- Pronouns
- He/Him, They/Them
Published Speakers Office Guides
The guides that are yet to be written are the following:
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Published Speakers Office Guides
- Thread starter St George
- Start date
- Status
Published Speakers Office Guides
The guides that are yet to be written are the following:
- Pronouns
- He/Him, They/Them
Citizenship Application - Standard Application Process
Prerequisites:
None
Step 0: Open up both the Pending Citizenship Applications sheet and the Citizenship Application forum thread. Scroll down to the last post in the Citizenship Application forum thread.
Step 1: For every application, take note of the nation name of the application. (They should only fill in a nation name without the pretitle, eg. PotatoFarmers. Officially, if the nation name contains the pretitle, eg. The Republic of PotatoFarmers, we are to reject them, however, anyone can exercise discretion if the nation name without the pretitle is obvious.)
Step 2: Enter the following details into the Pending Citizenship Applications spreadsheet:
Step 3: For all new applications, check if they pass the Speaker's Check. To pass the Speaker's Check, the following criteria must be fulfilled:
Step 4: Look at previous pending applications, and see if they have passed other checks.
Step 5: For every check that passes, you enter the date of passing in the relevant column. If not, check the box, that application is considered to have failed. Please reject them explicitly on the citizenship applications thread.
Step 5a: If an applicant fails the Vice Delegate Check, proceed with the procedure for failing Vice Delegate Checks.
Step 5b: If an applicant fails the Admin Check due to them not having a residential IP address, wait for the Vice Delegate to perform a re-evaluation on their application. Be sure they meet the criteria, which is outlined below:
Step 6: For an application to pass, they have to pass all 3 checks - Speaker's Check, Vice Delegate's Check, and Admin Check. If all check passes, proceed to complete the following:
Step 6a: Make a corresponding post on the Citizenship Applications forum thread that they have passed all 3 checks and will therefore be masked as a citizen.
Step 6b: On the forums, go to joinable groups under Members and mask them in Citizens group (like how you mask executive staffers). The joinable group should look like the below:
Step 6c: Copy their Forum Name, Nation and Profile, make a new row in the Citizens page, and then paste the details in. The number on the first column should be previous number + 1, pull the formula for column I and J down, the rest of the columns leave it blank
Step 6d: Where applicable, remove from Residents sheet and remove their Residents masking if they had one.
Prerequisites:
None
Step 0: Open up both the Pending Citizenship Applications sheet and the Citizenship Application forum thread. Scroll down to the last post in the Citizenship Application forum thread.
Step 1: For every application, take note of the nation name of the application. (They should only fill in a nation name without the pretitle, eg. PotatoFarmers. Officially, if the nation name contains the pretitle, eg. The Republic of PotatoFarmers, we are to reject them, however, anyone can exercise discretion if the nation name without the pretitle is obvious.)
Step 2: Enter the following details into the Pending Citizenship Applications spreadsheet:
- Forum Name in the first column
- Date of Application in the second column
- Nationstates Nation Name in the third column, using the formula: (Note, take the nation name without pretitle!)
For example, for the nation The Northern Light:
- Forum Profile ID in the fourth column, using the formula: (The Forum Profile ID is the 6/7-digit number found in the link to the forum profile)
For example, for the forum with the profile id 123456:
Step 3: For all new applications, check if they pass the Speaker's Check. To pass the Speaker's Check, the following criteria must be fulfilled:
- Nation needs to exist and be located in The North Pacific.
- The citizenship oath, word for word as below (Tip: Just Ctrl+F/Command+F and then see if the oath is highlighted as an instance of the oath. If there are missing words, the oath would not be highlighted in full.)
Step 4: Look at previous pending applications, and see if they have passed other checks.
Step 5: For every check that passes, you enter the date of passing in the relevant column. If not, check the box, that application is considered to have failed. Please reject them explicitly on the citizenship applications thread.
Step 5a: If an applicant fails the Vice Delegate Check, proceed with the procedure for failing Vice Delegate Checks.
