So yay! A tutorial to being a Viceroy.
As with my other two guides, please keep in mind that this doesn’t constitute formal procedure, but rather to help give you an idea on how to do things.
And as always, future Viceroys, please update this. Thanks!
Onwards!
—————————————
Representing the Conclave
As a Viceroy, representing the Conclave is not much of a difficult task, but it is a pretty important one.
Your conduct must always be calm and fair in the public sphere, both inside and outside TEP. Don’t be judgmental in any matters, and make sure you know your law so that you can answer most questions that may come your way.
For verdicts, you’ll have to sign the verdict. Just make up a name to put at the bottom of the verdict. (For example, my NS name is “Zukchiva Yura”.) It just makes things more official, really.
The Magisterium may sometimes notify the Conclave when a Concordat amendment has been passed. Make sure to reply in a prompt manner, or they’ll think you’re inactive. If you can’t reply, ask your Designee to do so. If they can’t, ask one of the two Arbiters. It’s important to be reactive to these kinds of things.
—————————————
Managing SOC Procedures
There’s various procedures set out in the Standing Orders of the Conclave. As a Viceroy, you’ll be the one tasked to make sure they occur, and in that stance, make sure the Conclave functions. Here’s my opinion/guide to some of the larger things you’ll have to do.
Advisory Questions
When an advisory question is posted, you’ll be expected to post an opinion. Mayhaps not the first, but as the Viceroy you should try and post whenever a question is asked.
In addition, you should be the one to consider drafting an informal verdict for the question. If other Arbiters take the initiative, that’s awesome! But if not, you should at least consider if it should be done. There’s no real set guides nor methods to decide when an informal verdict is warranted, that will be left up to you, Viceroy. 
The verdict needs to pass a vote in Closed Chambers before being posted, and it will not constitute precedent.
Judicial Review
When an authorized person requests a Review (or the Conclave votes to elevate an Advisory Question to a Review), you need to open up a private thread in Closed Chambers for the Review, as well as create a new public thread for the Review (ONLY IF no thread was created for the question). You’ll have to draft a verdict in Closed Chambers, but you can ask the public for help in finding relevant legislation and precedent. Arbiters may assist in drafting, put you must post the initial debate thread as per the SOC.
The verdict must pass a vote. If it fails, the Conclave needs to keep voting and drafting until the verdict passes.
You must schedule an end-date for the Review in both the public and private threads. If the Conclave cannot come to a consensus, an extension may be required.
It’s also important to note that a Judicial Review is to review the constitutionality of law. So any question that does not deal with such a matter shouldn’t be in a Judicial Review.
Two tips for verdict drafting for an Advisory Question and Judicial Review:
-
Avoid legalese. Law in real life has distinct meanings for each term because words are subject to interpretation. But the law system of TEP is not used to nearly the same strain nor impact as in real life law systems, so we can afford interpretations. This doesn’t mean to not be clear in what you say, but rather to say what you say in layman terms or close as possible.
-
Seek the legal questions. At the heart of every legal matter, there are questions that need to be answered. If you think of what legal implications arise from a topic, you can usually find the questions that stick along with it. Answering questions may make drafting a verdict more difficult, but they make it much easier to deal with things like precedent in the future. 
—————————————
Instating Administrative Rules
Administrative Rules are basically rules instated by the Conclave to refine its procedures. They’re drafted and voted on in Closed Chambers, similar to a verdict in that regard.
Once a new Rule is instated, make sure to:
-
Put it in a spoiler in the Current SOC for ease of reference.
-
Create a new thread in the Law Library containing the new Rule. This thread will also contain future amendments.
-
Post the new rule to the administrative rules thread, so a seperate collection of the rules are here. Make sure to link to the thread created in step 2.
-
Finally, put the new Administrative rule in the Law Index, with its fellow rules in the same format.
-
If the rule institutes a new Conclave organization/group or somehow deals with the office of the Viceroy, post it in the Viceroy Memoranda.
