View source for Elections in the United Commonwealth

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{{Politics of the United Commonwealth}}
'''Elections in the [[United Commonwealth|United Commonwealth of Continentalist States]]''' are based on a hierarchical electoral system, whereby people {{W|Direct election|directly elect}} representatives to the [[National People's Congress]] (the nation's supreme legislature), [[Administrative divisions of the United Commonwealth|republic-level]] regional subdivisions, and to local offices. Higher positions within the national and regional governments are {{W|indirect election|indirectly elected}} by those of the level immediately below. All citizens of the United Commonwealth are automatically registered to vote, and {{W|universal suffrage}} and the right to a free and {{W|secret ballot|secret}} ballot are constitutionally enshrined. The country takes additional measures to ensure elections appear as fair as possible, such as banning or heavily regulating campaigning, lobbying, or endorsements. It has a strong emphasis on local autonomy, participation, and representation, e.g. the country's government bodies are routinely about 50% female. 

The United Commonwealth is considered a {{w|one-party state}}, with the [[Continentalist Party of the United Commonwealth]] acting as the leading party within government and constitutionally enshrined as the “leading force of society and of the state”. However, a number of [[List of political parties in the United Commonwealth|subordinant minor parties]] and independent candidates are represented in elections, which collectively form a [[National Front (United Commonwealth)|National Front]]. Officially the Continentalist Party serves as the {{W|vanguardism|vanguard}} of the people, or a group of the most politically aware members capable of governance, and likewise it is argued that the dominance of the Party is an important aspect of preserving national unity and preventing the perpetuation of {{W|class struggle}}. For this reason the United Commonwealth has been criticized as undemocratic or less so than its counterparts.

==Procedure==

[[File:UC_Government_Chart2.png|thumb|400px|Overview of the electoral system in the United Commonwealth.]]

Prior to the adoption of the [[Constitution of the United Commonwealth|1982 Constitution]], the procedure for elections varied over the course of the United Commonwealth's history. Its current constitution was the result of a mass advisory campaign, which involved collecting data and suggestions from millions of Continental citizens, which were then debated, directly voted upon, and finally approved in 1982. 

Elections in the United Commonwealth adhere to the principles of {{W|socialist democracy}} as espoused in the [[Ideology of the Continentalist Party of the United Commonwealth|official Continentalist stance on democracy]]. The Continentalist Party rejects the principles of bourgeois democracy, contending that such a system does not ensure fairness as it does not normalize economic equality, in the sense of preventing the ruling class from exerting undue influence that may sabotage the organization of the working class. Additionally, the United Commonwealth places a high degree of emphasis on the local level. The Continentalist Party contrasts itself with that of [[Sierra]] and other contemporaries; instead of motivating the population to vote solely in a national election and deemphasizing local politics, the United Commonwealth seeks to deprioritize the role of the national government by delegating as much as possible to local assemblies, and rallying support for local participation. For this reason, the United Commonwealth is sometimes criticized for not allowing elections that would directly threaten the national status quo, but conversely praised for its strong electoral tradition on the local level. 

All citizens of the United Commonwealth above the age of 18 are automatically registered to vote; additional provisions exist granting the right to vote to those who are as young as 16 in the case of certain exceptions, such as active military or civil service, or being employed prior to turning 18. Military provisions are seldom notable in the modern day due to the low number of military recruits below the age of 18. Any candidate running for a non-local position is required to be over the age of 18. It is constitutionally enshrined that suffrage cannot be denied or impeded on the grounds of race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, or age for citizens over 18 years of age. While historically voting rights could be taken away, such as in the case of convicted criminals, this practice has been done away with nation-wide. Votes are held in various ways, with some provisions being voted on directly in the form of propositions, while candidates are elected via a form of {{W|ranked voting|ranked choice voting}}. On the non-national level, it is required that more than one candidate run in each election. Regardless, each candidate is required to receive at least 50% of the vote after tabulation. Voters are also allowed to spoil their ballot or offer write-in candidates, and in theory if no candidate receives at least 50% approval the election is rejected and new candidates must be nominated. Candidates on every level are required to meet with their constituents, and may be recalled by any time by popular vote. 

