EquilismBoard

The Charter of the Equilism Township

We, the nations of Equilism, holding mutual respect and cooperation as guiding principles alongside individual freedom and sovereignty, hereby establish the Equilism Township and enshrine this Charter as our primary governing document in order to protect and promote our values and ideals. It is forever the intent of this document, and all documents issued from its authority, that governing in Equilism must be done according to our principles, and that our government exists to serve the people and the people’s interest above and before its own in all instances. We further declare that the contents of this Charter exist to guide us and enable effective governance, never to suppress innovation, and that only explicit prohibition will bar legislative action outside the parameters of the Charter.

Article 1: Citizenship and Rights

1. Any Equilism resident may apply for citizenship by publicly swearing the following oath:
"I, [Nation name], do solemnly affirm that I will uphold the Charter of the Town of Equilism, its laws and treaties, and I affirm that I will defend the security and build the prosperity of the region, all to the best of my best ability. I will treat all Equilism citizens with dignity and endeavour toward diplomacy and common understanding. I understand that the Town may revoke my citizenship in case of criminal proceedings and that I am free to resign my citizenship at any time.”

2. No individual may hold citizenship in Equilism on more than one nation. All citizens of Equilism have the right to participate fully in governing the region. This includes, but is not limited to, discussing and voting in Town Hall Meetings, voting in elections, and running for office. Citizens of Equilism who maintain citizenship in other regions or membership in organizations must meet any requirements for multiple citizenship established by law. All citizenship is voluntary, and may be renounced by a citizen at any time. The Town Moderator will remove citizenship from anyone who fails to post on the Equilism forum for thirty days. Citizenship can not be removed retroactively.
3. Lifetime Citizenship, or Citizen for Life status, may be granted to any citizen of good standing that has served the region with distinction in recognition of their service.
a. Citizen for Life Status may be granted by vote of the Town Hall or by grant of the Governor.
b. Lifetime Citizens will retain their citizenship regardless of activity levels or changes of government.
c. Citizens for Life recieving grants from prior Equilism governments are recognized as Lifetime Citizens of The Equilism Township.

Article 2: The Town Hall

1. Citizens of Equilism may legislate, enact treaties, elect officials, and otherwise govern the region via Town Hall Meetings.
2. In addition to this document, a set of Town Hall Rules may be established by law.
3. Discussion on a topic in the Town Hall must be open for a minimum of three days, in order to allow all citizens a chance to participate.
4. A majority vote is required to pass, amend, or repeal a law, enact a treaty, or elect an official. A two-thirds majority is required to amend this Charter or establish a Bill of Rights. A three-fourths majority is required to declare the start of war, a simple majority to end a war. Consensus may stand in for a formal vote at the discretion of the Town Moderator.
5. A vote is required to decide an election with more than one candidate.
6. If three citizens call for a formal vote on an issue, the Town Moderator is required to open one.
7. Votes will last a default of three days. Variations may be established by law.
8. In a formal vote, no citizens will be counted who fail to maintain citizenship for the entire duration of the vote.

Article 3: The Governor

1. The Governor is the ultimate defender of Equilism, responsible for ensuring the security of the region and exemplifying our ideals.
2. All NationStates-created authorities and powers of the Governor are accepted as fact. The Governor may change the WFE, eject or ban nations from the region, control whether executive powers are enabled in the delegacy, and otherwise use their powers for the good of the region.
3. A binding trust relationship exists between the Governor and the Township, and the Governor is responsible for maintaining this trust relationship at all times. The Governor is required to uphold the ideal of consensus when using their powers, and must respect the rights of Equilism citizens and residents to pursue government without fear of punishment. To preserve the trust between Equilism and the Governor, an explanation must be provided for all actions the Governor takes.
4. The Governor has three days to sign or veto any law, treaty, or official policy that is approved in a Town Hall Meeting. An item will automatically go into effect if it is not acted on by the Governor within that time.
5. The Governor may run for any elected office and may serve within the region without constraint.
6. The Governor must have at least one Co-Governor at all times to ensure the continuity and stability of the Governor nation.
7. The position of Governor is not subject to term limits or recall, and the Governor may appoint a new Governor at any time.
8. Appointees to the position of Governor or Co-Governor must be put to a majority Town Hall vote for confirmation.