This is a bit convoluted, but it’s purpose is to make the Rules accessible to everyone and everywhere.
For amendments, make sure to update everywhere where an Administrative Rule was created. However, in the thread made for the Rule in Step 2, make sure to include the Rule’s previous version for research purposes! Everywhere else, replace the old form of the rules with the current form. 
—————————————
What’s the Memoranda and Dealing With It
The Memoranda is basically the Viceroy’s collection of orders. Think of it as sort of your go to place for stating what procedures you’ve set yourself to follow.
Note that the Memorandum on Elections is limited by law. All regulations dealing with elections needs to go through the Magisterium, so DO NOT change the Memorandum of Elections without Magisterium approval. The only exception for this is how the East Pacific Electoral Commission functions (that can be changed without Magisterium approval).
—————————————
Trial Procedures
Trial procedures are fun! As the Viceroy, luckily your work load is potentially lessened (if you do not become the Presiding Arbiter of a trial).
First, once charges have been filed, be sure to establish communication with both parties (defense and plaintiff/prosecution). Then, create a public pre-trial thread (in the Conclave forum) where people can ask questions about the trial. Make sure to set a date for when the pre-trial verdict must be posted and a start and end date for trial. (Known as trial scheduling, make sure times are reasonable for both parties as well as the Presiding Arbiter; work with the PA for trial scheduling.)
Open a pre-trial thread in Closed Chambers, where you can review evidence with your fellow Arbiters and come up with a verdict. Remember, a pre-trial is on the merit of trial, or in other words whether the evidence being given actually shows instances of breaking regional law. Not necessarily that someone is guilty of a charge or not, but whether a charge or charges actually merit a trial.
Also make sure to appoint a Presiding Arbiter. There’s no set way to do this, but in my opinion I think it would be best and quicker to simply appoint any willing Arbiter, and initiate a vote if an objection is raised. While you may be a good Presiding Arbiter, given the duties of your job, it will be best to ensure that other Arbiters gain experience as well. After all, you may be leaving the Conclave in two months, and the newer Arbiters may leave in two years.
Afterwards, everything is left up to the Presiding Arbiter’s hands. If the PA asks for a schedule change, make sure to work with them to set it straight. A trial should be fair for everyone, and a party shouldn’t be excluded simply because they have an emergency or real-life event and can’t make it.
After a trial’s conclusion with a verdict and being locked, move the trial thread into the Law Library, and input its information into the proper spoiler in the Law Index. Request forum administration to enact banishment, if the trial sentence used that as a punishment. Remember, a trial where the defendant does not declare their prescence DOES NOT form precedent.
—————————————
Appeals Trail (make sure to check SOC to see if guide is up to date)
An Appeal Trial is a special trial, which aims to allow anyone who took part in a previous trial to change the original verdict. One thing special about it is that you, the Viceroy, will serve as Presiding Arbiter. However, if you were the PA of the original trial, then it will be left up to the Viceroy-Designee to be the PA for this trial.
Request for Appeal
A request for appeal may be submitted by any Arbiter, the Delegate, or any parties who were part of the trial. The request must give the following information: a) the name of the Presiding Arbiter during the trial, b) the name of the Parties who were in the trial, c) the verdict (have them quote it), and d) the reason(s) for appeal.
The Hearing
The hearing is the equivalent of the pre-trial for a normal trial. However, a trial schedule will not be developed yet, nor will a public thread be created.
During this hearing in which the Conclave decides if it wants to approve the appeal, the Presiding Arbiter of the original trial shall be unable to vote.
As mentioned earlier, for the hearing, the Viceroy will serve as Presiding Arbiter. Should the appeal be approved, the Viceroy shall schedule the start of a full trial. This trial shall be a re-trial, with both parties being mandated to attend in order to resettle the matter.
A list of accepted reasons for appeal:
-
New substantively compelling evidence
-
Breach of protocol
-
Mistrial (including bias, prejudice, etc.)
