[DEFEATED] Protecting Convicted Voters

[Tinhampton]

Last time on Tinhampton's Electoral Adventures... On the 14th of April 2021, Repeal "Voting Equality for Freed Inmates" became GA#549! and I definitely edited the OP of that thread to reflect that fact, honest

This resolution was at vote between the 8th and 12th of May, 2021.
It was defeated by a margin of 8,295 votes (about 58%) to 5,992 (about 42%).

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This proposal has been submitted to the General Assembly Furtherment of Democracy Board.
NOTE: at 0126 BST on the 2nd of May 2021, this proposal reached quorum with Novum Orientis' approval, the 60th all told.

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Character count: 1,160
Word count: 182

Lydia Anderson, former Mayor of Tinhampton and third-in-line to the post of Delegate-Ambassador: This is Tinhampton's proposed replacement for the Bay Staters' resolution on guaranteeing Voting Equality for Freed Inmates, which we are simultaneously drafting a repeal for.

Protecting Convicted Voters
A resolution to increase democratic freedoms.

Category: Furtherment of Democracy

Strength: Mild

Proposed by: Tinhampton

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Believing that those member states which choose to hold democratic elections should refrain from making any person ineligible to take part in those elections simply due to their circumstances, the General Assembly hereby:

1. requires members to ensure that no person within their jurisdiction is prevented (or otherwise unduly restricted) from voting in a election for public office simply because they currently are being, or have previously been, punished for a crime,
2. further requires prisons in member states to protect their prisoners from being pressured to vote for or against any candidate or slate of candidates, or to refrain from voting, by any entity in all elections for public office,
3. mandates that those members which choose to hold elections for public office, but require those voting at said elections to be physically present at a polling station in order to vote, provide adequate polling stations at prisons as to allow all eligible prisoners to vote, and
4. clarifies that Article a does not mandate that elections for public office be organised in any member state.

Co-authored with CoraSpia.

[Honeydewistania]

"Why limit to those who have been imprisoned? What about those who received punishments not relating to incarceration?

In addition, I'm not sure why nations should be obligated to allow those who attempted to commit electoral fraud should be allowed to partake in democratic processes."

[Tinhampton]

Mayor emeritus Anderson: Firstly, disenfranchisement for civil offences is seldom a problem and - when it is - largely so disproportionate that I have not heard of any, if any, nations using it. Secondly, Ambassador Hepperle is referred to his colleague from Uan aa Boa's comments during the debate on Voting Equality for Freed Inmates.

[Thermodolia]

Against. Prison is a punishment not some resort

[Tinhampton]

Against. Prison is a punishment not some resort

Anderson: What makes you think that the delivery of a few hundred bits of paper into a prison every four-and-a-bit years will spontaneously cause Super Happy Funny Fun Exciting Times?

[Clarence Thomas]

Against. Prison is a punishment not some resort

Anderson: What makes you think that the delivery of a few hundred bits of paper into a prison every four-and-a-bit years will spontaneously cause Super Happy Funny Fun Exciting Times?

Notokiwa: My best guess is that the reassurance that you still matter in a democracy is what the Thermodolian delegate believes is like going to a resort.

Notokiwa: I wonder if there's a market for that: resorts where the luxury is that you get to feel assured your vote matters and that you play a role in the direction society is going in.

[Bieberfelde]

Sounds interesting.

[Thermodolia]

Against. Prison is a punishment not some resort

Anderson: What makes you think that the delivery of a few hundred bits of paper into a prison every four-and-a-bit years will spontaneously cause Super Happy Funny Fun Exciting Times?

“What makes you think we use paper ballots? This isn’t the 1800s over here the modern age is here and we use electronic voting systems. Also it’s three not four years.”

[Araraukar]

OOC: Wasn't this already addressed? Or did that resolution get overturned?

[Bananaistan]

“Entirely opposed as we always are to proposals letting various dictatorships have a say in how elections in other nations are run.”

[Tinhampton]

OOC: Wasn't this already addressed? Or did that resolution get overturned?

Not on an international scale, at least =p

[Araraukar]

OOC: Wasn't this already addressed? Or did that resolution get overturned?

Not on an international scale, at least =p

OOC: Actually it specifically was, but you're trying to repeal the blocker that leaves it up to nations to decide.

[GRHB WA nation]

Jail is a punishment. If they are imprisoned they shouldn't be allowed to vote.

