Northeast JSA Constitution 2010-2011

8/8/2019 Northeast JSA Constitution 2010-2011

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Official Northeast Junior State Constitution & Code of Law

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Officers of the State2010-2011

Lia Cromwell, GovernorJoseph Campagna, Lieutenant Governor

2009-2010Daniel Hoffmann, Governor

Justin Fletcher, Lieutenant Governor

2008-2009Alexander Speiser, Governor

Jessye Kass, Lieutenant Governor

2007-2008Soojin Kim, Governor

Jason Katz, Lieutenant Governor

2006-2007Jordan Levine, Governor

M-W Floyd, Lieutenant Governor

2005-2006Nora Lawrence, Governor

Jordan Levine, Lieutenant GovernorTalya Housman, President Pro-Tempore

2004-2005Peter Betz, GovernorJames Betz, Lieutenant Governor

Kavita Patel, President Pro-Tempore

2003-2004Matthew Woodward, Governor

Elizabeth Gates, Lieutenant GovernorJenny Matydtik, President Pro-Tempore


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Northeast State Const i tut ion Last revised by the Joint Council of Chapter Presidents assembled in 2010.

Preamble

We, as students determined to achieve a better understanding of the governmental process, to increaseour awareness of contemporary issues, to promote students involvement in politics, to encourage goodleadership qualities and responsibility in high school students, and to serve as representatives for theconcerns of those students, do hereby establish this Constitution of the Northeastern State.

Article I: Names and Boundaries

Section 1. The name of the State shall be the Northeastern State. It may be referred to as the NES.

Section 2. The Northeastern State shall consist of New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, RhodeIsland, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine.

Section 3. The Northeastern State shall be divided into two regions.

a) The Empire Constitution Region will consist of New York and Connecticut. This region maybe referred to as the ECR.

b) The New England Region will consist of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire,Vermont, and Maine. This region may be referred to as the NER.

Article II: Membership

Section 1. A member shall be defined as any high school student who belongs to an official JSA chapterwithin the Northeastern State and has paid the annual membership tax as established by the Councilof Governors.

Section 2. All members of the Junior State shall enjoy equal protection under the law and shall not bedenied any rights or privileges entitled to them by law without proper action according to the law soestablished within this Constitution. The NES shall not discriminate on account of race, creed, color,sex, nationality, handicap, or sexual orientation.

Article III: The Chapter

Section 1. A chapter shall be defined as a minimum of eight members who have the appropriateapproval by their respective high school administration.

Section 2. No chapter shall deny its members a republican form of government.

a) Each chapter must elect a single Chapter President who must serve as the leader of his or herrespective chapter.

b) The state shall not legislate other chapter positions. Chapters shall have the option ofcreating positions below Chapter Presidents as they see fit.


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Section 3. A chapter shall be chartered upon the Governors receipt and approval of the chaptersconstitution.

Section 4. Each chapter shall have a regular school-approved advisor responsible for overseeing theactivities and accompanying the chapter to conventions. Alternate school-approved advisors mayaccompany a chapter to conventions if the regular school-approved advisor is unable to.

Article IV: The Region

Section 1. No person or chapter may belong to more than one region. The members of a region are tobe the only voters in the regional elections.

Section 2. No region shall deny its members a republican form of government.

Article V: The State Executive Branch

Section 1. The elected officers of the executive branch of the NES shall be the Governor and theLieutenant Governor as voted upon by the majority of the members of the NES. The Governor andLieutenant Governor must be members of the NES.

Section 2. The term of office for the officers shall be the June 1st following their elections to thesubsequent May 31st.

Section 3. The Governor shall be the chief executive power of the Northeastern State.

a) The Governor shall have the power to authorize chapters by approving their constitutions. Ifa constitution is not approved, the Governor shall return it to the chapter withrecommendations for its re-submission.

b) With the approval of the Joint Council of Chapter Presidents, the Governor shall have theauthority to create any departments essential for the functioning of the NES and give them thenecessary power and authority. The Governor may appoint NES members to cabinet positionsto fulfill the requirements of these departments, but must notify the Joint Council of ChapterPresidents of these appointments every September 1st. The governor must also notify the JointCouncil of Chapter Presidents of the appointments to new departments within thirty (30) daysof their creation.

c) The Governor shall have the authority to dissolve any departments that he/she deemsunnecessary to the functioning of the NES. The Governor shall also have the power to dismiss

any cabinet member. After dissolving a department or dismissing a cabinet member, thegovernor must notify the Joint Council of Chapter Presidents of his/her actions within 30 daysof taking them.

d) The Governor shall be responsible for all programs of the NES.

e) Should any cabinet office become vacant, the Governor shall appoint a replacement to serve.The Governor must notify the Joint Council of Chapter Presidents immediately of the change.


