Constitution of Mount Augusta - HackMD

<style type="text/css"> ol ol { list-style-type: lower-alpha; } </style> *Accurate as of 1/17/2023* ## Table of Contents #### [Article I: Basic Provisions](#I) - [Chapter A: Rule of Law](#I-A) - [Chapter B: Rights](#I-B) - [Chapter C: Citizenship and Voter Registration](#I-C) #### [Article II: Voting](#II) - [Chapter D: Bill and Amendment Voting](#II-D) - [Chapter E: Election and Recall Procedure](#II-E) #### [Article III: Government](#III) - [Chapter F: Office of the Mayor](#III-F) - [Chapter G: The Cupboard](#III-G) - [Chapter H: Autonomous Regions](#III-H) #### [Article IV: The Court](#IV) - [Chapter I: Office of Judge and The Court](#IV-I) - [Chapter J: Trial Procedure](#IV-J) - [Chapter K: Appeals and Retrials](#IV-K) - [Chapter L: Legal Rights, Limitations, and Extradition](#IV-L) #### [Article V: Property](#V) - [Chapter M: Definition and Registration](#V-M) - [Chapter N: Dereliction](#V-N) #### [Article VI: Miscellaneous Provisions](#VI) - [Chapter O: Symbols of Augusta](#VI-O) - [Chapter P: Territory and Borders](#VI-P) #### [Article VII: Launch Provisions](#VII) - [Chapter Q: Timing and Manner of First Elections](#VII-Q) - [Chapter R: Ratification, Voter Registration, and the Provisional Mayor](#VII-R) *NB: This table of contents is not part of the official text of this Constitution, it has been added for ease of usage by the editor of this copy.* --- Ratified by the Preliminary Citizens of Mount Augusta Discord on 1/17/2023 WHEREAS: Mount Augusta has existed on all major Civ-genre servers since CivCraft 1.0, WHEREAS: CivClassic saw the splintering of Mount Augusta into various successor states, WHEREAS: There is a desire to revive Mount Augusta for the CivReign server, RESOLVED: We hereby adopt this Constitution as the highest law of Mount Augusta. # Constitution of Mount Augusta <span id="I"></span> ## Article I. Basic Provisions <span id="I-A"></span> ### Chapter A. Rule of Law 1. This Constitution is the highest law of Mount Augusta. 2. All within the jurisdiction of Mount Augusta are bound by this Constitution. 3. In case of any conflict between laws, 1. This Constitution takes precedence over all other laws, 1. Between other laws, the newest takes precedence, 1. If clauses in a law contradict each other, the latest takes precedence, 1. If a clause of a law contradicts itself, it is considered void. <span id="I-B"></span> ### Chapter B. Rights 1. <span id="I-B-1"></span> All people have the following freedoms which must not be nullified by law: 1. Freedom of belief, 1. Freedom of expression, 1. Freedom of speech, 1. Freedom of assembly, 1. Freedom to own property. 2. The rights listed in [I.B.1](#I-B-1) may be given conditions and restrictions as are necessary to: 1. protect the rights and safety of others, 1. ensure the enforcement of justice, 1. prevent the disclosure of information received in confidence, 1. maintain the authority and impartiality of the Court. 3. <span id="I-B-2"></span>There must be no discrimination based on characteristics outside a person's direct and immediate control, such as, but not limited to: sex, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, etc. 4. All are granted equality before the law, as such: 1. All are to receive the same benefits, protections, and opportunities provided, 1. All are expected to fulfill their responsibilities under the law. 5. Citizens have the right to register to vote, run for office when eligible to vote, and take office if elected. 6. Registered voters have the right to propose legislation and cast valid votes. 7. All have the right to appeal a judicial verdict not issued by the full Court, and are obligated to adhere to court rulings. <span id="I-C"></span> ### Chapter C. Citizenship and Voter Registration 1. A citizen of Mount Augusta is defined as any player who resides only within Mount Augusta, has their primary property registered in Mount Augusta and lives nowhere else 3. A citizen may register to vote by taking a third-person screenshot at a Voter Monument set by law and submitting it to the #voter-registration channel. 4. A registrant who is not already a registered voter must wait twenty four hours before they become a registered voter and so may cast a valid vote on any in progress vote. 1. During this twenty four hour period, the registrant will not be able to cast a valid vote. 1. After this twenty four hour period, the registrant is considered a registered voter unless otherwise stated in [I.C.3.c](#I-C-3c). 1. <span id="I-C-3c"></span>A registrant will not be considered a registered voter if they hold a residence, citizenship, government office, position, appointment, or title of nobility with executive, diplomatic, legislative, or judicial authority or responsibilities within a generally recognized foreign territory or legal jurisdiction. 6. <span id="I-C-5"></span>A person may be barred from citizenship by majority vote of the Court along with the approval of the Mayor, and then a bill proposed by the Mayor within twenty-four hours of the approval and passed with a three-fourths majority and voted on by at least one-half of all registered voters. 