-
Delegate request for appeal
-
Arbiter endorsement of appeal application
The Trial
Trial procedures will generally follow procedures for criminal and civil trials. However, there are a few differences:
-
If the applying party (the people who submitted the request) fail to appear, the trial will end. However, if the non-applying party fails to appear, their arguments during the first trial will be used in their stead.
-
The trial may be locked by Conclave vote or Viceroy discretion, at which point debate on the verdict will begin in Closed Chambers. Verdict drafting processes will follow that of a Judicial Review: Arbiters will repeatedly vote on a draft until a majority is achieved.
-
The Viceroy will present the verdict, and the case will close.
—————————————
[PUBLISHER’S NOTE: THE INFORMATION OF THIS SECTION IS OUTDATED SINCE EAST MALAYSIA’S CONCORDAT AMENDMENT AND ZUKCHIVA’S OWN SUBSEQUENT VOTER REGISTRATION ACT]
Delegate Elections
So now we get to one of the most important parts of the Viceroy’s job: running Delegate elections.
Make sure that you are following ALL election law as passed by the Magisterium. If you want to change something in election procedure or regulation (minus Commission functioning), present the change to the Magisterium for a vote. Otherwise, the change is illegal (there are some exceptions to this rule, like changes to the EPEC. Read the law to know more.) Currently, the only election legislation law the East Pacific has is the Delegate Elections Act, so make sure to read it.
So we will go through this piece by piece, so that you understand election procedure.
What is the East Pacific Election Commission?
The EPEC is the body responsible for hosting Delegate Elections and Citizen Referendums. The Memorandum for it can be found here. If you want to change its functions, make sure to amend this Memoranda. If the EPEC has no one but you on it, then you are, essentially, the EPEC.
The EPEC will be the one who deals with election and referendum complaints, validate votes, gather results, and etc. In otherwords, they assist the Viceroy in his/her job.
Preparing: Citizenship audit
It may be necessary for a citizenship audit to occur. If you need an audit, talk with the Grand Vizier.
Make sure the Vizier’s roll of citizens is updated, and then go through the roll. If any citizen’s nation has left TEP or has CTE’d, mark them for masking removal. Eventually, you should have a comprehensive list of invalid citizens! ^-^
When you’re done, go to forum administration and ask them to demask those citizens. Try to get this done BEFORE nominations start, otherwise invalid citizens may revive their nations and argue that they are still citizens.
Nominations
Delegate Nominations shall be held exactly two weeks before the ending of the current Delegate’s term (to find the end of the current term, look at when the results were posted for the last election). You need to create a thread in the Delegate Election subforum for the nominations. Use this code below (make sure to fill in all the brackets):
[spoiler]
**Welcome to Delegate Election season!**
*Please familiarize yourself with The East Pacific, and the candidates in this race.*
As Viceroy of the East Pacific, it is my duty to open this election. Thereby, as of right now, nominations are now OPEN. Any citizen may nominate any citizen. Nominations must be made in this thread only! Please be advised of the following circumstances:
(1) Self-nominations ARE allowed, but they must be seconded by another citizen. Once that happens, the nominee may open up their campaign thread.
(2) If someone is nominated by another citizen, they may accept, decline, or ignore their nomination. If they accept, the nominee may open up their campaign thread.
*--- Begin quote from ____*
**NOTICE TO NOMINEES**
Be advised, only nominees that fit in one of the above two categories will be included on the ballot. Campaign threads must be posted in this sub-forum. Campaign threads should include the nominee's platform; that is, their plan to guide The East Pacific as its next delegate. Citizens may ask campaigners questions, comment, etc. Campaigners are allotted only one thread. Non-running citizens should not start threads here - they'll be moved to the archives section. Flaming will not be tolerated here. In addition, electioneering (campaigning for votes in private chats, campaigning on the RMB, sending out telegrams, etc) is not permitted. Keep campaigning limited to this sub-forum only.
