Bill: Draft Electoral Reform Act

[Katto]

A
BILL
To
Amend the Aventura Constitution​

BE IT ENACTED by the Mayor and Council of Aventura:

1 - Short Title and Enactment
(1) This Act may be cited as the 'Electoral Reform Act.'
(2) This Act shall be enacted immediately upon its signage.
(3) This Act has been authored and sponsored by Councillor Katto.


2 - Reasons
(1) The Town of Aventura has historically had a low turnout rate in many elections.
(2) This amendment will give more time for voters to vote and make a decision.
(3) Over the last two months, Aventura elections only recieved about nine (9) votes in total, which contrasts Oakridge which frequently recieves 20 to 40 votes in its elections.
(4) This low turnout can certainly be attributed to the short time of only 2 days of voting and is harmful to democracy as often times it's single votes that decide the outcome of an election.

3 - Amendments
(1) Article III, Section I of the Constitution of Aventura shall be replaced with the following text:

Section I – Timing
(1) Elections for the Office of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, who shall run jointly, as well as Council elections, shall be held three times a year, in April, August, and December, beginning on the 15th day.
(2) All elections, excluding special and run-off elections, shall have a 72-hour declaration period, followed by a 72-hour voting period.
(3) Special elections shall have a 24-hour declaration period, followed by a 48-hour voting period.
(4) Runoff elections shall last for 48 hours.