7. <span id="I-C-6"></span>Where any authorised person has received communication, solicited or unsolicited, from an administrator of the host server of Mount Augusta that it is the administrators’ intention to remove a specific person from the community, then that specific person shall, with immediate effect, be barred from citizenship and banned from the Mount Augusta discord server until such time as an authorised person shall receive communication from an administrator that this is no longer the case. For the purpose of this section, an authorised person is: 1. Any Judge, 2. The Mayor, 3. Council Member, 4. Any person or persons that the Mayor may appoint for this purpose. <span id="II"></span> ## Article II. Voting <span id="II-D"></span> ### Chapter D. Bill and Amendment Voting 1. <span id="II-D-1"></span> Registered voters have the right to propose legislation. Messages with proposed legislation are to begin with "Bill Vote" and be posted in the #bills channel. 1. Amendment proposals must show the extant text being changed alongside the replacement or new text. 2. Only citizens may become registered voters and vote in elections or bill propositions 2. Registered voters may cast a vote for or against the proposed legislation any time within 48 hours of the initial message being posted. 1. A valid vote is one cast by someone who is registered at any point during the voting period. 1. If a voter casts two contradictory valid votes, the latest is counted. 1. If a vote does not express either support or opposition, it must not be counted. 3. After 48 hours of the initial message being posted, a message starting with "Bill Result" must be posted in the #citizen-announcements channel, counting valid votes and determining the result. 1. Proposed legislation requires a simple majority of cast votes in favor to pass. 1. Proposed legislation that amends the Constitution requires 3/5ths supermajority of valid cast votes in favor to pass. <span id="II-E"></span> ### Chapter E. Election and Recall Procedure 1. <span id="II-E-1"></span>Whenever a Judge or Mayor seat is either going to be vacant within four days by law or is currently vacant, a government official is to post a message starting with "Campaign" and naming the position for vote in the #elections channel. 1. Any voter may declare or withdraw their candidacy any time within 48 hours of the Campaign message. 2. <span id="II-E-2"></span>One week after the campaign period has ended, a government official is to post a message starting with "Election" and naming the position for vote in the #elections channel. 1. Any registered voter may cast or edit their vote for any candidate any time within 48 hours of the Election message. 1. <span id="II-E-2b"></span>Cast votes may rank candidates from the voter's most to least preferred and do not require all candidates to be ranked. When counted, the candidate with the least votes is eliminated, with the votes cast for them going to each ballot’s next preferred candidate, or if there is no other preferred candidate the ballot is removed from consideration. If there is a tie for lowest-voted candidate, whichever has the least next preference votes must be eliminated. This process of elimination and redistribution continues until a candidate has a majority of valid votes in favor, and this candidate is the winner of the election and takes office. 1. After the voting period has ended, a government official is to post a message starting with "Election Results" to the #citizen-announcements channel and naming the winner of the election as determined in [II.E.2b](#II-E-2b). 3. Registered voters have the right to recall any government official from office. Any registered voter may post a message starting with "Recall" in the #elections channel and naming the individual they wish to remove from office. 1. Any registered voter may cast or edit their vote any time within 48 hours of the Recall message. 1. After the 48 hour voting period, a government official must post a message starting with "Recall Result" is to be posted in #citizen-announcements and containing the result of the vote. If a 2/3rds majority of valid votes cast in favor are in support of recalling, the position is immediately vacated. 1. If an elected position is vacated either through recall or resignation, a new election must be held to fill the position for the rest of the original term. 4. There are three Judges, each elected to three month terms. The Mayor is elected to a two month term, staggered slightly to avoid coinciding with a Judge election. 5. No person may hold more than one government position at any time. If a person holds more than one position, they must resign from positions until they only hold one. <span id="III"></span> ## Article III. Government <span id="III-F"></span> ### Chapter F. Office of the Mayor 1. The Mayor acts as the chief representative of Augusta internally and externally. 