Good day,
I respectfully request a judicial review concerning the voting requirements applicable to the Praesidium. As outlined in the Praesidium’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), its voting structure differs from that of the Magisterium. The relevant provisions of the Praesidium SOP are as follows:
5.4 All Viziers who do not cast a vote shall be considered “absent” and shall not be counted as voting Viziers for that particular vote.
5.5 For a measure to pass, at least three-fourths (3/4) of the voting Viziers must vote in favor of the matter.
5.6 Viziers shall never be required to cast a vote in any matter, including elections, amendments, or general votes.
Under these provisions, Viziers are explicitly not required to vote. When they do cast a vote, passage of a measure requires the affirmative support of three-fourths of those participating. The exceptions are Delegate removal votes and Proscription votes, the latter of which was recently amended in the Concordant to require a two-thirds (2/3) threshold.
This request for review seeks clarification on the definition and scope of the term voting Vizier. Specifically, if a Vizier casts a ballot marked “Aye,” “Nay,” or “Abstain/Present,” does the submission of an Abstain/Present ballot constitute participation such that the Vizier must be included in the total number of voting Viziers for purposes of calculating the required three-fourths or two-thirds majority?
It is noted that, pursuant to §5.4, a Vizier who abstains or registers “Present” is not considered absent. Accordingly, clarification is requested as to whether an Abstain/Present ballot is treated as a cast vote for denominator-calculation purposes. Additionally, unlike the Magisterium, Praesidium procedures do not use Abstain/Present ballots in the determination of quorum, nor do the Praesidium rules specify that such ballots are to be excluded from the vote count.
Thank you for your time and consideration.