D. N. Vercáriâ
Group: citizens
(4498 posts total)
(last post: March 15, 2008 - 16:51)
Citizen #26:
Dieter N Vercáriâ | If my memory serves me well:
> Dissolution
> Dissolution +7 Last day for nominations
> Dissolution +8 Ballot paper available
Dissolution -28: earliest date to begin with the nomination. Nomination +7 (+x at the discretion of the SoS, if this would grant fairer elections): Time to hand out the ballots and to begin with the election. Begin of the election +14 (+x at the discretion of the SoS, if this would grant fairer elections): The ballot box is closed, and the SoS begins to count the votes.
Even if the law doesn't say so, it might be an advantage if the results of the election are available and published soon after the dissolution of the CoD, thus there won't be a long gap between the dissolution of the outgoing and the summoning of the incoming CoD.
> Questions
>
> 1. How long is the campaign supposed to be? How long is it traditionally? The schedule seems to call for a minimum of 15 days, but I can’t find a law that sets a time.
Traditionally, the campaign begins approximately when the parties are at the start of the race (i.e., once the nomination is over), and it lasts until it seems like all electors did vote. The law isn't setting a time for campaign-ing.
> 2. Is there a specific day of the week on which the final voting day is supposed to be?
No, there isn't, AFAIK.
Geez, for the following I'll have to read the laws myself: ;-)
> 3. Does any citizen need a physical ballot paper, or can I dispense with this requirement?
"Ballot paper" is defined as "a physical ballot paper, the visual interface of an online voting system, or any other means which the Secretary of State might design under the provisions of this section". More or less it's up to you to decide which definition comes closest to the best option that is available. Under the circumstances before M-P's inactivity this would have been the "visual interface of an online voting system", during the most recent election it has been "other means", viz, an anonymous vote by email attachment.
> 4. Besides a post in the Mitchell Building, am I obliged to contact each elector individually with a notice of the election?
As far as I understand the law, the election has to be announced publically, but you may choose additional means of communicating the event. There are compulsory dates on which reminders have to be communicated.
> If so, where are the addresses/e-mails kept?
The SoS should have a list, so, hopefully, your forerunner will be able to give it to you.
> 5. Am I allowed to post a list during the election of those who have voted and those who are yet to vote, or does 2.6 forbid this?
Before the end of the election, absolutely *no* counts and details shall be published. Afterwards, IMHO the secrecy of the ballot includes that non-voters shall not be "outed".
> 6. If someone wants to be bilingual, I presume they are allowed as many 50-word statements as there are languages?
I guess so.
> 7. Once the ballot box has closed, must I announce the complete results all at once, or may I release partial counts a few votes at a time to allow the pundits during the television coverage of the election to make predictions, explanations, analysis, etc.?
All the law says is that those informations shall be published after the ballot box has been closed. But I sincerely hope you won't torture us by stretching the announcement of the results over days, weeks, months and years. ;-)
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- Dieter
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