Elections
Elections in Xuande-Xiphoi are conducted under the oversight of the Xuande-Xiphoi Electoral Commission on a schedule described in the Xuande-Xiphoi Electoral Act 2009. The Act describes a number of regulations and restrictions relevant to the procedures of elections.
In Xuande-Xiphoi, the right to vote is dually held as a responsibility of citizenship. The XXEC endeavors to bring the right of all Xuande-Xiphoians to vote to the forefront of considerations. A high voter turnout helps to ensure the voices of all people are heard, and compulsory voting supports this goal.
Failure to attend to vote is a punishable offence which may result in a fine of one penalty unit in the first instance, with a graduation of outcomes up to one month imprisonment for each failure to vote.
Writs to an election are issued by the members of the Republics & Kingdom Council whom represent a Republic or Kingdom set to undertake an election or referendum. Generally this means the entire Council issues writs at the same time, however only specific members may issue writs for byelections.
Elections are held for election to Regional Government Authorities and correspondingly the Mayoral Conference, with direct elections for the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.
The schedule of elections is as follows
In Xuande-Xiphoi, the right to vote is dually held as a responsibility of citizenship. The XXEC endeavors to bring the right of all Xuande-Xiphoians to vote to the forefront of considerations. A high voter turnout helps to ensure the voices of all people are heard, and compulsory voting supports this goal.
Failure to attend to vote is a punishable offence which may result in a fine of one penalty unit in the first instance, with a graduation of outcomes up to one month imprisonment for each failure to vote.
Writs to an election are issued by the members of the Republics & Kingdom Council whom represent a Republic or Kingdom set to undertake an election or referendum. Generally this means the entire Council issues writs at the same time, however only specific members may issue writs for byelections.
Elections are held for election to Regional Government Authorities and correspondingly the Mayoral Conference, with direct elections for the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.
The schedule of elections is as follows
- The entire Legislative Assembly is elected at the same time. The Legislative Assembly is dissolved after 4 years of service from the first date of meeting in Parliament.
- The Legislative Council is elected in three classes, with one or two positions for a Legislative Councillor in each Regional Government Area to be elected with each election of the Legislative Assembly. This means the term of service of a Legislative Councillor is 8 years.
- The election of Regional Government Authority officials occurs on varying schedules; however by law all positions must be re-elected every three to five years.
- For Republics that elect a Councillor to the Republics & Kingdom Council, the XXEC is responsible for the administration of that election.
Election Rules
The following election rules affect all Xuande-Xiphoians and the conduct of all elections and referendums.
Forms of Ballots
- Nominations for election will be opened immediately and will conclude 21 days after of the Issuance of a Writ.
- The date for polling shall not be less than 23 days, nor more than 31 days after the closing date of nominations.
- Polling day will always be a Saturday.
- Enrollment on the Xuande-Xiphoi Electoral Roll is mandatory for all eligible people
- Similarly, voting is compulsory unless an elector can demonstrate a legal excuse from voting.
- All ballots shall be held in secrecy.
- Each elector shall possess one vote only.
Forms of Ballots
- The form of ballot for multiple office elections is the single transferable vote proportional representation ballot, with options provided for voting either for voting in order of preference for party groupings or individual candidates.
- Used for whole of Legislative Assembly elections;
- Legislative Council elections where two or more Councillors are to be elected;
- The form of ballot for the election of a single office or for a multi-optional referendum is majority-preference instant-runoff voting, where selection of preferences is mandatory.
- Used for Local Council Division Councillor elections;
- Used for Legislative Assembly single by-elections;
- Mayoral elections;
- Half-elections of the Legislative Council;
- Referendums.
- If there is a binary decision, the form of voting shall be first past the post with a cross ballot.
- If the number of people nominating for an office is equivalent to the number of offices, all nominators will be immediately elected at the close of elections. If no eligible person, or an insufficient number of people, nominate for election, the remainder of offices will be appointed directly by the R&K Council member for the Republic or Kingdom and published in gazette.
Electors
An Elector is a person who is authorised to vote in a particular election or elections. An Elector is any person who is enrolled on the Electoral Roll. As such, qualifications for electors are defined by qualifications to enrol on the Electoral Roll.
A person must enrol on the Electoral Roll with their regular home address if they meet the following criteria.
If a person is homeless or is an overseas resident without an address in Xuande-Xihpoi, they must provide the following information to designate their electoral details in order of priority.
Updating enrolment may occur after a person has resided at a new address for 30 days. This is to prevent 'election-shopping' by voters after the Issuance of Writs of Election.
A person may be disqualified from holding suffrage - that is, being on the electoral roll but not being eligible to vote or partake in any other civic duties - if they are disqualified by any of the following criteria.
A person must enrol on the Electoral Roll with their regular home address if they meet the following criteria.
- They hold Xuande-Xiphoian Citizenship
- They have reached the age of 18 - 16 year olds and over may enrol, but the enrolment will be dormant until their 18th birthday.
If a person is homeless or is an overseas resident without an address in Xuande-Xihpoi, they must provide the following information to designate their electoral details in order of priority.
- for the address where they were last eligible to enrol, or
- for the address where their next of kin is enrolled, or
- in the electoral divisions where they were born, or
- in the electoral divisions for which they feel most closely connected (for those born outside Xuande-Xiphoi)
Updating enrolment may occur after a person has resided at a new address for 30 days. This is to prevent 'election-shopping' by voters after the Issuance of Writs of Election.
A person may be disqualified from holding suffrage - that is, being on the electoral roll but not being eligible to vote or partake in any other civic duties - if they are disqualified by any of the following criteria.
- A person who is a prisoner serving a sentence as punishment for the crime of treason, they are disqualified for twice length of their sentence from the time of sentencing.