Also, do not attempt to subvert the system here. One citizen, one vote. Administrators and the Conclave will be monitoring the votes and making sure we adhere to that rule. Anyone caught attempting to unlawfully gain votes will face serious legal and forum-based repercussions pending trial. The tradition of proper election behavior is strong enough to be considered as an effective binding norm and can possibly be used against you. You do not want the landmark TEP election case disqualifying a candidate or voter being called "TEP v. Your Name".
*--- End quote*
*--- Begin quote from ____*
**THE OFFICIAL ELECTION SCHEDULE**
The nomination period runs from now until [DAY (M/T/W/R/F/S/S), MONTH NTH, YEAR] at [TIME (INCLUDE TIME ZONE)]. Campaigning BEGINS during this period, any applicable nominee who has accepted and is listed here may campaign.
Beginning [DAY (M/T/W/R/F/S/S), MONTH NTH, YEAR] to [DAY (M/T/W/R/F/S/S), MONTH NTH, YEAR] at [TIME (INCLUDE TIME ZONE)] - voting! Voting will be public - you must vote in the appropriate thread in order for your vote to count. Voters will vote for a listed candidate or abstain.
More info on the voting thread will be posted when the thread is posted. Any questions may be asked in this thread, but please refrain from turning this thread into a discussion. Remember, it should be for nominations.
*--- End quote*
*--- Begin quote from ____*
**OF NOTE**
- Those who have applied for citizenship AFTER the Election closure: your applications will be suspended until the outcome of the election and you will be unable to vote if you have not yet been confirmed. No new citizenship apps will be accepted at this time. Citizenship apps will be re-opened after elections are over.
- This election cycle, eligibility to run or
vote will be determined by the Grand Vizier's Roll of Citizens, as authorized by Article E, Section 3 of the Concordat, and updated by audit. Challenges will be heard by the Electoral Commission.
- These elections will be overseen to check on any multi-votes and/or various other tamperings during the election. Other members of the Conclave may be brought in to assist in administering these elections if necessary.
- At the end of the nomination period, all accepted candidates
will be subject to strong citizenship checks.
*--- End quote*
Best of luck to all candidates!
*--- Begin quote from ____*
**NOMINATION INFORMATION**
**Format**:
-Candidate: **ACCEPTED, UNDISCLOSED, or DECLINED**
**ACCEPTED** means the nominee has accepted their nomination and can run in the current Delegate election.
**UNDISCLOSED** means that the nominee has not yet accepted nor declined their nomination for this election.
**DECLINED** means that the nominee has refused their nomination and cannot run in the current Delegate election.
*--- End quote*
*--- Begin quote from ____*
[CANDIDATE]: [ACCEPTED/UNDISCLOSED/DECLINE
[/quote]
Candidates MUST either be a) nominated by someone else, or b) self-nominated (self-nominations must be seconded by someone else). Nominations will last for a period of one week. Upon the closing of nominations, voting begins!
Another note: make sure citizenship applications are CLOSED before nominations start. Again, make sure to communicate with the Grand Vizier!
Voting
Create the voting thread and post it as soon as possible after you close nominations! Voting shall last for one week.
You need to make a separate thread for voting, though in the same forum as nominations! Use the code here:
Code
[spoiler]
https://i.imgur.com/4mlnf6L.png
From now until [DAY (M/T/W/R/F/S/S), MONTH NTH, YEAR] (1 week from now), voting is OPEN IN THIS THREAD. Any votes made after that time WILL NOT be counted.
Only citizens of The East Pacific may vote. You may only vote once.
*--- Begin quote from ____*
Be advised, only nominees that have been accepted will be included on the ballot. Campaign threads must be posted in this sub-forum. Campaign threads should include the nominee's platform; that is, their plan to guide TEP as its next delegate. In addition, electioneering (campaigning for votes in private chats, campaigning on the RMB, sending out telegrams, etc) is not permitted. Keep campaigning limited to this sub-forum only.