<blockquote>
"No one here has gone to an election and been presented a ballot paper and told, 'these are the Party members for whom you have to vote,' nor is anyone nominated for being a Party member. This element can perhaps be invoked as a reflection of leadership, fitting conduct, good performance, or a vocation for public service, but not because the condition of Party member is established as a requirement to enter public office in our laws." — Dr. [[Daniel James Jr.]] 
</blockquote>

Although initially less popular and often used only by active servicemembers or the elderly, in recent decades absentee mail-in ballots have also become popular, with some local elections in 2022 being done 60% by mail. Absentee ballots are sent by mail and may be returned by mail, or may be dropped off at a voting location or locked drop-off box prior to an election. In 2015, a national law decreed that voting must be allowed at least a week before the formal election day, although many local polities extend this deadline (up to 45 days in the case of [[Georgia]]), and all votes must be counted. In parts of the country it is also common to request the ballot box be brought to you. Usually done for those too sick to travel to the ballot box, a ballot box is ceremoniously brought to those who request it by members of the [[Continental Revolutionary Guard]]. 

==Levels of election==

===Local elections===

On the local level, citizens participate in two bodies: [[Mass organizations in the United Commonwealth|Mass Organizations]] and municipal assemblies. 

Mass organizations include neighborhood organizations, workplace councils, trade unions, guilds, and other various federations often associated with a trade or point of advocacy. Notable mass organizations include the [[Federation of Continental Women]], [[University Students Federation]], and [[Musician's Guild]]. Some mass organizations, such as Continental Women, are associated with the Continentalist Party directly, while others serve as completely independent organizations. In the workplace, most companies are associated with one of several trade union federations, such as the Continentalist-aligned {{W|Industrial Workers of the World}}. Otherwise, most workplaces are organized into a cooperative structure, with businesses electing a representative amongst themselves to represent the business in local councils. For the purpose of electoral organization, the nationally-recognized {{W|Indian reservations}} are also treated as a mass organization, with individual tribes granted the autonomy to create their own government structures and procedures within their territory. 

Additionally, within the country there are over 150,000 local electoral units, which may be as large as an entire town or as small as a single apartment building, which are overseen by [[Precinct Defense Committees]]. Independent citizens are not required to participate in these committees, although each person (whether citizen, Continental national, or otherwise) is entitled to access to the committee of their residence and/or place of work. Precinct Defense Committees must meet a minimum of every three months, and are tasked with organizing volunteer work, town activities and programs, community outreach, and overseeing local elections. An individual citizen therefore may personally choose to be a member of a precinct defense committee, a trade union, and a federation, and may directly vote for representatives or provisions within each according to their individual regulations. Most mass organizations operate under a principle of direct democracy, with members directly voting their leadership, and may hold votes at their own discretion. In total approximately 88% of Continental citizens participate in a Precinct Defense Committee or other mass organization. 

The second local polity is the municipal assembly, which politically represents entire pre-determined counties, towns, and municipalities that are of a [[Administrative divisions of the United Commonwealth|Township-level size]]. Elections for municipalities are held at minimum once every two years. It is not a requirement to be a member of any party to vote or be elected for any position, and political parties are prohibited from proposing, supporting, or nominating any candidates, and from providing funding to any candidate. Instead, candidates are required to be directly nominated by their local communities at a townhall meeting. By law at least 2 candidates must run, although on average, 5-8 candidates are often nominated within municipalities. Candidates may write a platform, and these written responses are required to be displayed equally on public announcement boards around the municipality. Other than these public statements and those provided by the community, candidates are prohibited from creating advertisements, and are also prohibited from most acts of campaigning. Candidates are prohibited from financing their campaigns beyond a set amount, and are prohibited from lobbying, accepting donations, or any financial compensation, except in a rare circumstance where the municipality elects to compensate all candidates equally for an unexpected, burdensome expense. With campaigning prohibited, candidates are instead encouraged to participate in a number of sanctioned townhall meetings, debates, and discussions, which are televised locally, in which community members may ask questions of their candidates. 

Election day itself is a national holiday in which leave from work to vote must be granted, and members of the municipality vote on candidates via secret ballot. By law an appropriate number of voting stations must be present in any municipality, and acts of intimidation, campaigning, or other efforts to effect the vote are prohibited and monitored. By tradition, children members of the [[Youth Mountaineers]] ceremonially "guard" the ballot boxes, which motivates participation and supervision by the community. On election day, votes begin being counted publicly by volunteers, and any citizen may request to watch. Each election, the national government is also required to conduct random audits of polling stations around the country to ensure proper procedure. 

Those elected to the municipal assemblies do not receive a salary, but do have any expenses as part of their office reimbursed, as representatives are expected to continue working their day job. In addition to passing laws for their local polities, representatives are required to carry out inspects of public projects, utilities, and businesses, take part in local events, and attend regular townhall meetings where they hear out complains from locals, and can be recalled by community vote at any time. 