However I don't have a problem with allowing freed prisoners to vote

[Jedinsto]

Jail is a punishment. If they are imprisoned they shouldn't be allowed to vote.

However I don't have a problem with allowing freed prisoners to vote

^^^This.

[Ardiveds]

"Opposed. We do support this in case of minor criminals but we can't allow mass murderers and rapists to vote, atleast until they have done their sentences."

[Clarence Thomas]

“Entirely opposed as we always are to proposals letting various dictatorships have a say in how elections in other nations are run.”

Notokiwa: (surprised) Do you often get dictatorial delegations in these chambers? I realize they're among the membership, but I haven't seen them actually writing any of these resolutions and having the 'say' you speak of.

[Ardiveds]

“Entirely opposed as we always are to proposals letting various dictatorships have a say in how elections in other nations are run.”

Notokiwa: (surprised) Do you often get dictatorial delegations in these chambers? I realize they're among the membership, but I haven't seen them actually writing any of these resolutions and having the 'say' you speak of.

"Ambassador, they vote on these proposals like the rest of us. If you consider "having a say" as personally influencing the wording of a proposal, then the vast majority of member nations do not have a say on these proposals."

[Barfleur]

"Opposed. It would be absurd to allow a person who is incarcerated for electoral fraud, bribery of public officials, or bombing electoral precincts to have a say in the very system they tried to corrupt and abuse before they have repaid their debt to society. Once a person has been released, of course, that debt is repaid and they should be entitled to the same rights that everyone else has in that nation, including the right to vote."

[Sierra Lyricalia]

"Opposed. We do support this in case of minor criminals but we can't allow mass murderers and rapists to vote, atleast until they have done their sentences."

"Curious, ambassador: do you then prevent your nation's leaders and military officers from casting ballots? If so, I salute your moral consistency!"

[Ardiveds]

"Opposed. We do support this in case of minor criminals but we can't allow mass murderers and rapists to vote, atleast until they have done their sentences."

"Curious, ambassador: do you then prevent your nation's leaders and military officers from casting ballots? If so, I salute your moral consistency!"

"Ambassador, would you care to elaborate?"

[Thermodolia]

"Curious, ambassador: do you then prevent your nation's leaders and military officers from casting ballots? If so, I salute your moral consistency!"

"Ambassador, would you care to elaborate?"

“Something something war criminals”

[Thermodolia]

"Opposed. We do support this in case of minor criminals but we can't allow mass murderers and rapists to vote, atleast until they have done their sentences."

"Curious, ambassador: do you then prevent your nation's leaders and military officers from casting ballots? If so, I salute your moral consistency!"

“Only if they have been convicted. As we aren’t some backwards backwater dictatorship that removes the right to vote for the hell of it.

Though in Thermodolia no prisoner gets to vote while in prison. Murder or not”

[Badwebsite]

I really don't know how people get this stuff from?

[Tinhampton]

I really don't know how people get this stuff from?

Refer to the OP of my repeal thread

this post also serves as a bump, LOL

[Desmosthenes and Burke]

Mayor emeritus Anderson: Firstly, disenfranchisement for civil offences is seldom a problem and - when it is - largely so disproportionate that I have not heard of any, if any, nations using it. Secondly, Ambassador Hepperle is referred to his colleague from Uan aa Boa's comments during the debate on Voting Equality for Freed Inmates.

With a sardonic smirk at using the line, Iulia spoke into the microphone, "We believe, Mr. Anderson, that the 'honorable' representative from Honeydewistania was referencing that it is entirely possible to have a criminal offence that is not punished through imprisonment. Surely you have heard of diversion programs, probation, fines, restitution, shunning, and other such measures. Let us posit: while we would normally impose imprisonment and loss of voting rights for electoral fraud, we might respond to the passage of your proposal by removing the imposition of imprisonment and instead impose a fine along with disenfranchisement. This does not violate the text of your proposal. Then let us posit that we set the fine at a high enough amount that its payment is impractical and charge and convict the person for failure to pay the fine (a separate criminal offence). They are still disenfranchised (as their imprisonment now has nothing to do with their voting rights) and disenfranchised (by virtue of conviction of a crime that is not itself punished by incarceration).

Is that more trouble than our government would like to go through to achieve its legitimate interest in barring the wrong kind of persons from voting, yes. Would we do it if forced to, also yes."