Also, do not attempt to subvert the system here. One citizen, one vote. Administrators and the Conclave will be monitoring the votes and making sure we adhere to that rule. Anyone caught attempting to unlawfully gain votes will face serious legal and forum-based repercussions pending trial. Make sure to read the Delegate Elections Act to fully understand election procedure. You do not want the landmark TEP election case disqualifying a candidate or voter being called "TEP v. Your Name".
*--- End quote*
This election season requires Instant-Runoff Voting, as there are more than two candidates.
To vote, simply post the name of the candidate(s) you wish to become Delegate in numerical order. The votes shall be counted in rounds, following traditional Instant Runoff procedure. If the candidate attains a majority at any time during a round, that candidate wins.
[hr]
**LIST OF CANDIDATES**
[Candidate]
[Candidate]
[Candidate]
Etc.
[hr]
*--- Begin quote from ____*
- Those who have applied for citizenship AFTER the Election closure: your applications will be suspended until the outcome of the election and you will be unable to vote if you have not yet been confirmed. No new citizenship apps will be accepted at this time. Citizenship apps will be re-opened after elections are over.
*--- End quote*
- This election cycle, eligibility to run or vote will be determined by the Grand Vizier's Roll of Citizens, as authorized by Article E, Section 3 of the Concordat, and updated by audit. Challenges will be heard by the Electoral Commission.
- These elections will be overseen to check on any multi-votes and/or various other tampering during the election. Other members of the Conclave may be brought in to assist in administering these elections if necessary.
- All accepted candidates are subject to strong citizenship checks.
- You may ABSTAIN from voting.-Note the Delegate Elections Act, Section 3.7.1 for the Invalidation of Write-in options.
- DO NOT POST ANYTHING OTHER THAN YOUR VOTE IN THIS THREAD-"LIKING" or "DISLIKING" posts in a voting thread is considered Election Impropriety. REFRAIN FROM DOING SO.
Not following the posted rules MAY result in your DISQUALIFICATION. Challenges will be heard by the Electoral Commission.
Make sure to cross-check each vote with the Vizier’s Roll of Citizens. Keep in mind that citizens who apply for citizenship during nominations and later cannot vote. Citizenship applications should be closed at this point, until vote results are announced.
You are required to post vote results within three days. Do not delay on the matter, post them as soon as possible, or you can get in trouble and be charged with “Failure to Conduct Procedure”.
Understanding Instant-Runoff Voting (IRV)
Instant-Runoff Voting is the voting procedure for elections with three or more candidates.
All voters will cast votes in preferential order. (1. MOST FAVORITE CANDIDATE, 2. SECOND FAVORITE, and so on.)
When you count the votes, make sure you ONLY look at people’s number one choice. This is considered the “First Round” of counting. Once you count every eligible voter’s first choice, calculate the percentages. If one candidate has greater than 50% of all votes, that candidate wins. If not, the second round!
In the second round of counting, you will void the votes cast for the candidate who received the least amount of votes. If you have two candidates with the exact same number of votes (yet have the least compared to everyone else), then strike both of their votes off in the same round. After you “void” any vote counting the voided candidates, you do a recount. For those people who’s first choice was the voided candidate, switch their vote to their second preferred candidate. For everyone else, keep their first vote.
This process will continue in rounds, until eventually a candidate reaches a majority or only two candidates remain. The candidate with >50% of votes wins!
Campaigning
Upon accepting their nominations, candidates may create ONE campaign thread in the Delegate Election subforum (where you make the nomination and voting threads). Candidates should post their platform here, and address all questions here. At current times, this is all the campaigning that is allowed, though this may change in the future.
Joke campaigns are allowed! However, limit these to 1 or 2 campaigns: Delegate Elections are serious matters and should not consist mostly of joke candidates.
