[SOA] 2026 SOM Amendments

Codex Memorial Garden The Magisterium
1

Another year, another set of sweeping SOM changes to propose.

Because there are a lot of changes and this would require a re-read and reconsideration of the SOM as a whole, I haven’t marked up most changes, but I’ve included a high-level summary below.

Summary of changes:

  • Several definitions have been moved from within their own clauses into the definitions section.
  • What was previous categorised as “Bills” has been split into “Bills and Administrative Actions”. Both have a defined colloquial reference of “Proposal”.
  • Some language changes to reduce some of the cognitive burden on a new person wanting to understand what the Magisterium is.
  • Incorporates @Zukchiva’s suggestions for changes to the closed discussion section.
  • Additions that help to reduce lost institutional knowledge/operating procedures if people vanish.
  • Changes that help to reduce unnecessary burdens, such as holding an admission vote for a Citizen admitted under a Citizenship Waiver.
  • Responses to questions/issues/confusion/misconceptions that were addressed in off-site discussion but that have not yet been formalized.
  • Saturday, February 21, 2026 11:38 PM Made it explicit that closed session discussions must be closed by the Office of the Provost for inactivity.
  • Sunday, February 22, 2026 4:52 AMAdded removal of Awards granted under an Act to the definition of a Removal bill.
  • Saturday, March 14, 2026 1:32 PM Added a clause (5.3.3) that the Provost must convene the Foreign Policy Committee following a successful Closed Discussion vote on any matter of foreign policy or foreign relations.

To be clear: A lot of wording changes have been made, but I’ve only marked up those that have a major impact on how the clause could be interpreted or things that are blatantly new.

Proposed SOM

Section I. DEFINITIONS

  1. The “Provost” is the elected leader of the Magisterium.

  2. A “legislative session” is defined as the period between each Provost election. the three (3) months that each Provost is elected to lead the Magisterium.

  3. The “Office of the Provost” consists of the Provost and any Deputy Provosts appointed by the Provost.

  4. “Magisters” are the admitted members of the Magisterium.

  5. A “Bill” consists of the following categories:
    5.1. A Law (L), which, upon passing, forms part of the binding body of law of the East Pacific.
    5.2. A Resolution (R), which, upon passing, outlines a non-binding opinion of the Magisterium.
    5.3. An Amendment (A), which, upon passing, forms a binding change to a Law or a Resolution.
    5.4. A Concordat Amendment (CA), which, upon passing, forms a binding change to the Concordat of the East Pacific.
    5.5. A Repeal (RP), which, upon passing, revokes an Act, Resolution, Treaty, or Declaration of War.
    5.6. A Removal (RM), which, upon passing, exercises the Magisterium’s ability to: suspend or remove a public official; or remove an award granted under an Act.
    5.7. An Override (OVR), which, upon passing, exercises the Magisterium’s ability to override: a veto decision by the Delegate; or a previous decision by the Magisterium to suspend a public official; or the Praesidium’s appointment of an Acting Delegate, appointing a Vizier of the Magisterium’s choosing as the Acting Delegate instead.
    5.8. A Treaty (T), which, upon passing, enacts or amends a treaty as defined by the Concordat.
    5.9. A Declaration of War (W), which, upon passing, enacts or amends a declaration of war as defined by the Concordat.

  6. An “Administrative Action” consists of the following categories:
    6.1. A Standing Orders Amendment (SOA), which, upon passing, forms a change to the Standing Orders of the Magisterium.
    6.2. An Election (E), which, upon passing, elects a Magister as Provost of the Magisterium.
    6.3. An Admittance Vote (AD), which, upon passing, admits a Citizen who would otherwise be ineligible for admittance into the Magisterium.
    6.4. A Nomination (N), which, upon passing, confirms the appointment of a public official that requires approval from the Magisterium.
    6.5. A Closed Session Discussion (CS), which, upon passing, initiates a closed session of the Magisterium.

  7. “Proposal” refers to either a Bill or an Administrative Action.

  8. The “Sponsor” is the author of the Proposal, or any Resident named as a Sponsor by the author.

  9. A “closed session” is used for discussions that should only be visible to the Magisterium, or the Foreign Policy Committee.
    9.1. The Foreign Policy Committee consists of every Magister, the Delegate, and any Minister(s) designated by the Delegate.

