on by regional poll on-site.

(2) On the first of every January and July, the Assembly will convene for the first round of Delegate elections.
a. Any legislator wishing to run for Delegate may declare their candidacy, and the Assembly will debate the merits of their platform.
b. The campaign and debate period will last one week, after which the Assembly will vote for 3 days.
c. The two candidates ranked first and second under IRV will move to a second round of voting conducted via a a poll of Native World Assembly members.

(3) After receiving the top two candidates in the forum election, the sitting Delegate will create a week-long regional poll accessible to Native World Assembly members, instructing them to vote for their preferred candidate.
a. A Dispatch containing the campaigns of both candidates will be created to aid voters in their choice.
b. The candidate who wins a majority of the votes will be declared the Delegate-elect.

(4) The incumbent Delegate will coordinate with the Delegate-elect in transitioning the seat, along with cooperation from the Council on Regional Security. Until the Delegate-elect achieves the most endorsements, the incumbent Delegate will still be responsible for all responsibilities that involve use of Delegate-restricted regional controls.
Reply
#9

Article 4.1 of the Elections Act was amended on October 21, 2017. The amendment was as follows:

Quote:4. Offices of the Cabinet

(1) On the first of every February, June and October, the Assembly will convene to elect the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.
a. For the first 3 6 days of the election period, legislators may declare their candidacy for only one position.
b. Following this nomination period, After 3 days, a campaign period of one week will start, where candidates may campaign and the Assembly will debate the merits of their platforms.
c. After the week-long campaign period, a voting period of 3 days will start. Legislators will cast their ballots for each position. Legislators may choose to abstain from voting on any or all positions.
Reply
#10

The Elections Act was amended on November 18, 2017. The amendment was as follows:

Quote:2. Electoral System

(1) Unless otherwise stated, all elections held on the regional forums will be conducted via Instant Runoff Voting (IRV).

5. Office of the Chair
(1) Eight days before the end of a Chair's term, the Assembly will convene to elect the Chair of the Assembly.
a. Any legislator wishing to run for Chair may declare their candidacy, and the Assembly will debate the merits of their platform.
b. The campaign and debate period will last 5 days, after which the Assembly will vote for 3 days.

(2) The voting for the Chair will be conducted using Approval Voting.
a. Voters may vote for as many candidates as they approve of, or vote for none by voting to Re-Open Nominations.
b. The candidate with the highest percentage of approval will be elected.
c. Should no candidate recieve at least 50% approval, the option to Re-Open Nominations will be "elected".

(3) The term for the incoming Chair will begin immediately following the conclusion of the election.

Renumbering of subsequent articles was done automatically.
Reply




Users browsing this thread:
1 Guest(s)





Theme © iAndrew 2018 Forum software by © MyBB .