1. The Mayor or their delegate(s) is responsible for negotiating treaties on behalf of Mount Augusta 1. The Mayor or their delegate(s) should pursue peaceful relations and solutions whenever possible, using militia action as the very last choice. 2. The Mayor or their delegate(s) organizes and maintains public spaces and resources on behalf of the people. Examples of this include, but are not limited to: 1. Voter Monument(s), 1. Citizen factories, 1. Transportation infrastructure, 1. Military infrastructure. 3. If the Court is tied in an appellate trial vote, the Mayor may cast a tie-breaking vote. 4. The Mayor may pardon one exiled player a week after a month of their citizenship removal. <span id="III-G"></span> ### Chapter G. The Council 1. The Mayor must appoint at least three citizens to Council positions, delegating any of their powers to them, or otherwise filling positions as required by law. 1. The Mayor cannot grant formal powers that are not already granted to the Mayor or granted to that position through law. 2. Council officials may be recalled through the regular recall process. 3. The following council positions are required by law to be filled by delegates 1. Housing and Trade Director 2. War and Law Enforcement Director 4. More required council positions may be added in the future if it is constitutionally amended. 5. If a mayor is recalled, his council will still serve till the end of their normal term. <span id="III-H"></span> ### Chapter H. The Housing and Trade Director 1. The housing and trade director is responsible for ensuring that there are no property or trade violations within Mount Augusta's borders or beyond depending on the circumstance. 2. To register private property, a citizen must go through the housing and trade director to ensure the property follows all housing guidelines. 3. If a citizens suspects that another citizen has residency or citizenship in another country, a claim may be filed with the housing director to investigate. 1. If the guilty party wishes to contest this decision, they may bring the matter to court. 2. If the matter is brought to court, the housing director reserves the right to maintain their decision until a judge proves otherwise. 4. The Housing and Trade Director is responsible for overseeing tax collection, and ensuring proper trade practices are abided by <span id="III-I"></span> ### Chapter I. War and Law Enforcement Director 1. The War and Law Enforcement Director job is to serve as a legal representative of the state, oversee law enforcement efforts, and the military. 2. Members of government reserve the right to refuse service from the War and Law Enforcement Director at any time before or during a trial and seek legal represenation from the private sector. 3. The War and Law Enforcement Director is responsible for pearling players. 1. Players not acting in immediate self defense of people or property must reach out to the War and Law Enforcement Director to pearl a player withing Mount Augusta's border 2. The War and Law Enforcement Director is to judge the appropriate response to dealing with a potential criminal, and will be held accountable for violating the rights of an arrested player. 3. Property siezed off of a player upon arrest must be verified and reported in the #law enforcement channel, and must be viewable to anyone with access to the discord server. 4. It is the legal responsibility to ensure the property of pearled players is properly stowed away, and transfered appropriatly upon a court order. 5. Items not accounted for upon the transfer of confiscated property will be marked as stolen on behalf of the War and Law Enforcement Director, as it is their responsibility to ensure the property is secure. 4. The War and Law Enforcement Director must enact the orders of the court without objection. 5. The War and Law Enforcement Director is responsible for forming and maintaining a military, and law enforcement group if deemed necessary at the time. 1. The War and Law Enforcement Director must abide by the executive orders of the presiding Mayor in matters of war. 2. If the Mayor or any other government official is found guilty of a crime in court, they are to be treated equally to how a normal player arrest would be treated 3. Tax payer money may be used to fund military or law enforcement efforts, funding of these initiatives must be posted in the #taxes channel but their purpose may remain confidential 4. The War and Law Enforcement Director may not declare war without the Mayor's approval <span id="III-J"></span> ### Chapter J. Autonomous Regions 1. "Autonomous regions may be created, modified, and dissolved through a regular bill as in [II.D](#II-D). When created, they must be given a defined border. 2. Autonomous regions may pass local laws through majority vote of local citizens, provided they do not conflict with national law. Examples include, but are not limited to: 1. Building codes and regulations, 1. Extra criminal offenses, 1. Election of a Mayor, 1. More restrictive local citizenship requirements. 3. Only local citizens who are registered to vote through the process described in [I.C](#I-C). may cast valid votes in local affairs. 