SO 2017-5 Partisan Campaigning Act

Article I: Introduction

Believing that the Regional Message Board should not bear the brunt of campaign statements during elections, and yet acknowledging that many voting members of the Union do not have accounts on the forum and therefore cannot observe all of the campaigning therein, we, the Parliament of the Union, propose the following guidelines of moderation to the conduct of partisan campaigning in regional elections.

Article II: Definitions and Application

Section A: Definitions

An "announced (independent) candidate" is a candidate for President, Prime Minister, or Senate/Parliament who has declared and cleared their candidacy with the Founder. Similarly, an announced party list is a party list for Senate/Parliament which has declared and cleared its candidacy with the Founder.

A "campaign message" is a message designed to influence the electorate in favor of a particular candidate in an election.

Section B: Application

The rules and regulations set forth in this Act apply only to Presidential, Prime Ministerial, and Senatorial/Parliamentary elections.

Article III: Campaigning on the Forums

Upon the passage of this Act, the Founder will create a subforum in the Citizen’s Forum entitled “Campaigns”, where, at the beginning of each electoral cycle, he will post a topic with the dates of the campaign and the type of election in question.

Point a: In a campaign topic in the “Campaigns” subforum, announced candidates may post as many campaign messages as they choose, all while attempting to maintain a productive discussion.

Point b: Abuse and offensive language is, of course, prohibited as in all public situations in the Union.

Article IV: Campaigning on the Regional Message Board

In the case of Presidential and Prime Ministerial elections, each announced candidate may post a maximum of two campaign messages on the Regional Message Board, while in the case Senatorial/Parliamentary elections, each announced party list or announced independent candidate may post a maximum of two campaign messages on the Regional Message Board.

Article V: Official Summary of Campaign Statements

One week prior to the election, the Minister of Communications will create a dispatch containing a compilation of campaign messages from each announced (independent) candidate/party list. The Prime Minister will then pin this dispatch to the World Factbook Entry of the region. On the day scheduled for the beginning of the election, the Minister of Communications will send a mass telegram, containing the compiled campaign messages, to all the nations residing in the region.

Point a: Each announced (independent) candidate/party list has a maximum of 50 words in their section of the compilation of campaign messages.

Point b: The Minister of Communications will contact each announced (independent) candidate/party list so that they may send him their section of the compilation of campaign messages.

Point c: If the Minister of Communications is unable to obtain an acceptable text for an announced (independent) candidate/party list’s section of the compilation of campaign messages, he may improvise that section basing himself on their other campaign messages. If there are none, the relevant section of the compilation of campaign messages is left blank.

Article VI: Conclusion

We, the Parliament of the Union, enact this document and its provisions as law.

January 8, 2017
Abdoa, Senator
Libertarian Democracy, Senator
Hashkin, Senator

Debate will last until Saturday, January 28, 2017.

Thomolia vote in favor

*votes

For the record, this is the thread for debating the bill, and this is not a vote on it, but Thomolia's support for the bill is duly noted.

I think that point A on this bill should be taken out along with changing some things on point c like the moc being alowed to improvise the wording what if the moc is bias tword a certain candidate or whole party he/she will try to make the wording even worse but the whole blank part for not having campaign messages i think we should keep

I think the language "improvise that section basing himself on their other campaign messages" makes it clear that if the MoC attempts to bias the messages, they are violating this act, and can therefore be sued/impeached.

Also, point a in article v is necessary so that each candidate is playing on the same field, and one candidate cannot monopolize the campaign TG compilation. They can elaborate in their campaign on the forum.

I know that we need article V im not trying to abolish it as a whole just interchange and still little words put in the wrong place or alternatively put can make 1 thing sound like another and if they are being sued or impeached for that they will say "sorry auto correct" or something along those lines

I believe that that should be up to a court to decide, whether the tg is misrepresenting a candidate. If the court decides that the wording has unduly influenced the judgment of citizens, then it doesn't matter what the excuse is.

Abdoa wrote:I believe that that should be up to a court to decide, whether the tg is misrepresenting a candidate. If the court decides that the wording has unduly influenced the judgment of citizens, then it doesn't matter what the excuse is.

do we have a court

Yes, see the Constitution. Me and LibDem are also currently drafting a bill that would elaborate the court system.

Debate is extended for one day until Saturday January 29, 2017.

Mr Speaker, I know I am too late for this technically, but could I persuade would you to comment on this nonetheless?

Article III of this Bill says that, in my capacity as Founder, I should create a new topic for each election. That is fine by me, however, I think we can also just create one topic per position. Perhaps we could also create special campaign-topics for special elections, and just a general campaign topic should the need arise for one. This way, things will be a bit more simple.

Also, under this Bill it is to be understood that a campaign message is "a message designed to influence the electorate in favor of a particular candidate (...)", but would you agree with me that such a definition is incomplete, as messages that are created to persuade members to vote against another candidate could also be considered campaign messages? And if so, are you willing to adapt the Bill accordingly?

1) I feel that having separate topics for each campaign makes archiving easier, etc.

2) VERY good point. I do hereby table the following amendment: To amend Article II Section A to read as follows: "A "campaign message" is a message designed to influence the electorate in favor or against of a particular candidate or candidates in an election."

Also, debate is closed, please go vote on the amendment. (Since I'm Speaker, I feel that in cases like these, where many senators were inactive during the time set for the debate, the Procedure Orders are superseded by my Constitutional authority as Speaker of the Parliament.)

Please go vote on the bill in the Voting Chambers.