Petition Act 2024

Preamble

It would seem that it is universally agreed upon in Sim Democracy that the people deserve to have their voices heard and yet, despite this consensus, we don’t have a codified petition system. This act seeks to rectify that. This will grant every member/citizen of SimDemocracy the right to start and sign petitions and force the senate to consider them.

Article 1: the creation of petitions

§1. Anyone may create a petition regardless of citizenship

§2. A petition can be created in any section of SimDemocracy provided the following are true:

§2.1. It is possible to confirm the citizenship of those signing the petition

§2.2. All citizens can view the petition (i.e. it’s not posted in a discord channel that is private) with the exception of those that are arrested

§2.3. The petition is clearly marked as a petition

§2.4. The speaker of the senate is informed of its existence shortly after its creation

Article 2: the functioning of petitions

§1. A petition will last 48 hours by default

§1.1 this time will be extended by 12 hours if the petition is within 1 votes of being successful at the moment when 48 hours have elapsed

§2. If a petition reaches an amount of votes equal to the number of senate seats then either the senate, the executive or both must give a response to the petition within 48 hours of it reaching the threshold (if what the petition is advocating for hasn’t already been achieved)

§3. If a petition reaches an amount of votes equal to the number of senate seats plus 2 the senate is obligated to hold a vote on it

§3.1 If the petition did not present a clear bill to be voted on it is the speaker of the senate's responsibility to ensure that a bill that accomplishes what the petition sets out to achieve is written. This bill will then be voted on

§3.2 if the petition presented a clear bill to be voted on a vote must be held on that specific bill

§3.2.1 senators may still submit an amended version of that bill but it must be voted on seperately

Article 3: signing petitions

§1. All citizens may sign petitions

§2. No monetary or private incentives may be suggested to encourage the signing of petitions

§2.1 this does not refer to incentives found within the petition itself