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b) The Joint Council of Chapter Presidents shall have the authority to pass legislation (by amajority) concerning the following:

i. Election procedures of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Mayors, and Vice-Mayors. The only voters in these elections can be members of the NES present at theconvention where the elections occur. They may legislate matters including, but notlimited to, campaign rules, punishments, voting methods, and spending limits.

ii. Lobbying platforms including, but not limited to, the selection of platforms, theduration of a permit to lobby, and the methods of lobbying. The platforms must at alltimes reflect the nonpartisan stance of the organization and are subject to judicial review.

c) Should the Joint Council of Chapter Presidents pass any legislation by a majority, it shall begiven to the Governor for approval.

d) The Joint Council of Chapter Presidents may override a veto by a vote of 2/3.

e) The Joint Council of Chapter Presidents shall also have the authority to pass (by a majority)

acts concerning the following:

i. The creation of new departments in state cabinet proposed by the Governor.

ii. The confirmation of justices appointed by the Governor

iii. The creation of positions proposed by the Lt. Governor for his/her cabinet

iv. The confirmation of the appointment of the President Pro Tempore

v. The organization of the NES Code of Laws

f) The Joint Council of Chapter Presidents shall also have the authority to pass resolutionsconcerning topics including, but not limited to, expansion, conventions, job reviews of cabinetmembers, and job reviews of elected officials. These resolutions are simply to express theopinion of the Joint Council of Chapter Presidents about JSA matters; they do not require anyaction and are not law.

g) Any NES member shall be able to attend a meeting of the Joint Council of ChapterPresidents and propose an act, resolution, or piece of legislation. Chapter Presidents shall be theonly members to hold a vote in the Joint Council of Chapter Presidents with the singleexception to be the Lt. Governor or President Pro Tempore, whoever may be presiding. Thispresiding officer will only hold a vote in the case of a tie.

Section 2.The legislature may meet at any NES activity accessible to the entire state where quorum isreached.

a) In order for official business to be conducted, the meeting must be called by the LieutenantGovernor and presided by the Lieutenant Governor. In the case that the Lieutenant Governorcannot preside, the President Pro Temporeshall preside. The Lieutenant Governor must call ameeting at every state convention.


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b) Quorum will be necessary to conduct official business. Quorum shall be defined as 51% ofthe Chapter Presidents present at the function.

Section 3. Each Chapter President shall only have one vote. The Lieutenant Governor shall have a voteonly in the case of a tie.

Section 4. Every motion shall require a majority vote of delegates present to pass unless otherwise

noted.

Article VII: The Judicial Branch

Section 1. There shall be five members of the Board of Judicial Review. These members shall be theState Chief Justice, the two State Associate Justices, the New England Region Justice, and the EmpireConstitution Region Justice. Associate Regional Justices may advise Regional Justices, but they may notvote, except in the absence of the Regional Justice.

Section 2. State Justices shall be NES members appointed by the Governor while Regional Justices shallbe appointed by their respective mayors. All justices shall be confirmed by a majority vote of the Joint

Council of Chapter Presidents.

Section 3.The court shall rule on the constitutionality of every bill passed by the legislature and everydecision of each regional legislative body. It shall also have the power to rule on the constitutionality ofthe actions of the executive branch.

a) When a bill is passed, it shall be passed to the Board of Judicial Review.

b) The Board shall then review the law. If it decides (by a majority) that the bill is constitutional,the bill becomes law. If they decide (by a majority) that the bill is not constitutional, a hearingmust be held. The official decision must be made after the hearing.

Section 4. Complaints may be brought in front of the court by any NES JSA member. The court maybe called into session by the Chief Justice at any time, including without the consent of the Governorand Lieutenant Governor. However, if the session is called without the consent of the Governor andLieutenant Governor, the Chief Justice must notify them both at least two weeks in advance with thedate, time, and docket.

Section 5.The justices may be impeached by a vote of 2/3 by the Joint Council of Chapter Presidentsafter being given at least five minutes to address the body concerning the impeachment. Uponimpeachment, the justice shall be removed from his/her position. Replacement justices shall be selectedusing the procedures described in Section 2.

Section 6.The Chief Justice shall serve as chair of the Board. He or she shall represent the board to themembers. The Chief Justice shall also have the power to set procedures for the Board, as well as toenact gag orders on the deliberations of the Board.

Section 7.The Board of Judicial Review shall have the power to subpoena the written or vocaltestimony of any member of the Northeastern State and to issue injunctions banning enforcement ofany bill until a hearing can be held.


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Section 8.The winners of the case shall be decided by a majority of the justices. Each justice shall onlyhave one vote.

Article VIII: Supremacy Clause

Section 1.This constitution supersedes all other constitutions on the region or chapter level. Anythingthat contradicts this Constitution will be null and void.