Step 5b: If an applicant fails the Admin Check due to them not having a residential IP address, wait for the Vice Delegate to perform a re-evaluation on their application. Be sure they meet the criteria, which is outlined below:
- Applicant does not have another forum account,
- Applicant did not apply with a proxy/VPN,
- Applicant's nation they applied with is in the World Assembly.
Step 6: For an application to pass, they have to pass all 3 checks - Speaker's Check, Vice Delegate's Check, and Admin Check. If all check passes, proceed to complete the following:
Step 6a: Make a corresponding post on the Citizenship Applications forum thread that they have passed all 3 checks and will therefore be masked as a citizen.
Step 6b: On the forums, go to joinable groups under Members and mask them in Citizens group (like how you mask executive staffers). The joinable group should look like the below:
Step 6c: Copy their Forum Name, Nation and Profile, make a new row in the Citizens page, and then paste the details in. The number on the first column should be previous number + 1, pull the formula for column I and J down, the rest of the columns leave it blank
Step 6d: Where applicable, remove from Residents sheet and remove their Residents masking if they had one.
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- Pronouns
- He/Him, They/Them
Closing a Voting Thread
Prerequisites:
1. Know how to do citizenship status check.
Step 1: Run a standard citizenship status check. This should be a standard procedure before any vote counting.
Step 2: Take a look at the opening post of the voting thread. A sample can be found below:
The 2 main things to take note of: when the vote ends (per the example: Friday, Jan 21 2022) as well as the 4 digit order number below the motion (4827).
Step 3: Open the "Counting Sheet" spreadsheet in the Citizenship Registry. Under Order #, replace the number in the white box with the number as found in the Opening Post (4827).
Step 4: For every valid vote in the voting thread, look up the citizen's name and then put their vote in the cell under the "Vote" column. Put y for Aye, n for Nay, and q for Abstain. For votes to be valid, they have to be posted before the end of voting period, and that the citizen should not have their voting rights suspended. Take note of the invalid votes.
Step 5: Check if there are voters who are not citizens at the start of voting. This is determined by the Order Number (4827, in this case). On the sheet, it would be marked out in red and ignored in the sheet. Please remove this vote from the counting sheet.
Step 6: Under the excel sheet, check if the quorum is met. If the quorum is not met, by the Regional Assembly Rules, Section 2.5, we will announce an extension of the vote to the maximum time permitted.
Step 7: Check whether the required majority is met. Typically, only a simple majority is required for any confirmation/bill to pass. The following are some exceptions, as required by the Constitution:
Step 8: Under the Voting Post Templates, find the appropriate closing post and fill in the blanks. The list of Aye, Nay and Abstain voters can be obtained from the sheet. Also fill in the list of invalid votes per the respective templates.
Step 9: Post the appropriate closing post. Lock the thread, and change the title of the thread to mark its status (ie. Passed or Failed)
Step 10: Copy the Paste column in the Counting Spreadsheet. Create a new column in the Citizens sheet, and paste that column directly into the sheet. At the first row, note whether it is a legislative vote (ie. voting on amending one of the legal documents, or adding a new treaty); or a non-legislative vote (eg. recall, confirmation). At the second row, note the date and link to the voting thread, using the following formula:
See screenshot below for how it should look like.
Step 11: If the proposal requires a change to the Legal Code, please present the proposal to the delegate here.
Prerequisites:
1. Know how to do citizenship status check.
Step 1: Run a standard citizenship status check. This should be a standard procedure before any vote counting.
Step 2: Take a look at the opening post of the voting thread. A sample can be found below:
The 2 main things to take note of: when the vote ends (per the example: Friday, Jan 21 2022) as well as the 4 digit order number below the motion (4827).
Step 3: Open the "Counting Sheet" spreadsheet in the Citizenship Registry. Under Order #, replace the number in the white box with the number as found in the Opening Post (4827).
Step 4: For every valid vote in the voting thread, look up the citizen's name and then put their vote in the cell under the "Vote" column. Put y for Aye, n for Nay, and q for Abstain. For votes to be valid, they have to be posted before the end of voting period, and that the citizen should not have their voting rights suspended. Take note of the invalid votes.