Section II. DEBATE PROCEDURE

  1. Any Resident of The East Pacific, including non-Magisters, may introduce or participate in discussions of all Proposals unless restricted by the Concordat, a Law, or these Standing Orders.
    1.1. A Standing Orders Amendment may only be introduced by a Magister.
    1.2. When introducing a Proposal, the category of the Proposal must be written, either in whole or using its prescribed abbreviation, in the topic title for the discussion; for example, [NOMINATION] Topic Name or [SOA] Topic Name. The Office of the Provost may edit topic titles so they comply with this clause.

  2. During debate on a Proposal:
    2.1. The Sponsor(s) may amend the Proposal.
    2.2. If the Sponsor(s) have been absent or inactive for more than twenty-one (21) days, the Provost becomes the sole Sponsor, with the right to edit the Proposal as needed and appoint additional Sponsors.

  3. The Proposal can be motioned to a vote by the Sponsor(s) or by any Magister. The Proposal must be seconded by any Magister who did not motion the Proposal to a vote to begin with. Once motioned, the Proposal must be seconded within forty-eight (48) hours before the Proposal can be brought to a vote.
    3.1. If none of the Sponsors motioned the Proposal to a vote, and none of them seconded that motion, the Sponsors have forty-eight (48) hours to object if further discussions or edits are required. A Proposal may not have a vote created for it until any Sponsor waives this objection period or the objection period passes.

  4. If the motion to vote is not seconded within forty-eight (48) hours, the Proposal will return to debate.
    4.1. The first time a Proposal is returned, it can be motioned to a vote again immediately.
    4.2. The second time a Proposal is returned, a mandatory three (3) day waiting period is imposed before it can be motioned to a vote again.
    4.3. If the Proposal fails to be seconded a third time, it is immediately tabled and cannot be motioned to a vote for the remainder of the current legislative session.

  5. A Proposal must pass a vote of the Magisterium before it can be enacted or enforced. Voting procedures are specified in Section III of the Standing Orders of the Magisterium.
    5.1. A Concordat Amendment must also pass a referendum of the Citizens of The East Pacific before it can be enacted or enforced.

  6. Topics that have been either tabled or abandoned for over sixty (60) days, including topics brought in a closed session, shall be lockedclosed by the Office of the Provost. These topics can be reopened upon a reasoned request by any Magister.

Section III. VOTING PROCEDURE

  1. Once a Proposal is motioned to a vote and that motion has been seconded in accordance with the Debate Procedures defined above, the Office of the Provost must, as soon as possible, create a new topic that contains a copy of the finalised Proposal and a poll for voting on the Proposal.
    1.1. The vote will remain open for seven (7) days unless specified otherwise.
    1.2. A vote for a Proposal must have the Proposal category’s prescribed abbreviation, the year that the vote started, and a counter in the topic title; for example, [SOA-20XX-1].
    …1.2.1 Any vote conducted by the Magisterium that does not have a prescribed abbreviation shall use V as its abbreviation.
    1.3. The discussion topic for the Proposal shall remain unlocked for the duration of the vote to allow for discussion and clarifications if needed.

  2. Magisters shall submit a vote via the poll created by the Office of the Provost in the voting topic.
    2.1. If the poll does not work, Magisters may submit their vote by posting in the voting topic.

  3. The vote shall be concluded once the voting period ends.
    3.1. The Office of the Provost may end a voting period early if all eligibleactive Magisters have voted.
    3.2. The Office of the Provost must immediately close and lock the voting topic once the voting period ends.
    3.3. The Office of the Provost must provide a voting summary, including identifying any Magister’s vote that was invalidated and why it was invalidated.
    3.4. The voting topic must remain publicly accessible.

  4. Any Magister who, during the voting period, has joined the Magisterium; is on a Leave of Absence; has resigned; or has been removed from the Magisterium, shall not have their vote counted and will not contribute towards the determination of a quorum.

  5. Any Magister who is suspended during the voting is not considered an active Magister for the determination of a quorum or for determining if the voting period may be ended early.