Article IX: Amendments

Section 1. In order for this constitution to be amended, a meeting must be held during a stateconvention. At this meeting, open to all tax-paid members of the Northeastern State, the LieutenantGovernor must present the proposed amendment to all present. At the same meeting, there shall be avote taken of all present (where each member gets one vote) about the proposed amendment. If amajority of those present vote in favor of the amendment, the amendment shall be presented (on thesame weekend) to the Joint Council of Chapter Presidents. If the Joint Council of Chapter Presidentsvotes in favor of the amendment with a 2/3 majority, the amendment shall be adopted.

Article X: Rules of Procedure

Section 1. Official rules and procedures for the Joint Council of Chapter Presidents shall be the latestedition ofRobert Rules of Order.

Article XI: Ratification

Section 2. All chapters authorized prior to the adoption of this constitution shall remain authorized.


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Code of Laws

Pate l Elec t i on Reform Act o f 2005Whereas, it is necessary for the creation of a formal election procedure in the Northeastern State

Article I: The Fair Elections Committee

Section 1. The Lieutenant Governor shall preside over all Northeastern State elections, unless he or sheis running for an elected position, in which case the President Pro Tempore would preside in his or herplace.

a) The Lt. Governor must decide if he or she will be running for an elected position by FallState. If the Lt. Governor is going to run for a position, the President Pro Tempore must alsodecide whether he or she will be running for a position. If both are, then the State Assemblymust appoint a different person to preside over the elections.

Section 2. The creation and advancement of the laws defining the election process shall solely be theresponsibility of the State Assembly.

Section 3. There shall be a Fair Elections Committee (FEC), chaired by the official designated topreside over elections (per Section 2 of this article) and consisting of 4 (four) members from the StateAssembly other than the Chairperson, all confirmed by the assembly. This committee will have the dutyof running elections. Members of the FEC may not support any candidate and must remain neutral andimpartial during their time on the committee. The committee shall be formed by the State Assemblyduring Winter State and shall be dissolved at the conclusion of the elections.

a) The FEC may only make decisions when all five members are present.

b) In voting on those decisions, each member shall hold one vote.

Article II: The Candidates

Section 1. Any tax paying member within the Northeastern State may run for a single elected positionon the state or regional level and shall be considered a candidate when he or she announces his or hercandidacy to a group of delegates.

Section 2. A member may announce his or her candidacy anytime between the opening session of

Winter Congress and noon on the Saturday of Spring State.a) In order for a candidate to officially declare his or her candidacy, he or she must fill out andsubmit the FEC Forms, created annually by the Chairperson of the FEC or his or her designee.These forms must be filed before noon on the Saturday of Spring State.

Section 3.A candidate may not be graduating the year that they run for an elected position.

Section 4. If a candidate is not present at Spring State or any other official function, the candidate maydesignate one proxy to run the campaign. This proxy shall fill the role of the candidate and be allowedto make speeches in the candidates stead. The proxy shall be obliged to follow the election law as if he


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or she were the candidate and the candidate is subject to punishments should the proxy violate any partsof the law.

Section 5.A description of the duties and powers of all elected officials shall be published in the SpringState Agenda packet.

Article III: CampaigningSection 1. Candidates may make official campaign speeches during any officially sponsored event wherea member of the FEC or the Chairpersons designee is present to preside over the forum.

a) Candidates running for the same position shall be allotted equal amounts of time per speech.

b) Should there be a political fair at Winter State, each candidate shall be allowed theopportunity to set up a table for the campaign.

c) At Spring State candidates will be allotted the following time for speeches:

i. All candidates shall be allotted a period of five minutes for candidacy speeches andendorsements. During those five minutes, each candidate must have two endorsementspeeches made by members of the NES. Each endorsement may last no longer than oneminute.

ii. State candidates shall receive one block allotted for a question answer session, whichshall be equally divided between the Governor and Lieutenant Governor candidates.

iii. Regional candidates shall have one block of time during which they may make theirthree minute speech. During these three minutes they must also have one endorsementspeech made by a member of their respective region with a limit of one minute.

d) The lengths of speeches and duration of nomination block are subject to change dependingupon the number of candidates for each position. The determination shall be made by theChairperson of the Fair Elections Committee, with the guidance of the ConventionsCoordinator.

e) Candidates may approach an individual JSA member at any timeduring the year, to ask for his/her support. If a candidate approaches more thanone member at any given time regarding his/her candidacy then the candidateshall be punished according to Article V of this bill.

i. Candidates may not send form e-mails prior to the opening sessionof Winter Congress. If a candidate is found sending form emails, then itshall be considered the equivalent to declaring one's candidacy to a groupof delegates.