Article 4: Elections

1. The Town will elect a Delegate, Moderator, and Mayor in rotating months for three-month terms. The Delegate will be elected in January, April, July, and October. The Moderator will be elected in February, May, August, and November. The Mayor will be elected in March, June, September, and December.
2. Any citizen who joined Equilism after the start of nominations is not eligible to stand for election.
3. If any elected official resigns, ceases to exist, or fails to maintain citizenship activity requirements before the end of their term, the Governor will either appoint a replacement, or hold a Special Election for the remainder of the term.
4. A candidate must receive majority support in order to win an election. If no candidate receives a majority , a run-off vote will be held between the top two candidates.
5. Elections begin on the first of the month. Citizens will have four days from the start of an election to declare their candidacy for a position. Voting will begin promptly afterward, and will last for three days. If a run-off vote is required, it will last for three days.
6. An Election Commissioner will ensure that the election opens and closes on time, that citizens are informed of the election, and that all votes are counted correctly and are from valid voters.
1. Eligible Election Commissioners include the Governor , Co-Governor(s), elected Officials and their appointed Deputies.
2. Citizens may not serve as Election Commissioner in an election in which they are a candidate.
3. Any Eligible Election Commissioner not restricted above may perform election duties.

7. Any Town Hall citizen may call for a Challenge Election for any elected position. A challenge vote requires two seconds to open a Challenge Election.

Article 5: Elected Officials

1. The Town Moderator will run Town Hall Meetings and administer any additional rules, including assessing consensus, opening and closing votes, updating the legislative record, and maintaining an updated list of citizens. The Town Moderator must strive to remain apolitical and run meetings evenhandedly and without bias.
2. The World Assembly Delegate will perform the duties of the in-game position, including voting in the WA, being the point of contact with newcomers to convince them to stay in Equilism and get involved, giving a good impression of the region to outsiders, promoting RMB involvement, and encouraging widespread WA membership.
3. The Mayor will serve as Chief Executive and holds executive authority where such is required. The Mayor may negotiate treaties with other regions for ratification by the Town, represent the region abroad, and exert broad oversight over domestic and foreign policy issues and priorities.

Article 6: Voluntary Officials

1. In addition to the required positions laid out above, additional roles may be created and filled via election at will.
2. Any citizen may declare their intent to run for an office, and may create a title and description for that office if it does not already exist.
3. Elected officials may create new positions to help them with their responsibilities, including deputies, ministers, officers, aides, and other similar roles.
4. The Delegate may create Regional Officer positions for citizens to seek election to, and they may grant Regiona Officer powers to existing officials at their discretion. 5. Citizens may also independently run for Regional Officer roles. However, the Governor retains the ultimate say as to which powers are appropriate to give out, and may revoke or grant powers as necessary.
5. Where no other regulations exist, procedures for voluntary elections will follow those laid out in this document.

Article 7: Judicial Process

1. Any citizen may bring a criminal complaint against another citizen to the Town Hall.
2. When a criminal complaint is brought, the town must elect two citizens to serve as judges alongside the Town Moderator. Where no other regulations exist, procedures for judicial elections will follow those laid out in this document.
3. No citizen with a conflict of interest may serve as a judge for that complaint. Someone has a conflict of interest if they are or are perceived to be unable to rule fairly on a complaint due to personal history, known biases, or other similar factors.The accused and accuser in any complaint always have a conflict of interest in that matter.
4. If a conflict of interest involves the Town Moderator, the election for judges will increase to 3 seats as the Town Moderator will not be allowed to serve. The Mayor will designate the presiding judge in this case.
5. The elected judges will serve for the duration of the specific complaint, and will be disbanded after it concludes.
6. The complainant may prosecute at their discretion or appoint another citizen to act as the prosecutor. They may also request that a prosecutor be appointed by the Mayor. If the Mayor is the defendant, the authority shall devolve to the Delegate, and finally the Governor.
7. The judges will decide by majority vote whether to permit the complaint to go to trial, what the verdict is, and what the punishment shall be.
8. The Town Moderator shall serve as the presiding judge in a trial unless a conflict of interest arises. The presiding judge will administer court procedures, post on behalf of the judges, and otherwise manage the trial. Court procedures may be established by law. The court's decision in these matters may be appealed to the Governor, who will have the final say.
9. Trials must be conducted in view of all citizens in order to ensure accountability, transparency, and honesty on the part of the court. Only the Governor may authorize exceptions to this, and exceptions must be based on concrete regional security concerns. Private and classified information may be redacted from public view and available only to members of the Court.
10. Violating this Charter, breaking other laws, or trampling on the rights of citizens or residents of Equilism are grounds for criminal charges. Additional criminal acts may be established by law.

Ratified by the Commonwealth of Equilism Senate
11 March 2016

Ratification certified as replacing the Constitution of the Equilism Commonwealth by the Interim government

Signed this 15 day of March, 2016
Westwind
Imperator of the Interim Government of Equilism, Emeritus Rex and Father of Equilism, Co-Governor

Amendments included: Judicial Process Amendment to the Charter (2017), Charter Amendment on Lifetime Citizens (2018), Charter Amendment on Elections (2018), The Founder/Governor Amendment Act of 2023.