[ABANDONED] Overseas Military Voting Support Act

[The New European Order]

Smith hands the paper to Greene.

Smith: Since you can't get anything done, let me show you how this system actually works. Rather than arguments over legality and sense, there should be arguments over convenience, and ease of operation for these kinds of things!

Greene reads over the proposal, and cringes.

Greene:Sir, its been a while, hasn't it?

Smith sighs, and nods.

Smith: A couple months since I've even touched this stuff.

Greene: You're gonna get eaten alive.

Smith: I just have to hold on... I just hope the Proposal Scalpel^tm doesn't come out on this one... Actually, yes I do. It would help me out a lot.

The Overseas Military Voting Support Act

Category: Furtherment of Democracy Strength:Mild

Applauding the work that has been done to extend the rights of democracy to member states.

Prasing the military personnel that are fighting for freedom in distant lands.

Recognizing that any single member of the military of a member state has as much of a right to vote as the citizens they fight for.

Concerned that this might not be possible.

Hereby,

I. Defines "Overseas" in the sense of this act as a lateral term describing presiding in a country other than one's residency due to military service

II. Establishes a branch of the World Assembly General Fund, titled the Overseas Ballot Carrier Fund (OBCF)

III. Defines the purpose of the OBCF as to allow soldiers fighting overseas to vote in national elections

IV. Tasks the OBCF with allocating the funds to print ballots for member states' national elections in a number large enough to substantiate the entirety of their military's overseas personnel.

V. Establishes a branch of the OBCF, titled the Ballot Transportation Service (BTS)

VI. Tasks the BTS with creating an armada of planes, ships, and trucks to ship these ballots to soldiers overseas, and to ship them back home to the member nations' governments

[Separatist Peoples]

"Um...is...this only half-finished?"

[The New European Order]

"Um...is...this only half-finished?"

Hurt Smith: What makes you think that, ambassador?

[Separatist Peoples]

"Um...is...this only half-finished?"

Hurt Smith: What makes you think that, ambassador?

"Your draft ends on an incomplete phrase."

[The New European Order]

Hurt Smith: What makes you think that, ambassador?

"Your draft ends on an incomplete phrase."

Smith looks at the paper and slaps his forehead

Smith: I printed the wrong draft. I saved one last night and just submitted the wrong one. I mean... There's little to no difference, its just the "World Assembly" thing isn't the there.

Greene: Really?

Smith: Oh shut up, Mr. "I forgot that people died".

[Aclion]

First of all. This doesn't require member states to do anything. It just establishes committees. Legality aside I really don't think making the WA responsible for getting ballots to and from servicemen is the best way to handle this. I would focus more on ensuring that the voting rights of overseas servicemen are respected by member nations by trquiring them to get ballots from servicemen and count them just as they would the civilian ballots.

This is a good idea. Just badly implemented.

[The New European Order]

First of all. This doesn't require member states to do anything. It just establishes committees.

I really don't think the WA should be responsible for getting ballots to and from servicemen. I would focus more on ensuring that the voting rights of overseas servicemen are respected by member nations.

This is a good idea. Just badly implemented.

That's what my goal is, I'm just having difficulty conveying that. Let me add in and take out a few things.

[Araraukar]

OOC: Is this only for war-time voting? Due to the "fighting overseas" in the committee's mission goal.

[Grays Harbor]

I am really failing to see why the WA should be tasked, at all, with creating a special postal service which handles only absentee ballots.

[The New European Order]

OOC: Is this only for war-time voting? Due to the "fighting overseas" in the committee's mission goal.

OOC: Guess I should word that better. Just being stationed overseas, in combat or onbase.

[Christian Democrats]

I am really failing to see why the WA should be tasked, at all, with creating a special postal service which handles only absentee ballots.

Same here.

[Grays Harbor]

OOC: Is this only for war-time voting? Due to the "fighting overseas" in the committee's mission goal.

OOC: Guess I should word that better. Just being stationed overseas, in combat or onbase.

Every country has a postal service. Most military organizations of reasonable size have their own postal units. There is even a resolution which facilitates the movement of mail between nations.

So, we ask again. What is the purpose of this? That can't already be accomplished by existing postal systems?

[The New European Order]

OOC: Guess I should word that better. Just being stationed overseas, in combat or onbase.

Every country has a postal service. Most military organizations of reasonable size have their own postal units. There is even a resolution which facilitates the movement of mail between nations.

So, we ask again. What is the purpose of this? That can't already be accomplished by existing postal systems?

Smith gets up, and waves Greene out of the room.

Smith:There hasn’t been a proper system established and there are nations with soldiers overseas fighting for others’ right to vote, when they don’t have the ability to vote themselves because if the poor organization of systems. You may not see it, but though this would be a small victory for democracy, it is a much needed one.

[Araraukar]

Smith:There hasn’t been a proper system established

"There is, though, with the existing resolution about postal services. And what that hasn't accomplished, ambassadors, I doubt any resolution can, without pouring unrealistic amount of WA money on it," Johan pointed out.

and there are nations with soldiers overseas fighting

"So this is wartime only?"

for others’ right to vote

"Exporting democracy at the proverbial spearpoint tends to be as bad an idea as doing the same with religion."

when they don’t have the ability to vote themselves because if the poor organization of systems

"Then that is very much their own fault. If they have the systems in place to arrange the shipping of food, medicines and weapons to their troops, they should be able to handle their ballots, if for some reason they could not simply send back the voting results, rather than actual hand-written notes, the WA shouldn't have to pay for the modernization of their voting system."