Step 5: Check if there are voters who are not citizens at the start of voting. This is determined by the Order Number (4827, in this case). On the sheet, it would be marked out in red and ignored in the sheet. Please remove this vote from the counting sheet.
As you can see, it is marked "Discount": View attachment 490
Step 6: Under the excel sheet, check if the quorum is met. If the quorum is not met, by the Regional Assembly Rules, Section 2.5, we will announce an extension of the vote to the maximum time permitted.
Step 7: Check whether the required majority is met. Typically, only a simple majority is required for any confirmation/bill to pass. The following are some exceptions, as required by the Constitution:
- Making changes to legal documents. Note that any bill changing more than one of the following documents must past the majority required to change all the documents as required by the bill, for the bill to be considered as passed.
- Legal Code: A simple majority is required to change the Legal Code.
- Constitution: A 2/3rd majority is required to change the Constitution. (See Article 8 of the Constitution)
- Bill of Rights: A 3/4th majority is required to change the Bill of Rights. (See Article 8 of the Constitution)
- Passing a treaty. A 2/3rd majority is required to pass the treaty as negotiated by the Delegate/Minister of Foreign Affairs. (See Article 3, Clause 3 of the Constitution)
- Overriding a veto. Should the Delegate veto a proposal by the Regional Assembly, a 2/3rd majority is required to override such a veto (See Article 3, Clause 5 & Clause 6 of the Constitution)
- Confirmation of a member to the Security Council. If the applicant is nominated by the Security Council, a majority is enough to confirm them to the Security Council. However, if the Security Council doesn't nominate an applicant, or act on their application within 30 days, a 2/3rd majority is required to pass their confirmation. (See Article 5, Clause 2 of the Constitution)
Step 8: Under the Voting Post Templates, find the appropriate closing post and fill in the blanks. The list of Aye, Nay and Abstain voters can be obtained from the sheet. Also fill in the list of invalid votes per the respective templates.
Step 9: Post the appropriate closing post. Lock the thread, and change the title of the thread to mark its status (ie. Passed or Failed)
Step 10: Copy the Paste column in the Counting Spreadsheet. Create a new column in the Citizens sheet, and paste that column directly into the sheet. At the first row, note whether it is a legislative vote (ie. voting on amending one of the legal documents, or adding a new treaty); or a non-legislative vote (eg. recall, confirmation). At the second row, note the date and link to the voting thread, using the following formula:
Code:
=HYPERLINK("@@LINK TO VOTING THREAD@@","DATE OF THREAD OPENING")Step 11: If the proposal requires a change to the Legal Code, please present the proposal to the delegate here.
DISCLAIMER: The posting check (RMB and Forum) tools in the sheet are currently non-functional, but @Sil Dorsett has kindly provided us with a new tool to help with that check. However, we still follow most of what is outlined in this guide.
Citizenship Status Check - Standard Procedure
Prerequisites:
None
Step 1: Open the Citizenship sheet. Click on "Perform Checks" (found on the menu at the top of the sheet. After clicking "perform checks" there are five different options/checks you can perform.)
Step 2 - Check Nations: Use this check for both the citizen and resident sheets. This checks if the citizen or resident has a nation residing in TNP. If a citizen's or resident's nation name turns red (column D on the citizen sheet and column B on the resident sheet), they fail the check. If it remains white, they pass. Remember, always double-check by manually checking their nation.
Below is an example of a nation failing said check (outlined in black):
Step 3 - Check RMB/Forum Posting Activity: These checks check if the citizens have met the posting requirements (posted on the forum or RMB within 30 days). Once you've performed the check, change from the citizen sheet to the sheet named "To review posting requirements". There you will find all nations that have failed to meet the posting requirements. If it is empty, you can proceed to the next check. If a nation has failed the posting checks, always make sure to manually check if they have failed the posting requirements so the sheet hasn't missed a post. There are links available in the sheet directly to the RMB posts. For forum posts, click on the link to the citizen's forum account and choose "postings".