===Regional elections===

In addition to directly electing municipal representatives, citizens of the United Commonwealth also directly elect senators to regional assemblies. These governments represent state-level subdivisions and autonomous regions, and can make laws pertaining to these individual regions. State assemblies vote amongst themselves to select representatives to represent their states to their overarching regional republic (e.g. [[Michigan]] is a subdivision of the [[American Continental Republic]]), in what is known as the Congresses of the Republics. These assemblies serve as the highest legislative power aside from the [[National People's Congress]] and governs regional groupings of states. Each Congress also elects three bodies. The first is the regional Central Committee of the Republic, which serves as the legislative body for the republic when the Congress is not in session. Each committee is headed by a chairperson, effectively mirroring the national [[President of the United Commonwealth|president]] but on the republic-level. The second body elected is a Council of People's Commissars of Council of Ministers, which is headed by a premier and usually consists of 12 to 25 members, acting as the republic's executive government. Third, the Congress elects judges to the High Court of the Republic. 

===National elections===

After municipal and regional elections have taken place, and at least once every four years, an election to the [[National People's Congress]] takes place. The Congress is subdivided into two branches: the [[Senate of the Union]] and the [[House of Representatives of the Republics]]. For the Senate, 50% of its members must come from those elected by municipal assemblies, while the remaining 50% must come from mass organizations, and for the House, 50% of its members must come from municipal assemblies, and 50% must come from the Congresses of the Republics. This means that every election citizens of the United Commonwealth directly vote for at least two candidates – local and regional – and then indirectly elect national representatives via these bodies. Assemblies are not required to, but almost always vote for candidates from amongst their own ranks. While the majority of candidates to the National People's Congress are therefore not directly elected, up to 25% may be directly elected through the mass organizations, in the case of members of an organization deciding amongst themselves to directly elect a national representative. The Senate of the Union consists of approximately one deputy for every 200,000 people, while the House is population based but includes representatives for each state, autonomous region, or district as discreet units. 

The National People's Congress serves as the highest legislative body in the country, and is responsible for electing the state bodies that govern the country on a day-to-day basis. The legislative branch is represented by the [[Presidium of the National People's Congress]], whose chairperson is also known as the [[President of the United Commonwealth|President]], which acts as a standing committee for the Congress. The executive branch consists of the [[Council of People's Commissars]], which forms a [[List of governments of the United Commonwealth|government]] of ministers representing each department of the national government, and whose chairperson is known as the [[Premier of the United Commonwealth|Premier]]. The judicial branch is represented by the [[Supreme Court of the United Commonwealth]]. Each of these branches, especially the Council of People's Commissars delegates to the regional assemblies of the same function below them, i.e. the Council of People's Commissars gives orders to the Council of Ministers of the Republics. 

==Role of political parties==

{{Main|Continentalist Party of the United Commonwealth|List of political parties in the United Commonwealth}}

Officially, the United Commonwealth is a [[Ideology of the Continentalist Party of the United Commonwealth#Marxism–Landonism|Marxist–Landonist]] {{W|One-party state|one-party}} {{W|socialist state|socialist}} {{W|republic}} under the leadership of the [[Continentalist Party of the United Commonwealth]], and as a result the Party wields a high degree of influence over elections ''de facto''. Several [[List of political parties in the United Commonwealth|minor parties]] exist, but they are largely subservient to Continentalist leadership. Officially, no political party may influence any election through financing, endorsing, nominating, or supporting a candidate, but in practice candidates often need the tacit approval of the Continentalist Party in major elections. The Continental government counters that free discussion and debate is allowed within the National People's Congress and within the party, and although elections often feature only Continentalist Party candidates, there is usually multiple candidates on the ballot representing differing viewpoints within the party. In this sense, elections tolerate a plurality of candidates as long as there is no credible threat to the stability of the socialist state or the dominance of the party, in what has been described as {{W|defensive democracy}}. It is also alleged that corruption within the Continental system often leads to candidates within the hierarchal pyramid being selected in the opposite direction—the Party leadership preselecting who should rise through the ranks on the regional level. Historically, two-thirds of representatives to the National People's Congress were required to be Party members. 

While candidates do not need be a member of any party, candidates usually seek membership in the Continentalist Party. Approximately 17% of the population of the United Commonwealth are members. Prospective members are required to be nominated by their local community or workplace and voted in by their local branch, where they must serve as a candidate member for over a year, at which point they are promoted to a full member. These prospective members are also examined for personal merit, patriotism, ethical values, and revolutionary history. 

