Bill: Rejected Stromboli Act

[GoldBlooded]

A
BILL
To

Amend the Electoral 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 'Stromboli Act.'
(2) This Act shall be enacted immediately upon its signage.
(3) This Act has been authored by: Rep. GoldBlooded
(4) This Act has been co-sponsored by: Sen. xEndeavour

2 - Reasons
(1) Consolidate Acts of Congress pertaining to elections, petitions, and referendums.
(2) Rescind outdated Acts of Congress.

3 - Consolidate and Rescind
(1) Act of Congress - Recall Constitutional Amendment Act is rescinded.
(2) Act of Congress - Referendum Act is rescinded.
(3) Act of Congress - Length of Congress Term (Amendment) is rescinded.
(4) Act of Congress - Constitution Amendment Act (IV) (redundant) is rescinded.
(5) Act of Congress - Socialism Amendment is rescinded.
(6) Act of Congress - Congressional Realignment & Expansion Act of March (CREAM) Act (redundant) is rescinded.
(7) Act of Congress - The Eleven Act 2 : Electric Boogaloo Act is rescinded.
(8) Whereas any Act of Congress is in conflict with this Act it will be rendered null and void. (rescinded)

4 - Amend
(1) Act of Congress - Electoral Act shall be amended from:
4 - Constitutional Inclusion
Sections 5, 6, and 7 shall be included in the Constitution.

5- Electoral Terms and Limitations
(1) The Supreme Court of Redmont is to act as the Court of Disputed Returns.
(2) A citizen can only sit in one chamber; Where a citizen is elected to both chambers, it will be that they assume their seat in the Senate and forfeit their Seat in the House of Representatives.
(3) Candidates are to make their official political party affiliations known or if none, opt to run as an independent. Failure to identify a party affiliation will result in the candidate being declared an independent.
(4) Each candidate is to be listed separately on the ballot with their party in parentheses by their name.
(5) The entirety of Congress enters “caretaker mode” during an election period. Between the 1st-10th day of an electoral month is the Election Period.
(6) False party affiliations will be excluded at the request of the relevant party leader.
(7) All citizens eligible to vote shall be granted one vote.
(8) Political parties cannot sponsor a higher number of candidates than seats that are up to vote.

6 - House of Representatives
(1) Elections for the House of Representatives shall be conducted through a system of Proportional Representation outlined in this Act.
(2) In order to run for the House of Representatives, citizens need to meet these requirements:

• Has accrued 24 hours playtime prior to declaring their intent to contest the election on the forums.
• Is an active participant in the community, in-game, on discord, and on the forums.

(3) House of Representatives Duration
2 Month Term
(4) House of Representatives Election Months:
January, March, May, July, September, and November

7 - Senate
(1) Elections for the Senate shall be conducted through a system of block voting outlined in this Act.
(2) The Senate shall be divided into two classes, Class A and Class B. Class A Senators are elected in January, May, and September elections. Class B Senators are elected in March, July, and November elections.
a. Where the entire Senate is up for election, the highest polling 50% of Senators shall be assigned to Class A while the remaining Senators shall be assigned to Class B.
(3) In order to run for the Senate, citizens need to meet these requirements:

• Has accrued 72 hours playtime prior to declaring their intent to contest the election on the forums
• Is an active participant in the community, in-game, on discord, and on the forums.

(4) Senate Duration
4 Month Term
(5) Senate Election Months:
Class A:
January, May, September
Class B:
March, July, November

8 - Proportional System
(a) Once voting has concluded, all votes cast to candidates of the same party are pooled. Independents shall stand on their own and for all electoral purposes are considered a 'party'.
(b) The number of votes the party or independent as a whole received shall be divided by the total number of votes cast to determine the “Party Share”.
(c) The total number of seats being contested shall be multiplied by the Party Share to determine the party’s seats.
(d) All parties and independents shall be awarded a number of seats equal to the whole number determined in the previous step.
(e) Should any seats remain unallocated, the party with the next highest decimal seats shall be granted a seat until all seats are allocated.
(f) The order in which the seats will be distributed to candidates will be determined by their popularity in the election, with seats being awarded to the most popular candidate of the party first, then going down from most popular to least popular to fill all of a party’s seats. If a party wins more seats than it has candidates, its extra seats shall be reapportioned in accordance with point e.