1. A local citizen is, by default, any person who owns or rents property in the borders of the Autonomous Region who is not blocked from citizenship as allowed in [I.C.5](#I-C-5). Local citizenship can be made more restrictive through local law. 1. Local citizenships are on a region-by-region basis. A person can hold multiple local citizenships as long as not blocked by local law. <span id="IV"></span> ## Article IV. The Court <span id="IV-I"></span> ### Chapter I. Office of Judge and The Court 1. The Judges are to oversee legal trials, ensure procedure is followed, interpret and apply the laws, and preserve the rule of law in Augusta. 2. Judges must not preside over any non-appellate trial in which they have a vested interest in the outcome. 3. Judges are advised to interpret the law strictly as written, adhering to previous juristiction if possible. 4. The Court has final authority over all pearls held within the borders of Mount Augusta. No pearl may be held in Mount Augusta except as prescribed by law. 5. The Court may issue Court Orders to compel or prohibit a specific person or group from any actions as determined necessary for the enforcement of law. If the defendant deems any of the restrictions unreasonable, they may ask for a pardon on the restrictions from the presiding mayor. <span id="IV-J"></span> ### Chapter J. Trial Procedure 1. <span id="IV-J-1"></span>All basic trials will follow the procedure written below: 1. The plaintiff presents the claim. 1. The defendant enters the plea, which may be "guilty", "not guilty" or "no contest". 1. The plaintiff presents arguments and evidence, including calling witnesses. 1. The defendant addresses the plaintiff's argument and evidence including cross-examining witnesses, and presents its own argument and evidence, including calling witnesses. 1. The plaintiff addresses the defendant's argument and evidence including cross-examining witnesses, and presents its own argument and evidence, including calling witnesses. 1. Step d. and e. alternate, with the plaintiff and defendant taking turns respectively. This continues until either the plaintiff or defendant chooses to rest its case instead of presenting argument and evidence on its turn; the trial then moves to step g. 1. The plaintiff gives their closing statement. 1. The defendant gives their closing statement. 1. The court (or a delegated judge) deliberates and gives judgment, including guilty or innocent , and the penalties if applicable as "[Judgement]: ......" in the appropriate courtroom. 2. Trials over breach of contract follow the guideline in [IV.J.1](#IV-J-1) with the following changes: 1. If the Presiding Judge determines that the contract in question is coercive, unfair, illegitimate in origin or stipulation, and/or conflicts with established law, then the contract is considered to have never been applicable and the case ends with the respondent found not guilty regardless of plea. <span id="IV-K"></span> ### Chapter K. Appeals and Retrials 1. Appeals proceed as follows: 1. If any party to a finished case feels that the the sitting judge acted unlawfully or reached a verdict that is unjust or unlawful, they may appeal the trial to all current Judges organized as the Court. 1. The Court must choose whether or not to hear the appeal through majority vote of current Judges via 2/3rds approval 2. If the court rejects the approval, a claim may be sent to the mayor to gain approval or disproval through them. 3. If the appeal is accepted, the Court oversees the trial following the guidelines in [IV.J](#IV-J) except that all instances of ‘Presiding Judge’ are replaced with ‘Court.’ The Court's verdict is final and cannot be appealed. 4. All Judges of the Court preside over the trial together, determining guilt, sentencing, and/or reparations through majority vote within the Court. 5. If the appeal is not accepted, the previous verdict is upheld and the case cannot be appealed again. 2. If any party to a finished case feels that the opposing party had violated court procedure and this incident was not called out by the presiding judge, they may request a retrial from the Court via the same process. If the infraction's influence on the verdict is deemed insignificant by the council of judges, the appeal may be denied. <span id="IV-L"></span> ### Chapter L. Legal Rights, Limitations, and Extradition 1. Two or more parties may enter into fully voluntary, fair contracts which are protected by Mount Augustan law. 2. No claim may be brought to an issue over two months old. 3. No claim may be brought by somebody not party to the claim. 4. A pearl may be held without trial for a maximum of two weeks, at which point the pearled must either stand trial or be released. 5. A pearled player or player who is filing suit to prosecute the perled player may request the court extend this period if there is evidence crucial to the case yet to be collected. 6. A player must only be pearled if they are a flight risk, or as necessary for the enforcement of law. 7. A pearled player must be informed of the cause for their arrest and that they have the right to seak out legal representation shortly after arrest, and be sent a link to the current MTA constitution. 