Initial discussion

[Debate] threads have very little back and forth sparring overall and virtually zero back and forth between candidates - thus they are not really even debates. [...] Considering candidates are across time zones there is often simply not enough time for discussion to foster.

I decided to keep it simple. More encompassing changes can probably improve the election cycle by a greater amount, however this change in my eyes still marks an improvement. A 24->48 hour debate thread and a 48->24 hour campaign thread (Still 48 hours if after a sudden leadership change).

Additionally though it has no legal effect, I standardised all required post titles to title case e.g. "[BILL DISCUSSION]" -> "[Bill Discussion]", "[Election]" stays the same.

Is 48 hours too long?

1) If the debate thread in an election has little usage, waiting an additional 24 hours is not really a tedious detriment, considering the campaign and election threads are already 48 hours each. If 48 hours for all threads is too long in total (6.3% of a 3 mo term is not all that much imo) cutting the campaign and election threads to 24 hours each would have little or no negative repercussions : 24 hour campaign thread is more then enough time to submit a single candidacy comment and a 24 hour election cycle gives as much time to vote as in real life elections except real life voting cannot be done in a single comment. Therefore the only thing harmed by being short is the debate thread, which can have limitless comments. 2) Won't the thread just get buried? Other threads will overtake it on the front page however splitting the thread into two parts would in my view disrupt discussion too much. People will still be linked to the thread and anyone wishing to ask a question need only scroll down a bit more. Voting threads are 48 hours and thus buried by other posts yet people manage to find them with ease.

TL:DR The best case scenario that candidates are better able to respond to debate questions within their own time, and a better debate is had probably outweighs the worst case scenario that people do nothing for 24 hours.

Is 24 hours too short for campaign threads?

Maybe. If voting threads are 48 hours because not every checks r/MtAugusta daily should we not mirror this with campaign threads? If the consensus is yes I will remove this change, and I don't feel too strongly about it because an extra day in the election means little. However I feel campaign threads differ from voting threads in that candidates can generally be held to a higher standard of knowing when elections fall and checking the MtAugusta subreddit. (The campaign thread is still 48 hours if it is 'replacing a position that did not serve out its full natural term length')

• B. Conduct of Popular Vote, II

c. Campaign Thread - A thread must be posted on the subreddit with "[CAMPAIGN]""[Campaign]" in the title. The position's title must also be included in the thread title. Once this thread is posted, Candidates have 48 24 hours to submit their own candidacy and may campaign their policy in that thread. If the campaign thread is replacing a position that did not serve out its full natural term length, the time to submit candidacy is 48 hours. Should no candidates show up within those 48 24 / 48 hours, an additional 48 hours are given for campaigning. Candidacy is locked once the campaign thread is complete. All Candidates must be registered voters OR have been a registered voter at one point. All Candidates must be registered voters OR have been a registered voter at one point. All Candidates must be eligible to vote, as defined in Article I, Section A part iii. An exception to eligibility will be made if a candidate is eligible except for having recently received a criminal sentence that they could not possibly finish serving until after the END of this campaign thread. Candidates must have begun serving their sentence and must have begun within 24 hours after sentencing in order to take advantage of this exception.

d. Debate Thread - At the conclusion of the campaigning period, another thread shall be posted with "[DEBATE]""[Debate]" in the title. For 24 48 hours, candidates and citizens will have the opportunity to discuss issues and solutions.

Standardising thread titles (nitpick):

• B. Conduct of Popular Vote, i

The voting process shall take place on the official Mount Augusta subreddit. Each bill must be posted in two rounds. First in a post containing [BILL DISCUSSION] "[Bill Discussion]", which must remain open for at least 24 hours. Voting will not yet occur in this post. The bill must be clearly described in the body of the post. After at least 24 hours has passed, another reddit post must be made containing [BILL VOTE] "[Bill Vote]" in the title. The bill must again be clearly written in the body of the post, and may be a revised version of the original one. Voting shall be open for 48 hours.

b. Each voter shall present either a “yes” ("Aye") or “no” ("Nay") vote as a comment on the[BILL VOTE] [Bill Vote] post. Only eligible voters as outlined in Section I, Subsection A may vote.

• B. Conduct of Popular Vote, iii

a. All elected and appointed offices are subject to the approval of the citizenry, and are therefore open to immediate recall upon a passing recall vote on the official Mount Augusta subreddit. The title of each recall post must contain [RECALL] "[Recall]" along with the name and office of the person who is up for recall. The recall shall be open to voting for 48 hours.

• A. Borders of the State of Mount Augusta

ii. The borders of the State of Mount Augusta shall be outlined and defined by the office of the Mayor of Mount Augusta. Any proposal by the mayor to change the borders must be publicized on the subreddit in a post titled with [BORDER CHANGE] "[Border Change]" . The proposal may be contested by any eligible voter.

a. To contest the proposed border change, a post titled with [CONTEST] "[Contest]" must be made on /r/MtAugusta within 48 hours of the publication of the border proposal by the Mayor. This thread will be treated as a regular vote for a border change as outlined in iii.