Section 2. Spending limits of candidates shall be as follows:

a) The Governor and Lieutenant Governor candidates shall have a spending limit of $300. TheMayor and Vice Mayor candidates shall have a spending limit of $150. This shall include theprice of all costs associated with the campaign including, but not limited to, paper, toner/ink,


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stickers, markers, pens, pencils, and other give-aways. Costs not counted include, but are notlimited to, phone bills and transportation costs. Any and all costs related to a campaign shall bedetermined by the Chairperson of the FEC.

b) Candidates must give the Chairperson of the FEC a detailed report of the money spent ontheir campaign.

i. If any materials are donated to (or reduced in price for) a candidate, then they shall beassessed at fair market value (decided by the Chairperson of the Fair ElectionsCommittee) and their spending limit will be lowered accordingly.

c) Candidates may distribute appropriate items such as literature, stickers, buttons, and otherobjects after the opening session of Winter State and until the end of elections. They may alsohang posters in the room(s) designated by the Chairperson of the FEC at Spring State only.

i. Candidates must notify the Chairperson of the Fair Elections Committee of theirintention to hang posters at Spring State.

ii. Candidates are responsible for all forms of literature and other objects that they handout, and must clean up any literature or objects that have been left behind by delegates.

Section 3. Campaigning must end upon the elimination of the candidate or the conclusion of theelections.

Article IV: Ethics

Section 1. Candidates must respect other delegates and candidates for all offices.

Section 2. Candidates shall not slander anyone, nor may they write libel.

Section 3. Candidates may not bribe delegates for votes. This may include the exchange of money oritems for the promise of a vote. Candidates may not promise or offer cabinet positions.

Section 4. Candidates may be punished for improper action made prior to their annunciation ofcandidacy and after the closing of previous Spring State.

Section 5. Candidates are responsible for the ethical conduct of their campaign teams.

Section 6. Candidates must remain ethical in their campaigns. The final determination of ethics shall fallto the Chairperson of the FEC.

Article V: Infractions/Punishments

Section 1. Candidates shall not officially declare their candidacies or distribute campaign materialsbefore the opening session of Winter State.

a. If a candidate declares his or her candidacy to a group of delegates before the opening sessionof Winter State, the candidates spending limit shall be reduced by of the original limit. Acandidate may, however, discuss their candidacy with their own chapter even before the openingsession of Winter State.


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b. If a candidate (or his or her agent) distributes campaign materials before opening session ofWinter State, the candidates spending limit shall be reduced by of the original limit.

c. If a candidate both declares his or her candidacy and distributes literature before the openingsession of Winter State, then he or she shall be eliminated from the race and may not run forany other office.

Section 2. Candidates may only campaign and/or hand-out campaign materials during designated times.Such times are to be determined and announced by the Chairperson of the FEC, but must includeduring meals, between blocks, and any free time at nights.

a) Candidates who campaign and/or hand-out campaign materials during any non-designatedtime are subject to a reduction in their spending limits ranging from $50 to $150 at the discretionof the Chairperson of the FEC.

b) Candidates shall be responsible for their campaign staffs and those assigned to distributeliterature. If an agent of a candidate campaigns and/or hands-out campaign materials during any

non-designated time, the candidate is subject to a reduction in his or her spending limit rangingfrom $25 to $125 at the discretion of the Chairperson of the FEC.

Section 3. Candidates shall not violate the ethical rules set down in Article IV.

a) Candidates violating the ethical rules shall be punished at the discretion of the Chairperson ofthe FEC. The punishment may be a reduction in spending limit ranging from $25 to $300 ordisqualification from the race.

Section 4. If a candidate has not filed his or her forms by noon on the Saturday of Spring State, thenthe candidate is not official and may not run. The decision to make an exception shall be at the sole

discretion of the Chairperson of the FEC.

Section 5. If any candidate distributes inappropriate items, those items shall be confiscated and thecandidate may be subject to a reduction in spending limit at the discretion of the Chairperson of theFEC. Should the candidate continue to distribute inappropriate items, the candidate shall be disqualified.

Section 6. Candidates shall be responsible for all violations made by their campaign teams. Thepunishments for those violations are to be determined by the Chairperson of the FEC but may notexceed the punishments that would be applied to a candidate committing the same infraction.

Section 7. If a candidate exceeds his or her spending limit, the punishment shall be determined by theChairperson of the FEC.

Article VI: Election Procedure

Section 1.The elections of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Mayors, and Vice Mayors shall takeplace at Spring State.

Section 2. Only tax-paid members of the NES present in the room at the commencement of the votinground may participate in that round of voting. During regional elections, only members of that region inthe room at the commencement of the voting round may participate in that round of voting.


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a) Each member may only have one vote per round.

Section 3.The Fair Elections Committee shall commission agents to assist in the administration of theelection.

a) FEC agents must be neutral delegates who do not publicly support a candidate.

