[Proposal] Lazarene Elections Act

[New Rogernomics]

Lazarene Elections Act

Proposed by: @"New Rogernomics" 

Additional credit to: @"McChimp", Elections Act (Humane Republic of Lazarus and Celestial Union)

Preamble

This act will set forth the general procedure for holding elections within Lazarus.

Section 1. The Timing of Elections

(1) General Elections shall be held 15 days prior to the end of term for an elected office.

(2) General Elections shall last for a duration of fifteen (15) days.

(3) Special Elections shall be held as soon as reasonably possible once a vacancy in an elected office appears, when:

a. A recall or resignation has taken place prior to the first or last fifteen (15) days of the term.

(4) Special Elections shall last for a duration of eight (8) days.

Section 2. The Composition of Elections

(1) General Elections shall be composed as follows:

a. A four (4) day standing period.
b. A six (6) day campaigning period.
c. A five (5) day voting period.

(2) Special Elections shall be composed as follows:

a. A two (2) day standing period.
b. A three (3) day campaigning period.
c. A three (3) day voting period.

Section 3. The Conduct of Elections

(1) The Assembly Speaker may officiate the election.

(2) The Delegate may appoint an officiator for the election if the Assembly Speaker declines to officiate the election.

Section 4. Candidacy and Campaigning

(1) Candidates may begin campaigning in the elections sub forum immediately once they declare their candidacy in the standing thread.

(2) After the standing period has elapsed, the standing period will be considered closed and the election officiator will close the standing thread.

a. Any candidacy declarations submitted after the standing period has elapsed will be considered invalid.

(3) Immediately after nominations are closed, the campaigning period will begin.

Section 5. Voting Period

(1) Upon the conclusion of the campaigning period, the election officiator will open the voting thread and the voting period will commence:

a. The voting thread will remain open for the full period after the election officiator opened the voting thread.
b. Any votes submitted after the voting period has passed will be considered invalid.

(2) A candidate shall be ineligible to run if:

a. They are prohibited from occupying the position for which they are running by law.
b. They rescind their candidacy.

(3) If a candidate is ineligible to run, the election officiator shall reject their candidacy or redistribute the votes for the ineligible candidate according to the ranked choices of voters and continue the election.

(4) A special election term is not to count towards any established consecutive term limits for potential candidates.

Section 6. Instant-Run Off Voting

(1) Voters shall rank any number of candidates they choose and abstinence in order of preference.

(2) During each round, each voter shall have voted for the option they put highest in order of preference that still remains.

(3) Between each round, the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated.

(4) Rounds shall recur until:

a. A candidate has the required threshold of votes, in which case they will have won.
b. Enough votes are to abstain that it is impossible for any candidate to achieve the required threshold of votes, in which case the officiator will open nominations for a special election.

Original discussion is here: https://www.nslazarus.com/showthread.php...10#pid7610

Edit (12/3/19):

a. A recall or resignation has taken place prior to the first or last thirty (30) days of the term.

Edit (12/1/19):

(3) Special Elections shall be held as soon as reasonably possible once a vacancy in an elected office appears.

Edit (11/30/19):

Removed the specified days and times from Section 3-5.

[McChimp]

Support, will be voting for.

[Debussy]

Full support.

[Imaginary]

Lookz good! ^-^ Thank you for putting thiz together NR!

[Zapatian Workers State]

In favor

[Debussy]

Can voting in special elections be 5 days too?

[New Rogernomics]

Can voting in special elections be 5 days too?

No, as special elections should be as short as is reasonably possible, as they'd be used to fill a vacancy in office or to settle an inconclusive general election. The constitution/mandate as written provides for no caretaker administration so we'd have no Ministers for example if the PM resigned.

[Debussy]

I worry the short period could be abused.

[New Rogernomics]

I worry the short period could be abused.

It relies on two specific circumstances, meaning someone resigning or being recalled from office, or a general election that has already taken place ending up without a majority and requiring some tie breaker. Both require the Assembly Speaker to permit them and for those special circumstances to exist to hold a special election. For it be abused you'd have to effectively have an incompetent Assembly Speaker who ignores the mandate and this proposed law, and is liable to end up in court, if not give a good reason for their own recall.

I have just edited this in to make it even clearer:

a. A recall or resignation has taken place prior to the first or last thirty (30) days of the term.

[New Rogernomics]

So probably time to take this to vote.