Election Cycle Clarification Bill

Sanctaria

Sanctaria

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Election Cycle Clarification Bill

1. Chapter 4, Section 4.2, Clause 7 is hereby amended to read as follows:

7. "Election Cycle" is defined as the period of time that begins on the first day on which nominations, or a declaration, of candidacy are made and concludes with the final declaration of results for an election.
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The reason for this change is simple. Chapter 4 of the Legal Code already dictates when an election cycle begins (L.C. §4.4.13; L.C. §4.4.15) and how long each period lasts (L.C. §§4.3.10-12). There is no valid reason, at least in my mind, why the Delegate is then currently legally obligated (L.C. §4.2.7) to also announce these dates 30 days in advance.

It appears that this is a redundant sentence in this particular clause and should be stricken from the Legal Code.
 
so... let me get this straight... telling people when elections are coming is a bad thing and ought to be avoided?
 
SillyString:
Yes, that's definitely what Sanc is saying. :mellow:
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on reflection on your oh so wonderfully helpful sarcasm, I guess the real point of what Sanc said is to make the law more efficient, not to undermine public awareness and participation in elections. All I really meant was, can we keep the announcement requirement, because it's worth the duplication, I think.
 
Even if I accepted that argument, when you consider the turnover rate in TNP 30 days is inefficient and too far away from the beginning of polling to be justified as encouraging awareness and public participation.

The Delegate is still required to name Election Commissioners at least a week before the month in which elections occur begins. I believe that this is more that sufficient "notice" if notice is required - having dates and periods in the Legal Code makes redundant the clause that requires the Delegate to designate such dates.
 
but what if we forget?

Also, which takes precedence, the legally mandated date of election or the date the delegate says there will be an election?

In Taijitu currently when we asked (on the legally scheduled day) the delegate to appoint an election commissioner we got told we are not having elections til November, and even then, only if activity is at a satisfactory level.

I'm not saying we're in the same bad state, but we are still, after all, only human.
 
If we forget, then having to wait 30 days isn't going to make anything better.

The legally mandated date takes precedence, as it is legally mandated. The delegate is not legally permitted to announce a date other than the legally mandated date, and as such, the legally mandated date can be considered as pre-announced for every election cycle.
 
Essentially the requirement is a notice to the Delegate that he or she needs to think about who is to be appointed as Election Commissioners in a few weeks, and to let those who are eligible to begin thinking or planning or discussing candidacy for the elected offices that will be on the ballot. It also allows a notice to be made with the full election calendar laid out. Also, the election dates have to be verified that the date of legal holidays are taken into account, and waiting for the last minute to do so usually leads to mistakes and omissions, and complicates the election process.

Hence, the need for a prior notice so those things are dealt with in advance of the start of an election cycle.
The requirement does not hurt,
 
30 days is a bit long and unnecessary. It also calls into question whether the election should start with 30 days notice, if someone forgets and announces it a few days later (like I did) or if it should continue to start on the first day of the month.

Election commissioners are still required to be appointed at least one week before the election starts, and I find it very unlikely that TNPers would forget that an election is due :P
 
I beleive this is a straightforward repeal of an obviously redundant, and frequently problematic, legal provision. It has my support.
 
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