Step 4: Skip to Step 5 if no one failed step 2 and 3. Prepare a forum post in the thread Loss of Citizenship/Residency Notifications by writing down all the citizens and/or residents who have failed to keep their current status in the region and the reason why.
Step 4a: If a citizen/resident has lost citizenship due to failing the nations check, remove their row altogether from the citizen/resident registry and remove their citizen/resident masking on the forum.
Step 4b: If a citizen has lost citizenship due to failing the posting checks, add them as a resident instead on the sheet(copy forum name and hyperlinks for nation and forum account). Remove their row on the citizen sheet and mask them as a resident on the forum.
Step 4c: Post your forum post in the thread Loss of Citizenship/Residency Notifications.
Step 4d: If a government official has lost citizenship/residency in the region please inform admin so they can mask them appropriately. If it's an elected official, inform the election commission.
Step 5 - Check Forum Activity: This check only applies to government officials, including security councillors. If a government official has failed to log on to the forums within 14 days, column F on the citizen sheet will turn golden. After conducting the check, you can also find government officials who have failed the activity check on the sheet named "To review posting requirements. (For residents who are government officials, you will have to check them manually. Click on the resident's forum account link and check "last seen" and check if it is within 14 days of today). If a government official has failed to meet activity requirements, make a post in Admin Requests so they can be demasked and the election commission if the government official is an elected official.
Step 6 - Check Forum Names: Make sure to check both the resident and citizen sheet when conducting this check. If a nation's forum name turns golden it means they have changed their forum name to something different (Forum name is found on column B in the citizen sheet and column A in the resident sheet). To count votes etc. it is important that the correct forum name is written in the sheet. Here's what to do to change the forum names:
Step 6a: Copy the old/wrong name.
Step 6b: If the forum name cell has little black mark (a note) in the top right corner: Click on it and paste the old forum name in a new row below the previous old forum names. Skip to 6.D
Step 6c: If the forum name cell does not have a little black mark (a note) in the top right corner: Right click the cell of the forum name and select "Insert Note". Write: Formerly: [INSERT OLD FORUM NAME]
Step 6d: Find the citizen/resident's new forum name by clicking on the link to their form account. Copy and paste into the forum name cell.
Citizenship Status Check - Standard Procedure
Prerequisites:
None
Step 1: Open the Citizenship sheet. Click on "Perform Checks" (found on the menu at the top of the sheet. After clicking "perform checks" there are five different options/checks you can perform.)
Step 2 - Check Nations: Use this check for both the citizen and resident sheets. This checks if the citizen or resident has a nation residing in TNP. If a citizen's or resident's nation name turns red (column D on the citizen sheet and column B on the resident sheet), they fail the check. If it remains white, they pass. Remember, always double-check by manually checking their nation.
Below is an example of a nation failing said check (outlined in black):
Step 3 - Check RMB/Forum Posting Activity: These checks check if the citizens have met the posting requirements (posted on the forum or RMB within 30 days). Once you've performed the check, change from the citizen sheet to the sheet named "To review posting requirements". There you will find all nations that have failed to meet the posting requirements. If it is empty, you can proceed to the next check. If a nation has failed the posting checks, always make sure to manually check if they have failed the posting requirements so the sheet hasn't missed a post. There are links available in the sheet directly to the RMB posts. For forum posts, click on the link to the citizen's forum account and choose "postings".
Step 4: Skip to Step 5 if no one failed step 2 and 3. Prepare a forum post in the thread Loss of Citizenship/Residency Notifications by writing down all the citizens and/or residents who have failed to keep their current status in the region and the reason why.
Step 4a: If a citizen/resident has lost citizenship due to failing the nations check, remove their row altogether from the citizen/resident registry and remove their citizen/resident masking on the forum.
Step 4b: If a citizen has lost citizenship due to failing the posting checks, add them as a resident instead on the sheet(copy forum name and hyperlinks for nation and forum account). Remove their row on the citizen sheet and mask them as a resident on the forum.
Step 4c: Post your forum post in the thread Loss of Citizenship/Residency Notifications.