Section 4. During each round of voting, ballots shall be distributed to chapters by FEC agents, oneballot per person in each chapter.

a) There shall be one FEC agent assigned to each chapter

b) The ballots shall be distributed within the chapter by the chapter president.

c) The chapter president (or the acting chapter president) shall collect all of the ballots from hisor her respective chapter after each member has voted.

d) The chapter president shall then count all of the votes and submit the ballots to the chaptersFEC agent.

e) The FEC agent shall then count the ballots and check the count with the chapter president.Any discrepancies shall be decided by the Chairperson of the FEC.

f) After an official count is reached, the ballots are to be brought to the Chairperson of the FEC.

g) FEC agents and members will not vote with their chapters. They shall cast their votes afterthe chapters have confirmed their votes, but before chapter presidents have announced them.The FEC agent and member votes shall be announced last.

Section 5.The official votes of each round shall be announced by each chapter president, with thetotals announced at the end.

Section 6. Elections shall take place in a run-off style.

a) If a candidate has more than 51% of the votes, than he/she shall automatically win.

b) If no candidate has a 51% plurality then the candidate with the least amount of votes shall bedropped from the ballot.

c) If any group of candidates has votes that total less than the votes of the next highest

candidate, then those candidates shall all be removed from the race.

d) This process of elimination shall continue until one candidate gains a majority vote.

e) Any person within that chapter may request a secret ballot for the entire chapter. Such arequest must be made to the Chairperson of the FEC before the commencement of the voting.


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f) The winning candidate may make a one minute acceptance speech if they so choose. All othercandidates shall have the option of making a one minute concession speech at the time of theireliminations.

Section 7.At least one candidate will be eliminated from each race after every round of voting.

Article VII: Remaining powersSection 1.Any election procedure not mentioned in this bill shall be left to the discretion of the FairElections Committee.

Section 2.Any decision made by the Chairperson of the FEC may be appealed to the Fair ElectionsCommittee.

a) The FEC has the power to overrule any decision made solely by the Chairperson.

Article VIII: Annual Review

Section 1.This bill shall be reviewed by the State Assembly at every Fall State, and shall be adjusted asneeded.

ENACTED BY THE STATE ASSEMBLY Spring State 2005James Betz, Lieutenant GovernorKavita Patel, President Pro-Tempore


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2006 Joint Counc i l o f Chapter Pres ident s ActSection 1. The Northeast State Constitution is hereby amended accordingly:

a) All references to the State Assembly are hereby replaced with the Joint Council of ChapterPresidents.

b) References State Assembly Representatives are hereby replaced with Chapter Presidents orthe Chapter Presidents designee.

c) Section E of the Lieutenant Governors responsibilities is hereby stricken.d) The legislative body shall adhere to the latest edition of Roberts Rules of Order.

ENACTED BY THE STATE ASSEMBLY, Spring State 2006Jordan Levine, Lieutenant GovernorTalya Housman, President Pro-Tempore


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Flet cher Elec t i on Reform Act o f 2009(A rewriting of the Patel Election Reform Act of 2005)

Whereas, it is necessary to re-establish fair election practices in the Northeast State. Whereas, it is necessary to reaffirm the electoral integrity of the Northeast State.

Whereas, it is necessary to update the electoral infrastructure of the Northeast State.

Article I: The Fair Elections Committee

Section 1. The Lieutenant Governor shall preside over all Northeast State elections.

a) If the Lieutenant Governor is running for an elected position, the President Pro Tempore(Lieutenant Governors Chief of Staff) shall preside over the elections in his or her place.

b) If the Lieutenant Governor is going to run for a position, the President Pro Tempore must alsodecide whether he or she will be running for a position. If both are, the Joint Council of ChapterPresidents (JCOCP) must appoint a different person to preside over the elections at Fall State.

c) The Lieutenant Governor and President Pro Tempore must decide if they are running for anelected position by Fall State. However, they both must abide by the rules of declaration andcampaigning set forth in Article III, except when addressing the JCOCP about their inability toserve as Fair Elections Chair.

Section 2. The creation and advancement of the laws defining the election process shall solely be theresponsibility of the Joint Council of Chapter Presidents.

Section 3. There shall be a Fair Elections Committee (FEC), chaired by the official designated to presideover elections (per Section 1 of this article) and consisting of four (4) members appointed by the FairElections Chairperson and approved by the Joint Council of Chapter Presidents.

a) Members of the FEC may not support any candidate and must remain neutral and impartialduring their time on the committee.

b) The committee shall be approved by the Joint Council of Chapter Presidents at Winter Congressand shall be dissolved at the conclusion of the elections at Spring State.

c)

The Fair Elections Committee shall help the Fair Elections Chairperson execute the NortheastStates elections fairly and efficiently.

d) The members of the FEC are allowed to collect literature and campaign paraphernalia, but theyare not allowed to use this power to support any candidates. All materials they collect fromcandidates must not be visible in any way.