You may not see it, but though this would be a small victory for democracy, it is a much needed one.

"How? If it only affects nations that already are democracies and already allow their soldiers to vote, how does it advance democracy at all?"

[Grays Harbor]

Every country has a postal service. Most military organizations of reasonable size have their own postal units. There is even a resolution which facilitates the movement of mail between nations.

So, we ask again. What is the purpose of this? That can't already be accomplished by existing postal systems?

Smith gets up, and waves Greene out of the room.

Smith:There hasn’t been a proper system established and there are nations with soldiers overseas fighting for others’ right to vote, when they don’t have the ability to vote themselves because if the poor organization of systems. You may not see it, but though this would be a small victory for democracy, it is a much needed one.

No, I do not see it. And you certainly seem to make some seriously skewed assumptions that all soldiers fighting in foreign countries do so for altruistic democracy. I guess if you are not fighting for the “right” cause you don’t count, eh?
This whole thing is a textbook example of unnecessary. And if you try and make it only for soldiers “fighting for democracy” you would be heading towards borderline ideological ban. Which is illegal.

[Separatist Peoples]

"This makes no accommodation for military penal units, who serve their sentences as active duty military personnel in combat zones. Felons who have not paid their debt to society don't get to vote, even if they are overseas soldiers."

[Aclion]

"This makes no accommodation for military penal units, who serve their sentences as active duty military personnel in combat zones. Felons who have not paid their debt to society don't get to vote, even if they are overseas soldiers."

"I believe this is intended to work in tandem with Voting Equality for Freed Inmates"

[Imperium Anglorum]

ELSIE MORTIMER WELLESLEY: This seems, to me, pretty pointless. Practically all militaries will have means of reaching soldiers. Otherwise, they would not be able to find them and deploy them in battle. Similarly, practically all militaries will have means of sending and receiving mail from soldiers to their families. Otherwise, morale would plummet and it would difficult at best to win any battles. If you have the means to send and receive mail, there is no need for an international agency to duplicate the core functions of any functioning military.

Certainly, during the Great War, our nation has been able to send ballots to soldiers on the front lines. We simply send them with the mail that they get from home and the meals they receive daily. This isn't anything new. And it probably won't achieve anything but put more people (in this case, international mail carriers) into harms way.

[Separatist Peoples]

"This makes no accommodation for military penal units, who serve their sentences as active duty military personnel in combat zones. Felons who have not paid their debt to society don't get to vote, even if they are overseas soldiers."

"I believe this is intended to work in tandem with Voting Equality for Freed Inmates"

"So this is designed to fail, too? Bully."

[Uan aa Boa]

Strange that a proposal that feels it necessary to define "overseas" doesn't think to define what constitutes a national election. Does it include referenda or just the selection of representatives? If representatives are elected in rotation rather than all at the same time are such elections "national"?

Puzzling that although the World Assembly doesn't mandate representative democracy it likes to place additional duties on the states that use it, leaving totalitarian dictatorships in compliance with resolutions to further democracy that find fault with nations that hold elections.

[The New European Order]

Strange that a proposal that feels it necessary to define "overseas" doesn't think to define what constitutes a national election. Does it include referenda or just the selection of representatives? If representatives are elected in rotation rather than all at the same time are such elections "national"?

Puzzling that although the World Assembly doesn't mandate representative democracy it likes to place additional duties on the states that use it, leaving totalitarian dictatorships in compliance with resolutions to further democracy that find fault with nations that hold elections.

I’ll get to all the other arguments once I’m back home on my PC, but I’m intrigued about this one. You’re absolutely right. First off, why is there not a resolution that mandates democracy? If we’re a union literally purposed for democracy, why do we allow dictatorship to reign true still?

[Aclion]

I’ll get to all the other arguments once I’m back home on my PC, but I’m intrigued about this one. You’re absolutely right. First off, why is there not a resolution that mandates democracy? If we’re a union literally purposed for democracy, why do we allow dictatorship to reign true still?

We have to.

[Stoskavanya]

Puzzling that although the World Assembly doesn't mandate representative democracy it likes to place additional duties on the states that use it, leaving totalitarian dictatorships in compliance with resolutions to further democracy that find fault with nations that hold elections.

Thats a good point, but honestly with all the rights and protections the WA gives its citizens its hard to imagine how a totalitarian government would function in the WA. I always thought that the WA was incredibly hard on autocratic regimes to the point where their existence would be perilous at best given their restrictions on control methods.


But about the proposal, I don't think the issues of soldier ballots are a large enough problem that the WA has to invest these massive resources safeguarding it; it seems like on of those things a nation can manage on their own. Like someone said above, there is no real incentive to disenfranchise your soldiers if your a true democracy, so I doubt this is a problem on an international scale.

[The New European Order]

I’ll get to all the other arguments once I’m back home on my PC, but I’m intrigued about this one. You’re absolutely right. First off, why is there not a resolution that mandates democracy? If we’re a union literally purposed for democracy, why do we allow dictatorship to reign true still?

We have to.

OOC: Game mechanics?

[Uan aa Boa]

First off, why is there not a resolution that mandates democracy? If we’re a union literally purposed for democracy, why do we allow dictatorship to reign true still?

Such a resolution would be in contravention of Article 1 of GA #2: "Every WA Member State has the right to independence and hence to exercise freely, without dictation by any other NationState, all its legal powers, including the choice of its own form of government."

More generally, you seem to assume it has to be either a representative democracy in which a citizen's involvement in politics amounts to putting a cross in a box once every 4 or 5 years to select the least unappealing option among largely indistinguishable candidates or else outright dictatorship.