Step 4d: If a government official has lost citizenship/residency in the region please inform admin so they can mask them appropriately. If it's an elected official, inform the election commission.
Step 5 - Check Forum Activity: This check only applies to government officials, including security councillors. If a government official has failed to log on to the forums within 14 days, column F on the citizen sheet will turn golden. After conducting the check, you can also find government officials who have failed the activity check on the sheet named "To review posting requirements. (For residents who are government officials, you will have to check them manually. Click on the resident's forum account link and check "last seen" and check if it is within 14 days of today). If a government official has failed to meet activity requirements, make a post in Admin Requests so they can be demasked and the election commission if the government official is an elected official.
Step 6 - Check Forum Names: Make sure to check both the resident and citizen sheet when conducting this check. If a nation's forum name turns golden it means they have changed their forum name to something different (Forum name is found on column B in the citizen sheet and column A in the resident sheet). To count votes etc. it is important that the correct forum name is written in the sheet. Here's what to do to change the forum names:
Step 6a: Copy the old/wrong name.
Step 6b: If the forum name cell has little black mark (a note) in the top right corner: Click on it and paste the old forum name in a new row below the previous old forum names. Skip to 6.D
Step 6c: If the forum name cell does not have a little black mark (a note) in the top right corner: Right click the cell of the forum name and select "Insert Note". Write: Formerly: [INSERT OLD FORUM NAME]
Step 6d: Find the citizen/resident's new forum name by clicking on the link to their form account. Copy and paste into the forum name cell.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
- TNP Nation
- New Matzeratia
- Discord
- Matzerati#9623
Opening a Vote
Prerequisites:
1. Know how to do a citizenship status check.
Step 1: Run a standard citizenship status check.
Step 2: Look at the date and time on which the vote is scheduled. This can be found in the debating thread. Note that the scheduling is done with a timestamp, which means the time is in your timezone.
Step 3: At the time the vote is scheduled, open a new thread in the Voting Floor subforum. As a title, use the same title as the one of the debating post. Put [AT VOTE] or something equivalent in front of the thread title, as this tells in what stage the voting is currently in.
Step 3a If the title of the debating thread is not clear enough to tell the purpose of the proposal, use the title of the bill, or make a title yourself, as long as it is clear what the proposal is about.
Step 4: Pick the correct opening template in the Voting Post Templates thread. Fill in all the blanks.
Step 4a: For the Length of the vote, pick an number of days between 3 to 7 days as permitted by law. (Normally this is at least 5 days to give less active citizens also the opportunity to vote.). Note: The Legal code and Regional Assembly Rules have multiple laws about the duration of the vote. Consult these if needed.
Step 4b: For the time voting ends, use a unix timestamp. The way this is used is (time=THE TIMESTAMP). This will show the correct time in all timezones.
Step 4c: The @@LAST ELIGEBLE@@ is a way of telling who the newest citizen is at the time voting starts. This is because people who gain citizenship after the vote starts are not eligible to vote. The number is the number as shown as the first column of the Citizens sheet.
Step 4d: For the motion title and motion text, copy it Exactly as written by the motioner.
(Optional but recommended) Before posting, double check if you have filled in everything correcly by pressing Preview.
Step 5: Post the thread at the exact time the vote is scheduled. (you can optionally inform the citizens through Discord by pinging them in #regional-assembly-private and asking them to cast their vote.).
Prerequisites:
1. Know how to do a citizenship status check.
Step 1: Run a standard citizenship status check.
Step 2: Look at the date and time on which the vote is scheduled. This can be found in the debating thread. Note that the scheduling is done with a timestamp, which means the time is in your timezone.
Step 3: At the time the vote is scheduled, open a new thread in the Voting Floor subforum. As a title, use the same title as the one of the debating post. Put [AT VOTE] or something equivalent in front of the thread title, as this tells in what stage the voting is currently in.
Step 3a If the title of the debating thread is not clear enough to tell the purpose of the proposal, use the title of the bill, or make a title yourself, as long as it is clear what the proposal is about.