e) There shall be no secret members of the FEC.Article II: The Candidates


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Section 1. Any tax-paying member who meets the qualifications of being a citizen of the NortheastState, set forth in the Northeast State Constitution, who is not graduating at the end of the scholasticyear, may run for a single elected position on the state or regional level. He or she shall be considered alegitimate candidate when he or she officially announces his or her candidacy to a group of delegates,per Section 2 of this article.Section 2. A member may announce his or her candidacy any time between a specified time period atWinter Congress and noon on the Saturday of Spring State.

a) Candidacy declarations at Winter Congress will take place annually at a time chosen by the FairElections Chairperson, with approval by the Program Director.

b) No candidate may declare candidacy before the chosen time period.c) In order for a candidate to declare officially his or her candidacy, he or she must fill out

completely and submit the FEC Forms, created annually by the Chairperson of the FEC or hisor her designee. These forms must be filed to the Fair Elections Chairperson at or before noon(12:00 PM) on the Saturday of Spring State.

d) It is the responsibility of the candidates to hand these forms in. It is not the responsibility of theFEC to ask candidates to hand in the forms.

Section 3. If a candidate is not present at Spring State or any official function, including Regional eventsand Mini- and Mega-cons, the candidate may designate oneproxy to run the campaign.

a) This proxy shall fill the role of the candidate and be allowed to make speeches and participate incandidates forums in the candidates stead.

b) The proxy shall be obliged to follow the election law as if he or she were the candidate, and thecandidate is subject to punishments should the proxy violate any parts of the law.

c) The proxy need not be the same person event to event. However, the candidate may not havemore than one official proxy at one single event.

Section 4. A description of the duties and powers of all elected officials shall be published in the SpringState agenda packet.

Article III: Campaigning

Section 1. Candidates may make official campaign speeches during any officially sponsored event where

a member of the FEC or the Chairpersons designee is present to preside over the forum.

a) If a member of the FEC is not present, the FEC Chair must appoint someone to preside overthe forum. This appointee cannot be a candidate.

b) Candidates running for the same position shall be allotted equal amounts of time per speech.c) At Winter Congress, every candidate will be allotted the following time for candidacy speeches:


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i. There shall be a period of time during which candidates for all offices shall each make aone-minute speech announcing their candidacies.

d) Should there be a political fair at Winter Congress taking place after candidacy declarations, eachcandidate shall be allowed the opportunity to set a table for the campaign. If this takes placebefore candidacy declarations, candidates will not be allowed to have a table at the political fair.

e) At Spring State, candidates will be allotted the following time for speeches:i. All candidates running for state positions (Governor or Lieutenant Governor) shall be

allotted a period of five minutes for candidacy speeches and endorsements. Duringthose five minutes, each candidate may have a maximum of two endorsementspeeches made by members of the NES. The total sum of the time for the twoendorsements and the candidates speech must not exceed five minutes.

ii. All candidates running for regional positions (Mayor or Vice-Mayor) shall be allotted aperiod of three minutes for candidacy speeches and an endorsement. During thosethree minutes, each candidate may have a maximum of one endorsement speechmade by a member of the NES. The total sum of the time for the endorsement and

the candidates speech must not exceed three minutes.

iii. Candidates are not required to have endorsement speeches.iv. State and regional candidates shall receive a block of time allotted for a question and

answer session. The time shall be divided equally between the Vice Mayor andMayor candidates and also for the Lieutenant Governor and Governor candidates,but the time shall not necessarily be divided equally for Regional and State elections.

f) The lengths of speeches and duration of nomination block are subject to change dependingupon the number of candidates for each position. The determination shall be made by the

Chairperson of the Fair Elections Committee, with the guidance of the Convention Coordinatorand/or Governor.

g) Candidates may approach an individual JSA member at any time during the year, even beforedeclarations, to ask for his or her support. If a candidate approaches more than one member atany given time regarding his or her candidacy, then the candidate shall be punished according toArticle V of this year.

i. The only exception to the above rule is that candidates are allowed to discuss freely theircandidacies with more than one member of their chapter.

ii. Candidates may not send form e-mails prior to the chosen declaration time of WinterCongress. If a candidate is found sending form emails, then it shall be consideredthe equivalent to declaring ones candidacy to a group of delegates.

Section 2. Spending limits of candidates shall be as follows:

a) The Governor and Lieutenant Governor candidates shall have a spending limit of $300 in FairMarket Value. The Mayor and Vice-Mayor shall have a spending limit of $150 in Fair MarketValue. This shall include the price of all costs associated with the campaign including, but notlimited to, paper, stickers, buttons, t-shirts, pens, and other give-aways. Costs not counted


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include, but are not limited to, phone bills and transportation costs. The Chairperson of theFEC shall determine any and all costs related to a campaign not specified by the Fair MarketValues.

b) Candidates must give the Chairperson of the FEC a detailed report of the money spent on theircampaign, to be handed in by noon (12:00 PM) of Spring State.

i.It is the responsibility of the candidates to hand these forms in. It is not theresponsibility of the FEC to ask candidates to hand in the forms.