- A person, who by requirement of office has sworn the Oath of the Electoral Commission and in the employ of the XXEC, commits a crime under the Electoral Act 2009, they are disqualified for three years or the length of any prison sentence from the time of sentencing, whichever is longer.
- If a person is recognized by the Chair of the R&K Council as holding the office of Head of State or Head of Government of a foreign country.
Accessible Voting
The Xuande-Xiphoi Electoral Commission is obligated to provide electors with accessible and safe methods of voting. Examples for both categories are listed below.
Safety in Voting
In addition to legislative requirements regarding the physical, public health, and ballot integrity safety of elections, long-term options to provide electoral safety have been established.
Of most relevance to this section is the option for enrollment as a Silent Elector, which can redact an electors identity, address, or both from the publicly available electoral roll. This option is available to people who hold a reasonable belief that there would be a threat to their own safety, health, or mental health if their address was to be made publicly available.
Accessible Voting
The XXEC is committed to making voting accessible for all electors. The following methods may be made available to electors.
Due to the inherent insecurities of online polling, voting online is not a currently accepted avenue of balloting for the XXEC.
Safety in Voting
In addition to legislative requirements regarding the physical, public health, and ballot integrity safety of elections, long-term options to provide electoral safety have been established.
Of most relevance to this section is the option for enrollment as a Silent Elector, which can redact an electors identity, address, or both from the publicly available electoral roll. This option is available to people who hold a reasonable belief that there would be a threat to their own safety, health, or mental health if their address was to be made publicly available.
Accessible Voting
The XXEC is committed to making voting accessible for all electors. The following methods may be made available to electors.
- Time and date of elections are set to ensure the ability for people to access polling places. Polling places must open at 6am for voting. They will then close at 7pm, though any electors waiting to vote at this time will be permitted to do so. Any delay in opening the polling place will extend the closing time of the polling place. Early polling places will open between 6am and 6pm daily.
- National Poll Printing provides people the ability to vote from anywhere in Xuande-Xiphoi. This provides opportunities for Xuande-Xiphoians who are travelling or temporarily residing away from their home electorates to vote on the fixed polling date.
- This option is only available in other electoral areas which are holding elections at the same date; this may mean National Poll Printing is not available for specific by-elections or referendums.
- Special Polling Places
- Mobile XXEC teams provide polling place services to electors who are resident at medical care facilities including nursing homes and hospitals, prisons and jails, and remote areas and islands.
- Overseas Polling Places, which are organised by XXEC delegates who are employees of the Xuande-Xiphoi Consular Service. These polling places are located at Xuande-Xiphoi diplomatic and consular offices published in advance of the election, or at diplomatic missions of other nations who agree to host Consular Service Polling Teams for the purpose of some elections.
- Military Polling Places, which are organised by trained and sworn Armed Services officers (sometimes including non-commissioned officers) referred to as Elections Supervisory Officers. These polling places are only available to members of the Xuande-Xiphoi Armed Services who are serving at sea, or overseas.
- Postal Voting is available to all electors who are eligible to partake in early voting, in addition to electors who fall within the following categories. Ballots are distributed via the Xuande-Xiphoi Mail twelve days prior to the fixed polling date; they may be received up to twelve days after the fixed polling date and remain valid.
- Military members undertaking active or at-sea service (these ballots may be received up to 9 months after the fixed polling date and remain valid.)
- Voters with a home address outside of Xuande-Xiphoi (some countries have longer validity for return times provided the ballot is sworn within the accepted date, this is advised by XX Mail.)
- Telephone Voting is used for the benefit of electors who are blind or have low vision, or where postal voting is unreliable.
- Early Voting in a physical polling station. Early voting is opened 10 days prior to the fixed polling date. This option is made available to people who fulfill any of the following criteria.
- People who reside more than 8km from a polling place
- People who are travelling internationally or to a destination where National Poll Printing is not available on the fixed polling date.
- People who are unable to leave their workplace to vote.
- People who are seriously ill, infirm or due to give birth shortly (or caring for someone who is.)
- People who are a patient in hospital and can't vote at the hospital.
- People who have religious beliefs that prevent them from attending a polling place.
- People who are silent electors.
- People who have a reasonable fear for their safety if they were to vote on the fixed polling day.
- Ability Assisted Voting. Electors may request assistance at the polling place to make your ballot - this person can be anyone except a nominated candidate. This may include poll place staff. The Elector's assistant may help to read and mark the ballot paper and confirm the Elector's enrolment. Polling officials in charge may authorise the delivery of ballot papers under supervision to the elector within a reasonable distance of the polling place if the Elector has a mobility challenge or disability.
- Merchant Mariner Voting. Recognising the difficulty of communication both by phone and by post for merchant mariners at sea, the XXEC provides telephone, VOIP, and videoconferencing voting for Merchant Mariners when other forms such as telephone voting cannot be used. Specific details within an Elector's Seaman's Book and enrolment are used to affirm the identity of the Elector.
- Diverse Language Voting. Postal ballots and ballots at polling places can be printed on request with text in both English and a requested target language - more than 90 languages are available.
- The names of the candidates will not be translated, however the names of political parties will be printed in the target language if those translations have been provided to the XXEC by those parties, otherwise they will not be translated.
Due to the inherent insecurities of online polling, voting online is not a currently accepted avenue of balloting for the XXEC.
Public Funding of Elections
Candidates, parties and groups earn a public subsidy if they gain at least 4% of the primary vote in the relevant election. The rate of public funding is provided below for 2020:
- For the Legislative Assembly and Council, public funding is currently €9.85 per formal first preference vote.
- For Mayoral elections, the public funding is currently €9.13 per formal first preference vote
- For Local Councillor elections, the public funding is currently €8.50 per formal first preference vote per group.