9 - Block System
(a) Once voting has concluded, seats shall be awarded to the candidate with the highest share of the vote through to the lowest share of the vote until all vacant seats are filled.

10 - Special Elections
(1) Congress may motion to hold a special election for a Congressional vacancy.
(2) After the motion has been approved by simple majority, it then must receive Presidential Assent.
(3) Should the President decline to grant assent for the special election motion, this may not be overruled.
(4) If assent was granted, the election shall take place 3 days thereafter, the public shall immediately be notified to allow candidates to campaign and officially submit their intent to run.
(5) A special election shall consist of a 48 nomination period, a 24 hour campaigning period, and a 24 hour voting period.
(6) Whichever candidate reached a plurality shall fill the vacancy.
(7) In the event of a tie, Congress shall choose between the highest voted candidates that tied.
(8) Caretaker mode shall not be instated as a result of a special election.
(9) The results of a special election will become the most recent election from where another 14 day period will commence.

11 - Vacant Seats
(1) Where a seat in a chamber becomes vacant, the relevant presiding officer is obligated to do the following:
a. Nominate the next winning candidate according to the electoral system used in the election. For the nominee to assume office, they must attain a majority approval in both chambers.
i. Any candidate nominated to the Congress of Redmont must meet all requirements to run for their position at the time of their nomination.
b. Congress must vote on a nomination within four days of the seat becoming vacant. A special election will be automatically triggered where there are no suitable candidates in the most recent election; 4 days has elapsed and the vacancy has not been filled; or a special election has been successfully motioned.

12 - Removal of Congresswoman/Congressman
(1) If a Representative is no longer fit for office, they can be removed from Congress early by the relevant presiding officer with the consent of four fifths of their chamber (Excluding the individual in question).
(2) If a Senator is no longer fit for office, they can be removed from Congress early by the relevant presiding officer with the consent of all members of their chamber (Excluding the individual in question).

13 - Electoral Fraud
Any player caught rigging/meddling with an election through, but not limited to: the use of alternate accounts, bribery, and or threats.
Per Offence: Courts may order up to $25,000 in fines + issue a temporary or permeant barring from holding public office.

14 - Electoral Fraud Process
Where electoral results are flagged for fraudulent behavior, the Government will be responsible for contesting the votes in Court.
a. During this period, the former Government will remain in Caretaker Government.
b. Individual votes may be struck by the Court
c. Non-fraudulent votes are to be counted and will continue to contribute to Party totals.

15 - Activity Requirement Process
(1) Electoral Officers will be charged with the task of ensuring each voter meets the requirements as laid out in this bill.
(2) If a voter does not meet activity requirements as outlined in this act, the vote will be removed and the counting will proceed.

16 - Referendum
The right to vote in elections and referendums, provided the player has:
a. Been online within 1 month as the votes are counted.
b. Accrued 6 or more hours of playtime in the last 30 days.

To:

4 - Constitutional Inclusion
Sections 5, 6, 7, and 8, shall be included in the Constitution.

5 - Electoral Terms and Limitations
(1) The Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Redmont is to act as the Court of Disputed Returns.
(2) A citizen can only sit in one chamber;
(a) Whereas a citizen is elected to both chambers, they will assume their seat in the Senate and forfeit their Seat in the House of Representatives.
(3) Candidates are to make their official political party affiliations known or if none, opt to run as an independent.
(a) Failure to identify a party affiliation will result in the candidate being declared as an independent.
(4) Each candidate is to be listed separately on the ballot with their party abbreviation in parentheses by their name.
(5) The entirety of Congress enters “caretaker mode” during an election period. Between the 1st-10th day of an electoral month is the Election Period.
(6) False party affiliations will be excluded at the request of the relevant party leader.
(7) All citizens eligible to vote shall be granted one vote.
(8) Political parties cannot sponsor a higher number of candidates than seats that are up to vote.