ii.All campaign materials will be assessed in Fair Market Value. This includes those itemsfor which the candidate can provide a receipt, those items that are purchasedbelow the Fair Market Value, and those items the candidate receives a discount orreceives for free.

c) Candidates may distribute appropriate items such as literature, stickers, buttons, and otherobjects after they declare their candidacy until the end of elections. They may also hang postersin the room(s) designated by the Chairperson of the FEC at Spring State only.

i. The candidates must follow the stipulations set forth by the hotel about hanging upposters, including, but not limited to, a specific type of tape required to hang up theposters.

ii. Candidates must notify the Chairperson of the FEC of their intention to hang up postersat Spring State.

iii.At Spring State, candidates are not allowed to hang up posters before Saturday morning.iv.Candidates are responsible for all forms of literature and other objects that they hand

out. They must clean up any literature or objects that have been left behind. Ifliterature or other campaign paraphernalia are left on the floor, candidates will bepunished as per Article V of the Fair Election Handbook.

Section 3. The Chairperson of the FEC must approve all materials before distribution or posting. Thisincludes, but is not limited to, all campaign literature, all material being posted on a candidates website,Facebook groups, and button designs.

a) If the Chairperson of the FEC is not available, then members of the Fair Elections Committeecan approve materials with the Chairpersons consent.

b) Candidates must be generous with time when asking for approval of materials. Candidatesshould give at least 48 hours notice before an event, or their literature may not be approved.

Section 4. Campaigning must end upon the elimination of the candidate or the conclusion of theelections.

Article IV: Ethics

Section 1. Candidates must respect other delegates and candidates for all offices.


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Section 2. Candidates shall not slander anyone, nor may they write libel.

Section 3. Candidates may not bribe delegates for votes. This may include the exchange of money oritems for the promise of a vote. This does not include give-aways that are paid for in Fair MarketValue. Candidates may not promise or offer cabinet positions.

Section 4. Candidates may be punished for improper action made prior to their declaration of candidacy

and after the closing of the previous Spring State.

Section 5. Candidates must respect candidates running for offices other than the one for which they arecampaigning and may be punished for ethics violations of this nature.

Section 6. Candidates are responsible for the ethical conduct of their campaign teams.

Section 7. Candidates must remain ethical in their campaigns. The final determination of ethics shall fallto the Chairperson of the FEC.

Article V: Infractions/Punishments

Section 1. Candidates shall not officially declare their candidacies or distribute campaign materialsbefore the chosen declaration period at Winter Congress.

a) If a candidate declares his or her candidacy to a group of delegates (more than one person)outside of his or her chapter before the chosen time to declare candidacies at Winter Congress,the candidates spending limit shall receive a deduction of of the original limit. A candidatemay, however, discuss their candidacy with his or her own chapter even before declaring atWinter Congress.

b) If a candidate (or his or her agent) distributes campaign materials before the chosen time todeclare candidacies at Winter Congress, the candidates spending limit shall receive a deductionof of the original limit.

c) If a candidate both declares his or her candidacy and distributes literature before an appropriatedeclaration of candidacy, then he or she shall be eliminated from the race and may not run forany other office.

Section 2. Candidates may only campaign and/or hand out campaign materials during designated times.Such times are to be determined and announced by the Chairperson of the FEC, but must includeduring meals, between blocks, and any free time at nights.

a)

Candidates who campaign and/or hand-out campaign materials during any non-designated timeare subject to a reduction in their original spending limits at a minimum of 15% not to exceed50%, depending on the severity of the infraction, at the discretion of the Chairperson of theFEC.

b) Candidates shall be responsible for their campaign staffs and those assigned to distributeliterature. If an agent of a candidate campaigns and/or hands out campaign materials during anynon-designated time, the candidate is subject to a reduction in his or her original spending limitsat a minimum of 5% not to exceed 25%, depending on the severity of the infraction, at thediscretion of the Chairperson of the FEC.


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Section 3. Candidates shall not violate the ethical rules set down in Article IV.

a) Candidates violating the ethical rules shall be punished at the discretion of the Chairperson ofthe FEC based on the severity of the infraction. The punishment may be a reduction inspending limit at a minimum of 5% to immediate disqualification from the race.

Section 4. Candidates are responsible for all forms of literature and other objects that they hand out.

a) Candidates will receive a 25-cent reduction in their budget for every piece of literature or give-away left behind.

Section 5. If a candidate has not filed his or her forms by noon on Saturday of Spring State, then thecandidate is not official and may not run.

Section 6. If a candidate distributes inappropriate items, those items shall be confiscated and thecandidate may be subject to a reduction in spending limit at the discretion of the Chairperson of theFEC. If the candidate continues to distribute inappropriate items, the candidate shall be disqualified.

a) If the inappropriate items are beyond an acceptable level of inappropriateness at the firstinfraction, the candidate may be automatically disqualified at the discretion of the Chairpersonof the FEC.