Infractions
Note that election procedure is important, and charges exist for electioneering, vote stacking, and voter fraud. Keep an eye out and make sure no one is breaking the rules. As the East Pacific Electoral Commission, your duty is that you need to decide if complaints warrant the charges stated in law, and to follow the procedure laid in law. If the charge requires a trial, simply invalidate the person under question’s ability to vote/run as a candidate, and submit the evidence to the Delegate, EPPS, or Viziers so that they may prosecute a criminal trial.
Read the Delegate Elections Act for more detail on everything (besides IRV) mentioned above.
—————————————
Citizen Referendums
Citizen referendums currently have one sole purpose: to approve Concordat amendments passed by the Magisterium.
When you are presented with the notification of the passage of a Concordat amendment by the Magisterium, you will have to make a voting thread on the amendment. The thread should be placed in the Plaza. Use the following code template for Concordat referendums.
[spoiler=Spoiler]
https://i.imgur.com/5j1a8tA.png
**OFFICE OF THE VICEROY**
Please be advised only current citizens as recognized at the announcement of this vote may vote for the proposed amendment. For reference, please view the Concordat of The East Pacific. The matter at hand is a large amendment encompassing the entirety of the Concordat
The amendment was [LINK TO DEBATE] and [LINK TO MAGISTERIUM VOTE] It was [LINK TO DELEGATE SIGNING AMENDMENT (IF APPLICABLE)].https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/the_east_pacific/notice-from-the-magisterium-t7287-s150.html#p222561
[spoiler=[AMENDMENT ARTICLE AND SECTION]][AMENDMENT MARKUP] (put spoiler BBCcode here, at end of amendment)
*--- Begin quote from ____*
**Voting Procedure**
*--- End quote*
The voting period will exist for a period of approximately one week from time of posting and expire on [DAY, MONTH NTH, YEAR]
This vote will close on **[DAY, MONTH NTH, YEAR] at [TIME + TIMEZONE]**.
Votes made or edited after this time shall be discounted.
[1] Vote **AYE** or **FOR** if you are in favor of the proposal;
[2] Vote **NAY** or **AGAINST **if you are against the proposal;
[3] Vote **ABSTAIN** or **PRESENT** if you find yourself unable to reach a decision in good conscience.
It is required that you also supply your nation within The East Pacific, and your WA Nation if applicable.
Votes which do not supply accurate information MAY be discounted.
[/spoiler]
You can also do a citizenship audit before a Concordat amendment, if you want. Make sure to talk to the Grand Vizier. Obtain the Roll of Citizens and verify all the voters though, then count! If the citizens pass the referendum (2/3 or 66.6% of citizens must vote in favor), then bring it to the Magisterium! Abstentions do not count as votes and are not counted in the voting majority.
Make sure to let the voting period last for one week.
—————————————
Finding the Viceroy Designee
So you know all the procedures you need to do, among other duties. Now… who is your Viceroy Designee?
Your designee is someone you can reliably count on to conduct your job, should you not appear.
It should be noted that, per the SOC, after 48 hours, the Viceroy-Designee literally gains the power to do everything you do (besides instating their own Designee). So make sure it is someone who is responsible, active, and either knows or is willing to learn about the job. The VD will also be the person you will usually delegate tasks to, when you cannot do them yourself.
If you cannot find an Arbiter you think would make a good VD, then just choose an Arbiter and hope it goes for the best. 
—————————————
Ensure Arbiters are Active
If you’ve read my Guide to Being an Arbiter, you’ll know that an Arbiter’s most baseline job is to simply vote. That’s pretty much it. Long as they are voting in matters that need voting, they’re giving an opinion, which is all that is required.
Now, don’t take this as a standard. If an Arbiter is posting in advisory questions, participating in drafting of verdicts and such, but doesn’t vote, they should be good activity wise.
However, if the Arbiter doesn’t do anything: no posting, no vote, nothing… they’re inactive. In that case, make sure to take note of their inactivity, and bring it up to the Delegate when that Arbiter’s term expires. Or ask the Arbiter to resign… but take steps to ensure the spot will be eventually filled by someone who is active in at least voting. The Conclave needs activity, not stagnation.
— End quote