Step 4: Pick the correct opening template in the Voting Post Templates thread. Fill in all the blanks.
Step 4a: For the Length of the vote, pick an number of days between 3 to 7 days as permitted by law. (Normally this is at least 5 days to give less active citizens also the opportunity to vote.). Note: The Legal code and Regional Assembly Rules have multiple laws about the duration of the vote. Consult these if needed.
Step 4b: For the time voting ends, use a unix timestamp. The way this is used is (time=THE TIMESTAMP). This will show the correct time in all timezones.
Step 4c: The @@LAST ELIGEBLE@@ is a way of telling who the newest citizen is at the time voting starts. This is because people who gain citizenship after the vote starts are not eligible to vote. The number is the number as shown as the first column of the Citizens sheet.
View attachment 3353
This number is hidden by having white-coloured letters. This number means that Citizen #5791 is the newest citizen who is eligible to vote. Any votes from citizens newer than 5791 will not count
This number is hidden by having white-coloured letters. This number means that Citizen #5791 is the newest citizen who is eligible to vote. Any votes from citizens newer than 5791 will not count
(Optional but recommended) Before posting, double check if you have filled in everything correcly by pressing Preview.
Step 5: Post the thread at the exact time the vote is scheduled. (you can optionally inform the citizens through Discord by pinging them in #regional-assembly-private and asking them to cast their vote.).
- Pronouns
- He/Him
- TNP Nation
- New Matzeratia
- Discord
- Matzerati#9623
Citizenship Application - Failed Admin Check
Prerequisites:
None
Step 1: Check the applicant's application again. Make sure they meet the following criteria:
Step 2: Open the 'Pending Applications' sheet. Record on the 'Administrator' column and the relevant applicant cell that they qualify for a Vice Delegate re-evaluation. To do so, insert a note or write on said cell indicating that they qualify.
Step 3: Prepare a post in the Citizenship Applications thread indicating that the applicant qualifies for a Vice Delegate re-evaluation. You may also ping the Vice Delegate on the post. If they still don't see it and it's nearing the legal 7-day limit to process an application (preferably 5 days), reach out to the Vice Delegate.
Step 4: When they are eventually granted citizenship, be sure to put them both on the Citizens spreadsheet and the WA-locked Citizens spreadsheet. Be sure to explicitly grant them citizenship on the applications thread.
Below is the WA-locked Citizens spreadsheet:
Prerequisites:
None
Vice Delegate re-evaluation: This is an evaluation, typically done a second time, if an applicant qualifies for it. Passing this evaluation automatically grants the applicant WA (World Assembly) contingent citizenship provided they meet the criteria. This mechanism was introduced in Pallaith's bill (now law) the Self-Checkout Act.
Self-Checkout Act:
Step 1: Check the applicant's application again. Make sure they meet the following criteria:
- Applicant does not have another forum account,
- Applicant did not apply with a proxy/VPN,
- Applicant's nation they applied with is in the World Assembly.
Step 2: Open the 'Pending Applications' sheet. Record on the 'Administrator' column and the relevant applicant cell that they qualify for a Vice Delegate re-evaluation. To do so, insert a note or write on said cell indicating that they qualify.
Step 2(a): Right click on the cell. There you will see multiple options pop up. Click the "Insert note."
Step 2(b): Write the following:
VD RE-EVAL
Or something of similar effect. This is done to prevent any future mistakes.
Step 2(b): Write the following:
VD RE-EVAL
Or something of similar effect. This is done to prevent any future mistakes.
Step 3: Prepare a post in the Citizenship Applications thread indicating that the applicant qualifies for a Vice Delegate re-evaluation. You may also ping the Vice Delegate on the post. If they still don't see it and it's nearing the legal 7-day limit to process an application (preferably 5 days), reach out to the Vice Delegate.
Step 4: When they are eventually granted citizenship, be sure to put them both on the Citizens spreadsheet and the WA-locked Citizens spreadsheet. Be sure to explicitly grant them citizenship on the applications thread.
Below is the WA-locked Citizens spreadsheet:
- Status