  6. Participation in a vote by a suspended Magister removes that Magister’s suspension. The Magister will immediately be considered active for the purposes of determining a quorum and determining if the voting period may be ended early.

  7. A vote of Present/Abstain may only be used to determine a quorum. It must not be treated as a vote for or against a Proposal.

  8. A Proposal passes if:
    8.1. A quorum of at least 50% of all active Magisters has voted.
    8.2. More thanAt least 50% of the vote is in favour of the Bill. If an Act or the Concordat has stricter requirements, those requirements must be met instead.

  9. Once passed:
    9.1. The Office of the Provost shall lock the discussion topic. These topics can be reopened upon a reasoned request by any Magister.
    9.2. If the Proposal is an Act Law, a Treaty, a Declaration of War; or an Amendment to a Law, a Treaty, or a Declaration of War; or the repeal of a Law, a Treaty, or a Declaration of War, the Office of the Provost must notify the Executive within the appropriate forum topic. Once the Delegate signs the Proposal, or if it has been ten (10) days since the voting period ended, the Office of the Provost shall use Codex Memorial Garden > Laws of the East Pacific to implement or amend the Act.
    9.3. If the Proposal is a Concordat Amendment, the Conclave must be notified, as Concordat Amendments must pass a referendum of the Citizens of the East Pacific before it can be enacted or enforced.
    9.4. Any Amendment shall be logged within the Proposal target’s topic. A rewrite is treated as an amendment and will replace the previous version of the Proposal target.
    9.5. If the Proposal is a repeal, then the Proposal’s target will be moved to Laws of the East Pacific > Repealed Laws.

  10. If the Proposal is an Act Law, a Treaty, a Declaration of War; or an Amendment to a Law, a Treaty, or a Declaration of War; or the repeal of a Law, a Treaty, or a Declaration of War, and the Delegate vetoes the proposal within the ten-day window after the voting period ends, the Proposal will immediately return to debate for a minimum of three (3) days. Once the debate period ends, the Proposal may be moved to an Override vote.
    10.1. An Override vote may only be motioned by a Sponsor of the original Proposal. A Sponsor of the original Proposal may not second an Override vote.

  11. If a Proposal fails:
    11.1. If the failure is due to a lack of quorum, the Proposal is returned to discussion without penalty. It will be the responsibility of the Office of the Provost to determine why a quorum was not reached and to take corrective action.
    11.2. If the failure is for any reason other than lack of quorum, the Proposal is defeated and may not be brought back in the same legislative session.

Section IV. PROVOST ELECTION PROCEDURE

  1. The Magisterium shall appoint a Provost from amongst its members.

  2. The Provost shall serve for 3 months be elected for one (1) legislative session at a time. New legislative sessions automatically start on the first of January, April, July, and October.

  3. An Election is held when the position is vacant or before the end of the Provost’s term. This Election shall be organised by the incumbent Provost, a Deputy Provost, or by any representative appointed by the Provost (for example, the Viceroy of the Conclave).
    3.1. An individual may not organise the Election if they are also running in it.

  4. A special Election may be held in the middle of a Provost’s term if the Provost resigns, is removed, or is absent for more than three (3) days without first going on a Leave of Absence.
    4.1. If a Provost is elected by special Election less than a month before a regularly scheduled Election is due to run, the Provost will serve the remainder of their predecessor’s term as well as the next full term.
    4.2. Special Elections otherwise follow the same rules and procedures outlined in this section of the Standing Orders of the Magisterium.

  5. A four (4) day nomination period will be held for each Election. A candidate may be nominated by another Magister, or they may self-nominate as a candidate.
    5.1. If nominated by another Magister, the Magister must accept their nomination to be considered a candidate.
    5.2. If self-nominated, another Magister must second the nomination before the nominee is considered a candidate.
    5.3. If no valid candidates are nominated another four (4) day nomination period will be held, and the incumbent Provost will remain in office until a new Provost is elected.
    5.4. If no valid candidates are nominated after the second nomination period, the incumbent Provost will remain in office for another term.
    5.5. A candidate may create a campaign topic within Codex Memorial Garden > The Magisterium. This campaign topic must contain all campaigning for that candidate and can be used by any Resident to ask the candidate a campaign question.