8. All parties to a trial are entitled to know the nature of the charges, applicable law, and any applicable legal precedent. 9. Within 2 days after the arrest, the court must hold a hearing to inform them of the charges brought against them, where the defendant may plead guilty or not guilty to each indivivual charge. 10. All parties to a trial are entitled to know how the trial is proceeding - when it starts, enters different phases, ends, and when the judgment is released. 11. A foreign entity may request to have a pearl extradited from Mount Augusta into their jurisdiction. This request must be put to vote as described in [II.D](#II-D). <span id="V"></span> ## Article V. Property and Trade <span id="V-M"></span> ### Chapter M. Definition and Registration 1. Ownership of property grants the owner(s) right to exclusive possession, use, and alteration of the property - including land, items, entities, reinforcements, and blocks. 2. A person or group may acquire property by developing previously undeveloped land, contract, sale, gift, or dereliction, and then registering it within the property-registration channel of the official Mount Augusta discord. 3. A citizen must mark one piece of developed property their primary residence. This property must be within Mount Augusta's borders and registered as the citizens primary place of residence. 4. A citizen must register property owned in foreign nations with the Mayor or their selected council member. 1. <span id="V-M-2a"></span>In the case of group ownership, each owner is considered to have an equal stake, with decisions on sale or destruction requiring the consent of a majority of owners. Rights of possession and exclusion are held by all owners. 1. Differing group ownership arrangements to those described in [V.M.2a](#V-M-2a) may be made by contractual agreement of all owners. This subsection shall not apply to government-owned property. 2. Property registered as a "Primary Property" may not be owned or resided in by more than two people. 3. Failure to register foreign property in other nations with the proper authorities will result in all player owned property being siezed by the government 3. The Government of Mount Augusta may own property on behalf of the people. This property is overseen by the Mayor or their council(s), with the Mayor and all Judges considered owners as described in [V.M.2a](#V-M-2a). The stake of each of the four owners of government property is equal, non-divisible, and non-transferrable. 1. When a new Mayor is elected, the former Mayor is to transfer ownership of all Government property namelayer groups to the new Mayor. 1. <span id="V-M-3b"></span>The Government, through the Mayor, may register and/or derelict land in order to bring it under Government ownership. 1. The Government, through the Mayor, may make use of client modifications for the purpose of obtaining a world download to coordinate development with a creative server and create renders of the territory of Mount Augusta as described in VI.P.1. 2. Private property siezed by the government and not purchased contractually must be made availible to the public to claim within a weeks time. 4. A person may not lose registered ownership over land except through dereliction, contract, sale, gift, executive order or court order in land dispute cases. <span id="V-N"></span> ### Chapter N. Dereliction 1. A person may derelict claimed land and gain ownership of it through the following process: 1. The person places a sign on or directly next to the land they intend to derelict, containing on the first line the word 'Dereliction,' on the second their username ingame and/or on Discord, and on the third the date they are placing the sign. 1. The person must post a message in #dereliction specifying the precise area of land they are derelicting and their username ingame. 1. The land owner must post a reply to the specific dereliction in #dereliction denying the request within seven days, or their property is forfeited to the person derelicting it. 1. A person may not make more than five dereliction attempts within the same week, defined as beginning on Monday and ending on Sunday, in the EST timezone. There must be a 24 hour waiting period between each request. 1. The Mayor may make an executive order to derelict a property during war times, where the mayor must seek unanimous council approval to do so instead of going through the normal dereliction process.[V.M.3.b](#V-M-3b). 2. A dereliction request may be immediatly denied upon a unanimous vote between the mayor and the council. 3. A dereliction request is automatically invalid in its entirety if it is made less than seven days after another dereliction by the same person on any of the same land. 4. A person who has had their dereliction request denied by the land owner may contest the denial by taking the mater to trial in accordance with Chapter J if they believe the denial to be frivolous or unreasonable. 