6 - House of Representatives
(1) The House of Representatives shall consist of 11 citizens, referred to as Representatives. (Abbreviated Rep.)
(2) Elections for the House of Representatives shall be conducted through a system of Proportional Representation outlined in Section 8 of this Act.
(3) In order to run for the House of Representatives, citizens need to meet these requirements:

• Has accrued 24 hours playtime prior to declaring their intent to contest the election on the forums.
• Is an active participant in the community, in-game, on discord, and on the forums.

(3) House of Representatives Term Duration:
(a) 2 Months
(4) House of Representatives Election Months:
(a) January, March, May, July, September, and November

7 - Senate
(1) The House of Representatives shall consist of 6 citizens, referred to as Senators. (Abbreviated Sen.)
(2) Elections for the Senate shall be conducted through a system of block voting outlined in Section 9 of this Act.
(a) Where the entire Senate is up for election, the highest polling 50% of Senators shall be assigned to Class A while the remaining Senators shall be assigned to Class B.
(3) The Senate shall be divided into two classes, Class A and Class B.
(4) In order to run for the Senate, citizens need to meet these requirements:

• Has accrued 72 hours playtime prior to declaring their intent to contest the election on the forums
• Is an active participant in the community, in-game, on discord, and on the forums.

(5) Senate Term Duration:
(a) 4 Months
(5) Senate Election Months:
(a) Class A: January, May, September
(b) Class B: March, July, November

8 - President & Vice President
(1) The President and Vice President are elected on a joint-ticket, both serving a four-month term.
(2) A Presidential candidate will choose a running mate prior to the electoral ballot, to serve as Vice President.
(a) Electoral Months: February, June, October
(3) In order to run for President, the player needs to meet these requirements:

• Has been 4 months since the player’s initial join date.
• Has accrued 300 hours of active playtime.
• Has accrued 12 hours of playtime within the last 30 days.
• Is an active participant in the community, in-game, on discord, and on the forums.
• An elected president cannot run in a consecutive Presidential election.

(4) In order to run for Vice President, the player needs to meet these requirements:

• Has accrued 150 hours of active playtime.
• Has accrued 12 hours of playtime within the last 30 days.
• Is an active participant in the community, in-game, on discord, and on forums.
• A Vice President cannot be the last President.

(5) At the beginning of every presidential term, all cabinet positions must be nominated/re-nominated and approved by the Senate.
(6) The Presidential Election shall be conducted through a process of an instant-runoff Single Transferable Vote as outlined in Section 11 of this Act.
(7) Immediately following the conclusion of the election, the winner of such will be declared the President-Elect.
(8) The incumbent President will remain President until the 15th of the electoral month pursuant to the Commencement of the President-Elect's term as President.

9 - Proportional Representation System
(1) Once voting has concluded, all votes cast to candidates of the same party are pooled. Independents shall stand on their own and for all electoral purposes are considered a 'party'.
(2) The number of votes the party or independent as a whole received shall be divided by the total number of votes cast to determine the “Party Share”.
(3) The total number of seats being contested shall be multiplied by the Party Share to determine the party’s seats.
(4) All parties and independents shall be awarded a number of seats equal to the whole number determined in the previous step.
(5) Should any seats remain unallocated, the party with the next highest decimal seats shall be granted a seat until all seats are allocated.
(6) The order in which the seats will be distributed to candidates will be determined by their popularity in the election, with seats being awarded to the most popular candidate of the party first, then going down from most popular to least popular to fill all of a party’s seats. If a party wins more seats than it has candidates, its extra seats shall be reapportioned in accordance with point e.

10 - Block System
(a) Once voting has concluded, seats shall be awarded to the candidate with the highest share of the vote through to the lowest share of the vote until all vacant seats are filled.