  6. A three (3) day voting period begins immediately after the nomination period ends.
    6.1. If there is only one (1) candidate, they must be confirmed by a majority vote of the Magisterium.
    6.2. If there are two (2) or more candidates, the candidate who receives the most votes shall be elected as Provost. Votes will be determined using the Instant Runoff Voting method.
    6.3. Should the confirmation vote fail, or the election vote results in a tie and no candidate concedes, a new three (3) day voting period will be held. If, after this second vote, a winner still cannot be determined, the vote shall be reopened to all Citizens for a period of 3 days.
    6.4. Upon the election of a Provost all campaign and nomination topics relating to the election must be locked.

Section V. CLOSED SESSIONS

  1. A Magister may motion a matter to be considered in closed session through private communication with the Provost.
    1.1. If the Provost seconds the motion, a Closed Session Discussions vote will be held.
    1.2. If the Provost doesn’t second the motion, they must immediately open a closed session topic to allow another Magister the option to second the motion. If seconded according to the Debate Procedures, a Closed Session Discussion vote will be held.

  2. A Closed Session Discussion vote is held publicly, so it must not disclose the reason why a closed session has been called for.
    2.1. The reason why the vote for a closed session has been called must be posted in The Magisterium > Closed Session by the Provost when the vote is created.
    2.2. Regardless of the outcome of the vote, the reasons why a closed session has been called for must remain private.
    2.3. Once the Closed Session Discussion vote passes, the full matter may be discussed in a closed session.
    2.4. If the Provost believes that discussion of the full matter cannot be delayed by a week, they may authorise the full matter to be discussed while the Closed Session Discussion vote is running. If the vote passes the discussions will remain in closed session. If the vote fails, the discussion of the full matter must be made public.

  3. The Delegate or the Provost may initiate a meeting of the Foreign Policy Committee to discuss treaty negotiations or declarations of war as a closed session meeting of the Magisterium without a Closed Session Discussion vote.
    3.1. The Provost chairs the Foreign Policy Committee.
    3.2. The Provost must publicly announce the opening and closing of any meeting of the Foreign Policy Committee in the Announcements of the Provost topic, as well as in the monthly editions of EPNS.
    3.3. The Provost must initiate a meeting of the Foreign Policy Committee following a successful Closed Session Discussion vote on any matter of foreign policy or foreign relations.

  4. All votes on matters discussed in closed sessions shall be conducted in public, including the final text of the Proposal being voted on.

Section VI. MAGISTERS

  1. Any Citizen of The East Pacific can apply to join the Magisterium by completing an application in the Magister Application Topic and by completing a Public Disclosure Form in The Plaza > Public Disclosure Forms. …1.1. Providing the name of their Resident nation and the name of their World Assembly nation. ……1.1.1. If the applicant is on a military operation, then the name of the involved military branch must be supplied instead of a World Assembly nation. …1.2. Reciting the Magister’s Pledge in the topic “Magister Application Thread” on the forums.

  2. The Office of the Provost will admit the applicant to the Magisterium if:
    2.1. The applicant’s resident nation is a member of the World Assembly, and the applicant has endorsed the Delegate and all Viziers; or
    2.2. The applicant has obtained a World Assembly waiver from the Citizenship Office; or
    2.3. The applicant has been confirmed as a member of the Eastern Pacific Sovereign Army (EPSA) by the Overseeing Officer or a member of the Office of the Provost who has access to the current EPSA roster and deployment information.

  3. If the applicant has not met all the requirements for admission, the Office of the Provost shall notify the applicant of an incomplete application. If the application is not rectified within three (3) days of notification, the Office of the Provost shall deny the application.

  4. The Office of the Provost may deny any applicant who has resigned or who has been removed from the Magisterium within the same legislative session.

  5. An applicant who has been denied for any reason is entitled to an Admission Vote to determine if the applicant should be admitted to the Magisterium. An Admission Vote follows the same Debate and Voting Procedures as any other Proposal.

