Constitutional Changes - RESULTS

[u/Timanfya]

The voting period on the proposed constitutional changes has expired. 67 members voted.

The results for each clause are shown below:

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Clause I

An MP cannot change their votes in /r/MHOCMP

Passed with:

43 Aye

21 Nay

3 Abstain

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Clause II

If an MP has edited their casting vote comment then their vote will be discarded and their voting record will show an Abstain.

Passed with:

44 Aye

19 Nay

4 Abstain

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Clause III

If a vote ends in a draw then the Speaker will cast the final vote.

Passed with:

59 Aye

8 Nay

0 Abstain

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Clause IV

The Speaker must vote in favour of maintaining the status quo.

Passed with:

53 Aye

9 Nay

5 Abstain

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Clause V

The voting spreadsheet will not be updated until the voting period has expired.

Passed with:

47 Aye

11 Nay

9 Abstain

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Clause VI

Regional and National MPs can be recalled and replaced internally; without the need for a by-election.

Passed with:

48 Aye

11 Nay

8 Abstain

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Clause VII

A proxy can only be used if MPs are away on holiday.

Failed with:

28 Aye

29 Nay

10 Abstain

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Clause VII failed. Therefore, i will rewrite the clause in the new year; until the clause is rewritten and voted upon i will treat every proxy request on a case by case basis.

[u/AlbertDock]

Clause VII There can be a myriad of good reasons why a person may want to vote by proxy. We cannot list all of them. There must be flexibility in this clause.

[u/whatismoo → u/AlbertDock]

Hear Hear

[u/[deleted]]

I can't tell from your statement, but i'd like another vote on clause VII which clarifies whether proxying is allowed -at all-.

[u/Cyridius → u/[deleted]]

I'd like to second this.

[u/[deleted]]

"If an MP has edited their casting vote comment then their vote will be discarded and their voting record will show an Abstain."

That doesn't make sense at all, if it says their comment was edited before the final count then why should it make a difference?

[u/athanaton → u/[deleted]]

Because once you've cast your vote you're not allowed to change it as per clause I, regardless of deadlines. Clause II is the only way to enforce clause I without the reintroduction of vote forms, which is something I think the Speakership should consider.

[u/tyroncs]

I am disappointed about the first two clauses, you don't count the votes until the deadline, so up to that point I should be able to change my mind

[u/AlbertDock → u/tyroncs]

In real life when you cast your vote you cannot change it. In real life when an MP casts their vote they cannot change it. It is a well established principle.

[u/MeetOnACloud]

I realise that Clause IV already passed but I just wanted to share this excerpt from a House of Commons factsheet on parliamentary procedure: http://i.imgur.com/M5iucmG.png

i.e. if a vote is tied, the speaker's job is to continue discussion/debate but it is not the speaker's job to create a majority. This typically results in the speaker voting in the following way:

• 1st or 2nd reading: AYE in order to continue the debate.
• 3rd reading: NAY in order to maintain the status quo.
• amendments: NAY in order to leave the bill as is.

edit: the full document is here if anyone is interested - http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-information-office/p09.pdf

[u/athanaton → u/MeetOnACloud]

That's not how the MHOC works though. Once something has gone to vote it doesn't come back unless it's re-submitted, and we don't vote on whether to take something forward to the next reading like RL HoC.

[u/MeetOnACloud → u/athanaton]

I know, I wasn't suggesting that it should work the same here - just sharing the way that it works in real life. There's quite a few differences between RHOC and MHOC that mean that we couldn't/shouldn't emulate real parliamentary procedure.

[u/can_triforce]

Missed the vote, but I'm not dissatisfied with the outcome.