Electoral Law 2022

To promote and protect freedom of speech and democracy, each citizen has the right to run for any political office if choice in which all citizens have an equal say on the running of Espaeria. Any form of impediment will result in an immediate referral to the Chancellor of Justice.

The institutions we have set in place have been established to promote and protect the rights of the citizens of this community and have been codified to ensure that all institutions a compatible with the construction on the world.

#### Election Act August 2022

##### Voting Registration and Elections

1i. Every Presidential, Chancellor of Justice term requires citizens to be eligible to vote. This privilege will be given to those who have been a member of the realm for one month. It is left to the government to provide details of this before every election and dismiss any false votes casted by ineligible citizens.

1ii. Proxy votes may be requested up to one day prior to the election beginning in which must be declared to the Espaerian Electoral Commission. To require a proxy vote the citizen must have fulfilled the requirements in 1i. They will be recorded separately and added to the final vote once the election is closed.

1iii. In a voting situation which isn't mentioned above, the authority can decide whether ineligible players can cast a vote or not.

1iv. The Espaerian Electoral Commission oversees and sets up all national elections and is chaired by Geekster1, who may appoint members to the board if he so chooses.

1v. Each election must be fair and shall proceed through the use of first past the post, where whoever has the most votes, is awarded the presidency. In the event of a tie, the Realm Supreme's vote and will be removed in order to promote impartiality. If the realm owner has not voted, then either a duel may take place on the realm or a flip of a coin may decide the outcome of the election.

1vi. Each Presidential term is One Month, and elections should take place on these dates from 6pm on the starting date to 6pm on the finishing date:

24.06.23

1vii. Each Chancellor of Justice term is Two Months, and elections should take place on these dates from 6pm on the starting date to 6pm on the finishing date:

24.06.23

##### Anti-Fraud

2i. All elections shall be held on the Discord.

2ii. Votes cast must be a reaction that match the chosen candidates logo.

2iii. Any eligible voter that adds more than one reaction and (or) a reaction not seen on the ballot paper will be counted as a spoilt vote.

2iv. The Chancellor of Justice and (or) Electoral Committee are guilty of an offence if they are found to have wrongfully counted ballots.

2v. A vote of no confidence can be held by any individual with valid fraud concerns which will result in 24-hour simple majority vote to remove the executive on the Discord. It can only take place with the permission of at least one administrator to conduct the vote.

##### Candidates

3i. Candidacy for an election must open up at least 24 hours in advance. Any number of candidates will be accepted, however it must be announced at least 12 hours prior to the start of the election. Anyone who is registered as a citizen and is eligible to vote can run for office or vote in the election.

3ii. When running for the position of President of the Union, the candidate must provide a manifesto.

##### Transferral of Powers

4i. The powers of both the President and the Chancellor of Justice are transferred with immediate effect once the result has been announced.

4ii. The President before the end of their term must:

* ensure all documents are updated and secured on the Espaerian Central Database and the Government Drive.
* have an agenda for the new elected president so that they can view what still has to be completed, they are however not obligated to continue anything in that agenda.
* ensure federal land is cleared unless it is an established building or a protected structure (of the government).
* ensure the #espgov chat is organised and that meeting minutes and discussion threads are able to be viewed.
* ensure any other government chats are organised.

4iii. Ministerial roles will be transferred upon the guidance from the newly elected president, unless the minister or member of the Government wishes to resign.

##### Bribery and Corruption

5i. Bribery is defined in Espaerian law as when one person pays another with currency (Espaerian Dollars) or work (the payer completes builds for the receiver of the bribe).

5ii. Offering positions in return for votes is not considered bribery.

5iii. Any attempted bribery will be met with a forfeit from the next two elections.

5iv. Corruption is a criminal offence under the Election Act 2022 and any corruption discovered will be dealt the same as bribery. This includes false votes and server invites as to gain voter support. Any concerns into corruption must be referred to the Chancellor of Justice.

#### Guidance for The Electoral Commission

###### Voting Guidance Text

This is the text which should guide the player through the voting process:

> (Voting start date, Voting Start time)
>
>
> (Voting end date, Voting end time)
>
>
> Players must only vote inside of these times, all ballots casted after the closing time, or before, will be dismissed. Interference with cast votes will result in a referral to the Chancellor of Justice.
>
>
>
> Thank you.
>
>

###### Post ballot voting (Presidential Election)

After the ballots close, the government must have the votes counted by the Electoral Commission.

The Electoral Commission must tally the votes. Once the Electoral Commission is certain that all voters correctly casted the vote and that all are genuine votes, the results will be posted onto the Discord.

###### Post ballot voting (Chancellor of Justice Election)

After the ballots close, the government must have the votes counted by the Electoral Commission.

The Chairman of the Electoral Commission must tally the votes and then confirm with the players which voted if their vote was casted correctly. Once the Chairman is certain that all voters correctly casted the vote and that all are genuine votes, the results will b posted onto the Discord.

###### Other guidance

The Chairman is in charge of overseeing elections before the end of their term. The Chairman however will always take authority of each election, and is responsible for announcing both the Presidential and the Chancellor of Justice election.

If the President of the Union resigns prior to the scheduled upcoming election, it does not need to be disclosed to the Electoral Commission. The President of the Union may appoint a successor to continue out their term.