  6. Magisters may notify the Office of the Provost to change their membership status.
    6.1. A Magister accepted as a World Assembly nation may convert to a different status by obtaining a World Assembly waiver from the Citizenship Office or having the Overseeing Officer confirm their status as a member of EPSA.
    6.2. A Magister accepted as a non-World Assembly nation may convert to a World Assembly nation by providing the name of their World Assembly nation and by endorsing the Delegate and all Viziers.

  7. Magisters may notify the Magisterium of a Leave of Absence by posting the start and return date in the Magisterium Administration Services topic. It is preferred that Magisters indicate the time zone that their Leave of Absence is applicable to, or that they use the date tags.

  8. The Provost may hold a roll call and require that Magisters respond within 7 days to confirm their activity.

  9. A Magister may be suspended by the Office of the Provost, or be removed by a majority vote of the Magisterium if:
    9.1. The Magister is not on a notified Leave of Absence, and they do not respond to the roll call; or
    9.2. The Magister is not on a notified Leave of Absence, and within the last calendar month with at least two (2) votes conducted, the Magister has not voted in at least half of all votes; or
    9.3. The Magister was accepted as a World Assembly nation, but their World Assembly nation is outside the East Pacific, and they have not taken steps to convert their status. This clause does not apply if the Magister can be verified as being a member part of EPSA or an EPSA operation. or can be confirmed as following EPSA orders

  10. Any suspended Magister may be unsuspended by the Office of the Provost. If suspended for inactivity, the Magister must participate in a vote. If suspended for being a World Assembly nation and not maintaining World Assembly membership on their Resident nation, they must first return World Assembly membership to their Resident nation or they must convert their status

  11. A Magister will be removed automatically if:
    11.1. They have falsified information on their application, or in their Public Disclosure Form; or
    11.2. The Resident nation supplied in their application is no longer a resident of the East Pacific; or
    11.3. The Magister is no longer a Citizen of the East Pacific.
    11.4. The Provost must announce all removals under this clause.

  12. A Magister may resign at any time.

Section VII. OFFICE OF THE PROVOST

  1. The Provost may appoint up to four (4) Magisters as Deputy Provosts. These Deputies may conduct any of the duties of the Provost at the Provost’s request and shall serve at the pleasure of the Provost.

  2. If the Provost goes on an official Leave of Absence, resigns, is removed, or is absent for a period exceeding three (3) days without being on a Leave of Absence; the Provost’s duties shall be temporarily assumed per the line of succession below.
    2.1. The longest consecutively serving Deputy Provost; then
    2.2. Any other Deputy Provost, according to their length of consecutive service; then
    2.3. The longest consecutively serving active Magister; finally
    2.4. Any other active Magister, according to their length of consecutive service.

  3. When the elected Provost returns from a Leave of Absence, both the elected Provost and the temporary Provost immediately resume their regular duties.

  4. In the case of resignation, removal, or absence exceeding three (3) days without being on a Leave of Absence, the temporary Provost must immediately schedule a special election.

  5. Any Magister may motion for the removal of a member of the Office of the Provost by majority vote. If a Magister seconds the motion, the target of the vote shall be immediately suspended and is forbidden from exercising any of the duties of the Office of the Provost.
    5.1. If the target of the removal is the Provost, a temporary Provost will be appointed per the line of succession defined in this section. The temporary Provost will perform the regular duties of the Provost as well as immediately officiate a three (3) day vote to remove the suspended Provost.
    5.2. If the removal vote fails, the target of the vote is immediately unsuspended and will return to their regular duties. Both the Magister who motioned for the vote and the Magister who seconded the motion cannot re-motion or second for a removal for the remainder of the legislative session.

EDIT 1: Updated the wording of 6.5 to reflect the appropriate section names (Debate Procedure and Voting Procedure)
EDIT 2: Updated the wording of 2.6 to make it less clumsy and also added [add][/add] tags that I’d forgotten to include earlier. Changed the word “locked” to “closed” in this clause to make it more explicit that closed session discussions can be closed for inactivity. Also added this to the high level summary.
EDIT 3: Incorporated removals under the Awards Act into the RM category.
EDIT 4: Added 5.3.3.

2

As there have been no comments, I motion the above to a vote.

3

As this failed to receive a second within the required 48 hour timeframe, this returns to discussion and may not be seconded until it is remotioned.

Failed Motion Count: 1.