Section 7. Candidates may not post inappropriate materials on the Internet relating to their campaign. Ifthe candidate does post inappropriate material on the Internet, he or she will be given 48 hours to takethe content down. If the candidate does not take the content down after 48 hours, the candidate shall bedisqualified.

a) If the inappropriate posting on the Internet is beyond an acceptable level of inappropriateness atthe first infraction, the candidate may be automatically disqualified at the discretion of theChairperson of the FEC.

Section 8. Candidates shall be responsible for all violations made by their campaign teams. Thepunishments for those violations are to be determined by the Chairperson of the FEC but may notexceed the punishments that would be applied to a candidate committing the same infraction.

Section 9. If a candidate exceeds his or her spending limit, the punishment shall be determined asfollows:

a) If a candidate goes greater than zero percent (0%) to twenty percent (20%) over budgetincluding all punishments, then the punishment will be a public announcement before voting

with the amount he or she went over budget.

b) If a candidate goes greater than twenty percent (20%) over budget including all punishments,then the candidate will be automatically disqualified.

Article VI: Election Procedure

Section 1. The elections of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Mayors, and Vice-Mayors shall takeplace at Spring State.


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Section 2. Only tax-paid members of the NES present in the room at the commencement of the votinground may participate in that round of voting. During regional elections, only members of that region inthe room at the commencement of the voting round may participate in that round of voting.

a) Each member may only have one vote per round.Section 3. The Fair Elections Committee shall commission agents to assist in the administration of theelection.

a) FEC agents must be neutral delegates who do not publicity support a candidate.b) FEC agents may collect literature and other campaign paraphernalia, but they may not allow it to

be visible.

Section 4. During each round of voting, ballots shall be distributed to chapters by FEC agents, oneballot per person in each chapter.

a) There shall be one FEC agent assigned to each chapter.b) The ballots shall be distributed within the chapter by the chapter president (or acting chapter

president.)

c) The chapter president (or acting chapter president) shall collect all of the ballots from his or herrespective chapter after each member has voted.

d) The chapter president shall then count all of the votes and submit the ballots to the chaptersFEC agent.

e) The FEC agent shall then count the ballots and check the count with the chapter president. TheChairperson of the FEC shall decide any discrepancies.

f) After an official count is reached, the ballots are to be brought to the Chairperson of the FEC.g) FEC agents and members will not vote with their chapters. They shall cast their votes before

chapters are given ballots. However, their vote will be announced last.

Section 5. Each chapter president shall announce the official votes of each round, with the totalsannounced at the end. A running count of the results of the election shall be updated as each chapterannounces its votes, unless there is technological difficulty.

Section 6. Elections shall take place in a run-off style.

a) Candidates shall be able to make a one-minute speech before each round of voting.b) If a candidate has more than 50% of the votes, then he/she shall automatically win.c) If no candidate has more than a 50% majority, then the candidate with the fewest votes shall be

dropped from the ballot.


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Official Northeast Junior State Constitution & Code of Lawd) If any group of candidates has votes that total fewer than the votes of the next highest

candidate, then those candidates shall all be removed from the race.

e) This process of elimination shall continue until one candidate gains a majority vote.f) The winning candidate may make a one-minute acceptance speech if he or she chooses to. All

other candidates shall have the option of making a one-minute concession speech at the time of

their eliminations.

Section 7. There are certain cases in which a secret ballot may be requested. In all cases, a secret ballotmust be requested before the commencement of the voting of the first round of a single officeselection. The Chairperson of the FEC must approve it. If it is granted, it will only apply for the electionof one office. For elections of different offices, the secret ballot privilege must be requested andapproved again. The secret ballot extends for all rounds of a single offices election. The secret ballotcannot be requested between rounds of a single offices election. The secret ballot must be requested forin writing. The secret ballot applies for the entire chapter when granted, excluding FEC agents andmembers.

a) Any person within a chapter with a candidate running for office may request a secret ballot forthe entire chapter.b) Any person within a chapter with a delegation of eight people or fewer may request a secret

ballot for the entire chapter.

Article VII: Remaining Powers

Section 1. Any election procedure not mentioned in this bill shall be left to the discretion of the FairElections Committee.

Section 2. Any decision made by the Chairperson of the FEC may be appealed to the Fair ElectionsCommittee.

a) For any decision of the Chairperson of the FEC that is appealed to the Fair ElectionsCommittee, the Chairperson of the FEC and the Fair Elections Committee must meet andcompromise to resolve the issue.

Section 3. If the members of the Fair Elections Committee disagree with a decision of the Chairpersonof the FEC, the Fair Elections Committee and the Chairperson of the FEC must meet and compromiseto resolve the issue.

Northeast JSA Constitution 2010-2011

Documents

Transcript of Northeast JSA Constitution 2010-2011