==Evaluation of fairness==

According to the ''[[Democracy Index]]'', compiled by the [[United Kingdom]]-based {{W|Economist Group}}, the United Commonwealth is classified as a partially authoritarian, hybrid regime, mostly due to the country's status as a one-party state and the influence the Continentalist Party de facto wields over elections. The Continentalist Party rejects these findings, claiming its system is more democratic than non-socialist countries. Members of the [[Continental democracy movement]], the [[Democracy Party of the United Commonwealth]], and foreign observers characterize the United Commonwealth as undemocratic. The United Commonwealth has published information claiming that the country adheres to the principles of the {{W|free and fair election}} as outlined by political scientist {{W|Robert Dahl}} as follows:

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center; font-size:100%;" width="100%"
|-
!Criteria
!Explanation
!Continental response
|-
|'''Legal framework'''
|There exists a constitutional right of citizens to vote and seek office; elections held at regular intervals; election-related laws not changed immediately before election
|Universal suffrage is constitutionally enshrined, and any citizen over the age of 18 may run as a candidate in a national election, regardless of party affiliation. However, in practice Continentalist influence in nominations has been criticized. Elections are held a minimum of every four years, although special elections may be called. Amending the election process requires the consent of two-thirds of the National People's Congress, and as per the 1982 constitution electoral changes may not go into effect for elections less than six months away.
|-
|'''Electoral management'''
|{{W|Gerrymandering}} is prevented; election management bodies, where present, are impartial and accountable
|Districts are based on objective and mathematical regulations to prevent gerrymandering. The [[National Electoral Commission]] (NEC) exists to oversee elections and randomly audits a number of polling stations each election. While not explicitly backed by the Continentalist Party, and officially consisting of independent members, the fact that the NEC is often staffed by or supportive of members of the Party has been criticized. 
|-
|'''Electoral rights'''
|Citizens are generally able to vote on the basis of equal suffrage and have fair access
|Universal suffrage is constitutionally enshrined, and suffrage cannot be denied or impeded on the grounds of race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, or age for citizens over 18 years of age. Additionally, the country offers extensive absentee voting options to ensure a high degree of access to the ballot box. 
|-
|'''Voter registers'''
|Accurate, current, and open registers exist, allowing easy and effective voter registration
|All citizens of the United Commonwealth are by law registered to vote, and no additional paperwork must be completed to remain an actively registered voter. 
|-
|'''Ballot access'''
|Candidates have the right to compete in elections, with rejections of candidates being based on "internationally recognizable and acceptable norms", and with no candidate receiving more than 75% of the vote (a signal of malpractice or election boycotts)
|In theory candidates compete openly in elections, however, in practice the Continentalist Party often wields considerable influence in determining who the final candidates will be. Numerous checks on candidates by the Continental government are not considered acceptable norms, although the Continental government decries that they are not held to a fair standard by the international community. On the national level it is not uncommon for candidates to receive more than 75% of the vote, which is believed to be because the Continentalist Party often predetermines who will serve in the highest state organs. 
|-
|'''Campaign process'''
|Elections are carried out without violence, intimidation, bribery, or use of government resources or money to advantage the incumbent
|Election violence and intimidation is officially outlawed and monitored for, although the government has been accused of coercing citizens to support the dominant party. Bribery, or the use of money in campaigning in general, is strictly forbidden.
|-
|'''Media access'''
|Freedom of speech is protected, and the ruling party are not disproportionally benefited by government-owned media
|Freedom of speech is constitutionally enshrined in the United Commonwealth. All candidates are allowed equal access to display in media, and additional advertising is banned. However, upper level candidates have been accused of benefiting from official government appearances on state television. 
|-
|'''Voting process'''
|Voting is conducted by secret ballot on a one person, one vote basis, with adequate security to protect voters and prevent manipulation
|Equal, secret voting is constitutionally enshrined. Ballot boxes are guarded by members of the community.
|-
|'''Role of officials'''
|Elections are administered with adequately trained personnel, free from campaigning or intimidation at polling stations, and with the ability of international election observers and party representatives to observe the process
|The election process is conducted and monitored by trained members of the community, and campaigning for any candidate is prohibited in the vicinity of a polling station. 
|-
|'''Counting of votes'''
|Votes are tabulated transparently and free from fraud or tampering
|Members of the community count their votes in a public setting, and by request anyone may watch the public counting of the vote.
|}

==See also==

*[[Politics of the United Commonwealth]]

{{Continental elections}}
{{United Commonwealth politics}}
{{United Commonwealth topics}}
{{North America topic|Elections in}}
[[Category:Elections in the United Commonwealth]]
[[Category:Elections by country|United Commonwealth]]
[[Category:Voting in the United Commonwealth]]