Bill: Draft Congressional Alternative Voting and Proxy Act

[zLost]

A
BILL
To

Amend the Legislative Standards Act​

The people of the Commonwealth of Redmont, through their elected Representatives in the Congress and the force of law ordained to that Congress by the people through the constitution, do hereby enact the following provisions into law:

1 - Short Title and Enactment
(1) This Act may be cited as the 'Congressional Alternative Voting and Proxy Act'.
(2) This Act shall be enacted immediately upon its signage.
(3) This Act has been authored by ToadKing.
(4) This Act has been sponsored by Representative zLost
(5) This Act has been co-sponsored by Senator Anthony_org and President of the Senate Omegabiebel

2 - Reasons
(1) Some members of Congress may be unable to access Discord due to technical limitations, platform restrictions, or other circumstances beyond their control, but can access other communication platforms, such as the forums or in-game chat.
(2) Members of Congress on Leave of Absence or facing special circumstances should be able to participate in voting even when unable to personally cast votes in Discord.
(3) Alternative voting methods and proxy voting ensure that all duly elected members of Congress can fulfil their representative duties regardless of platform access limitations.
(4) Providing multiple voting channels increases accessibility and inclusivity in the legislative process without compromising the integrity of Congressional votes.
(5) To provide transparency to voters and fellow members of Congress regarding the availability of their representatives, while protecting the privacy of Congressional Members by keeping the specific reasons for Leave of Absence confidential.

3 - Amendments
(1) Section 13 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended by adding the following new subsections:

"13 - Voting
(1) If or when there is a motion against or relating specifically to a member of Congress, that member of Congress shall not be allowed to vote on that motion.
(2) An abstention vote may be submitted during voting if the member does not wish to vote for or against a matter before Congress. An abstention vote is different from a failure to vote at all in that a failure to vote will be considered a non-vote, however for the purposes of vote counting, a failure to vote will be counted as an abstention.

(3) Alternative Voting Methods
(a) A member of Congress may submit their vote through alternative methods if they:
(i) Are unable to access Discord due to technical limitations, platform restrictions, or account issues not arising from deportation or ban; or
(ii) Have an approved Leave of Absence under §14 of this Act; or
(iii) Are facing special circumstances that prevent them from voting via Discord, as approved by their respective Presiding Officer.

(b) Alternative votes may be submitted through:
(i) Forum Direct messages to the relevant Presiding Officer;
(ii) In-game messages to the relevant Presiding Officer;
(iii) Any other written communication method approved by the relevant Presiding Officer.

(c) Recording and Validity.
(i) The Presiding Officer or Congressional Staff shall record the vote in the appropriate voting thread and note that it was submitted via alternative method.
(ii) Alternative votes have the same validity and weight as Discord votes.
(iii) All alternative votes must be submitted before the voting period expires.

(4) Proxy Voting
(a) A member of Congress may designate another member as their proxy to vote on their behalf if they:
(i) Are unable to access Discord due to technical limitations, platform restrictions, or account issues not arising from deportation or ban; or
(ii) Have an approved Leave of Absence under §14 of this Act; or
(iii) Are facing special circumstances that prevent them from voting, as approved by their respective Presiding Officer.

(b) Establishing a Proxy.
(i) To establish a proxy, the member must submit written authorisation to their respective Presiding Officer specifying:

• The name of the proxy holder;
• The duration of the proxy (if temporary); and
• Any specific limitations on the proxy's authority.

(ii) A proxy remains active until:

• Revoked by the member in writing to the Presiding Officer; or
• The proxy holder ceases to be a member of the same Congressional chamber; or
• The specified duration expires; or
• The member who granted the proxy ceases to meet the eligibility requirements under subsection (4)(a).

(c) Proxy Holder Requirements.
(i) The proxy holder must be a member of the same Congressional chamber as the member granting the proxy.
(ii) The proxy holder must clearly indicate when voting by proxy on behalf of another member, stating the name of the member they are representing.
(iii) A proxy holder may not hold more than one proxy at any given time.

(d) Limitations on Proxy Voting.
(i) A member may not vote by proxy on matters where the proxy holder has a conflict of interest as defined in §13(1) or §21 of this Act.
(ii) A member may not vote by proxy on:

• Motions of Removal against themselves;
• Motions of Censure against themselves; or
• Motions of No Confidence against a Presiding Officer if the proxy holder is that Presiding Officer.

(iii) If a member votes via an alternative method under subsection (3) on a specific matter, their direct vote shall override and supersede any proxy vote already recorded on that matter.
(iv) Where a proxy vote cannot be cast due to the limitations in subsections (i) or (ii), the failure to vote shall not count toward dereliction of duty or inactivity for the member who granted the proxy.

(e) Public Record of Proxies.
(i) Each Presiding Officer shall maintain a publicly accessible record of all active proxies in their chamber.
(ii) This record shall include:

• The name of the member granting the proxy;
• The name of the proxy holder;
• The date the proxy was established;
• The duration of the proxy (if applicable); and
• Any specific limitations on the proxy's authority.

(iii) The record shall be updated within 24 hours of any proxy being established, revoked, or expired.

(5) Override by Direct Vote. If a member who has established a proxy or who has been voting by alternative methods participates directly in a vote via Discord, that direct vote shall take precedence over any proxy vote or previously submitted alternative vote for that specific matter."

(2) Section 14 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended by adding the following new subsection:

"14 - Leaves of Absence

(1) Congressional Members may, at any time during their term, request their respective presiding officer for a Leave of Absence and give their reason for it. The presiding officer will always accept this request so long as it meets the following requirements:

(a) The Leave of Absence is not requested in response to, or immediately following, action taken against the Congressional Member for their inactivity.

(b) The time length of the Leave of Absence combined with any other previous Leaves of Absence the Congressional Member may have taken during their term does not exceed 1 month for Representatives or 2 months for Senators.

(2) Public Record of Leaves of Absence

(a) Each Presiding Officer shall maintain a publicly accessible record of all active Leaves of Absence in their chamber.

(b) This record shall include:

(i) The name of the Congressional Member on Leave of Absence;

(ii) The start date of the Leave of Absence;

(iii) The expected end date of the Leave of Absence (if specified); and

(iv) The total duration of the Leave of Absence.

(c) The record shall be updated within 24 hours of any Leave of Absence being approved or concluded.

(d) The reason for the Leave of Absence shall remain confidential and shall not be included in the public record unless the Congressional Member explicitly consents to its publication."