1. If the land owner is found guilty, the dereliction in question is immediately approved and the land ownership is transferred to the plaintiff. 2. To prevent the land owner from stalling legal proceedings as a means to prevent the dereliction, the land owner has a maximum of 7 days to present their arguments from the beginning of the trial. 3. If the land owner is found not guilty, the plaintiff is prohibited from making another dereliction again for a minimum of 1 week and maximum of 4 weeks as determined by the court. <span id="V-O"></span> ### Chapter O. Trade 1. Residents of Mount Augusta are free to operate fair trade inside the borders of Mount Augusta 2. Non-Residents may not open shops or exhanges within Mount Augusta 3. Residents of Mount Augusta who are not citizens must register the property as a place of commerce and pay a land tax on private property used for trade that will be negotiated between the trader and the housing and trade director 1. Operating a trade or exchange facility within Mount Augusta's borders unregistered with the Housing and Trade director and or not paying the sufficient tax is a pearlable offense. 2. If the trader finds the land tax unreasonable, they may appeal to the mayor to re-negotiate a land tax. 4. Citizens are free to operate and maintain exchange or trading facilities within Mount Augusta without having to pay a land tax or register the building specifically as a place of commerce with the housing and trade director. 5. Privately owned trading facilities are not to be built on government property such as roads, courtrooms, or factories. <span id="V-P"></span> ### Chapter P. Tax Spending 1. Taxes collected via a land tax or any additional tax must be properly doccumented by the Housing and Trade Director 1. Documentation of tax money collected and tax money spent must be posted within the #taxes server on the discord, and records must be viewable by citizens at all times. 2. The balance of tax money must be verified by the mayor on a bi-weekly basis to ensure all funds are accounted for 2. Tax money may not be used to pay government officials, or fund their private affairs 1. Tax money may be used to pay government employee's if need be, such as soldiers or builders. 2. A government official is anyone elected by the citizens of Mount Augusta into a govenment position, or serves as part of the council. 3. Assets that are not commonly recognized as a form of currency (including, but not limited to: houses, building materials, tools and weapons and private property) siezed by the government from citizens of Mount Augusta may not be used as or sold for tax money. 4. Tax fraud is a pearlable offense, tax avoidance is not classified as tax fraud. <span id="VI"></span> ## Article VI. Miscellaneous Provisions <span id="VI-O"></span> ### Chapter O. Symbols of Augusta 1. The flag of Mount Augusta consists of a blue field charged with a red canton on the fly. 1. Emblazoned as "party per canton couched from dexter gules and azure." 2. The national colors of Mount Augusta are blue and red. 3. The national motto of Mount Augusta is "Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat," meaning "Fortune Favors the Brave." 4. All national symbols must be posted on both the r/MtAugusta subreddit and the discord. <span id="VI-P"></span> ### Chapter P. Territory and Borders 1. The domain and jurisdiction of Mount Augusta consists of ingame territory claimed by a regular bill as in [II.D](#II-D), the subreddit r/mtaugusta, and the Mount Augusta Discord (not to be confused with other active MTA iterations). 2. Within these borders, all laws and regulations of Mount Augusta apply above all else. <span id="VII"></span> ## Article VII. Launch Provisions <span id="VII-Q"></span> ### Chapter Q. Timing and Manner of First Elections 1. The first election process will begin when Mount Augusta has established land claims. 2. For the first election, all three Judges are elected at the same time, following the election process described in [II.E.1](#II-E-1) and [II.E.2](#II-E-2) except that the elimination and redistribution process described in [II.E.2b](#II-E-2b) is to stop when there are three candidates remaining. After the first three Judges are elected, the first election must begin as described in [II.E.1](#II-E-1) and [II.E.2](#II-E-2). These judges are to serve three months until another judge election is to take place. <span id="VII-R"></span> ### Chapter R. Ratification, Voter Registration, and the Provisional Mayor 1. When signed by a 3/5ths supermajority of preliminary citizens of Mount Augusta, this Constitution is formally adopted as the highest law of Mount Augusta. 2. When this Constitution is adopted, preliminary citizens who ratified this Constitution are granted full voter registration. 3. Until the first Mayor is elected, SpeedyJustice will act as Provisional Mayor with all the powers, rights, and responsibilities of the office of Mayor. The Provisional Mayor directs efforts to find a suitable location for Mount Augusta, oversees the formation of land claims, and organizes and runs the first elections as described in [VII.Q](#VII-Q).