11 - Single Transferable Vote
(1) In the event that no candidate secures an outright majority in the Presidential election, a 24-hour runoff election shall promptly take place.
(a) In the event that more than two candidates are tied for first place, all candidates which tied for first place shall be listed.
(b) In the event that one candidate received a plurality and multiple candidates tied for second, the highest voted candidate plus all candidates tied for second shall be listed.
(c) In the event of a tie during a 2-way runoff, the House of Representatives shall decide among the runoff presidential candidates the next President and the Senate shall decide among the runoff vice-presidential candidates the next vice president. During this time the incumbent President shall administer the departments.

12 - Special Elections
(1) Congress may motion to hold a special election for a Congressional vacancy through a majority vote in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
(2) After the motion has been approved, The Department of State, at the request of a relevant Presiding Officer, must pose a special election on the forums. the public shall immediately be notified to allow candidates to campaign and officially submit their intent to run.
(3) A special election shall consist of a 48 hour declaration period and a 24 hour voting period.
(a) Whichever candidate reaches a plurality shall fill the vacancy.
(b) In the event of a tie, Congress shall choose between the highest voted candidates that tied.
(4) Caretaker mode shall not be instated as a result of a special election.
(5) The results of a special election will become the most recent election from where another 14 day period will commence.

13 - Vacant Seats
(1) Where a Congressional vacancy arises, the relevant presiding officer is obligated to do one of the following:
(a) Nominate the next winning candidate according to the electoral system used in the election. For the nominee to assume office, they must attain a majority approval in both chambers. Any candidate nominated to the Congress of the Commonwealth of Redmont must meet all requirements to run for their position at the time of their nomination.
(b) Propose a motion to initiate a special election for the vacant seat(s) through a majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
(2) Congress must vote on a nomination within Three days of the seat becoming vacant.
(3) A special election will be automatically triggered where:
(a) there are no suitable candidates in the most recent election; or
(b) Three days have elapsed and the vacancy has not been filled; or
(c) a special election has been successfully motioned.

14 - Electoral Fraud
Any player caught rigging/meddling with an election through, but not limited to: the use of alternate accounts, bribery, and or threats.
Per Offence: Courts may order up to $25,000 in fines + issue a temporary or permeant barring from holding public office.

15 - Electoral Fraud Process
(1) Where electoral results are flagged for fraudulent behavior, the Government will be responsible for contesting the votes in Court.
(a) During this period, the former Government will remain in Caretaker Government.
(b) Individual votes may be struck by the Court
(c) Non-fraudulent votes are to be counted and will continue to contribute to Party totals.

16 - Activity Requirement Process
(1) Electoral Officers will be charged with the task of ensuring each voter meets the requirements as laid out in this bill.
(2) If a voter does not meet activity requirements as outlined in this act, the vote will be removed and the counting will proceed.

17 - Petition and Referendum
(1) Petitions can be started by anyone against any matter of public importance.
(2) At 20 signatures the The Department of State, upon the request of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, is obligated to conduct a referendum on the forums. During a period of 72 hours, citizens will have the opportunity to vote on the specified topic.
(a) Referendums can only be started by the Department of State.
(b) A referendum is only binding where provided specifically in law.
(c) A referendum is a mode for the people to exhibit their will.
(3) Players must have a minimum of 6 hours of active playtime on the server within the last thirty days in order to initiate or sign a petition, or vote in a public referendum.
(4) To sign a petition you must respond with a declaration reasonably similar to "I, (username), agree with this petition."

18 - Recalling Members of Congress
(1) Any person may submit a petition on the forums to recall a member of Congress.
(2) Should the petition receive at least 20 unique signatures, a referendum shall be held by the Department of State.
(a) The referendum shall last for 72 hours.
(b) The live results of such an election shall not be made public and the results shall only be disclosed once polling has concluded.

19 - Formats
(1) Petition Format:
Title: Petition for/against <topic>
Username:
Topic:
Why you are for/against this?:
Additional Information:

(2) Referendum Format:
Title: Referendum for <short title of bill>
Bill / Act / Constitution in Question:
Intent of Referendum:
Additional Information: