The entire text of the Constitution of the City of Melonia is printed below. This was the former governing document of the server. Since August 21, 2022, this document has been replaced with the Constitution of the Republic of Melonia. This document has all markups from constitutional amendments.

Written May 30, 2022. Passed into law May 31, 2022. Last amended July 3, 2022.

Preamble

We the People of Melonia, in order to form a more perfect Government and provide more services, do ordain this Constitution of the City of Melonia.

Article I — Executive Branch

SECTION I — Overview of this Branch

Clause I - The Executive Branch will contain two positions: the Mayor and Vice Mayor. These positions are elected once a month (see SECTION IV). The Mayor will choose a candidate for Vice Mayor as their “running mate”. The Executive Branch executes laws created by the Legislative Branch, meaning that they enforce the laws.

SECTION II — Chief Legislator

Clause I - The Mayor is the “chief legislator”, meaning that they have the power to approve or ‘veto’ bills created and passed by the Legislative Branch. When the Senate approves a bill, they send it to the Mayor, who will approve it, where it will then become law, or veto it, where the law will not be passed.

Clause II - The Vice Mayor shall be President of the Senate. The Vice Mayor will not, however, execute this duty unless there is a tie between the Senators, in which case, the Vice Mayor will cast a tie breaking vote.

Clause III - The Mayor, Vice Mayor and/or any Cabinet officials can introduce legislation to the Senate, where they will vote on it at their next meeting. Senators have the power to approve or deny the legislation introduced by these parties, just like Senator-introduced laws.

SECTION III — Chief Executive

Clause I - The Mayor and Vice Mayor are the chief executives, meaning they have the highest authority to carry out laws passed by the Melonia Senate. They are allowed to make arrests, carry fines, and impose taxes.

SECTION IV — Elections

Clause I - The Executive Branch shall carry out all elections in Melonia. An election will be held on the 15th of each month, except when a position needs to be replaced, in which a special election will be called at the Mayor’s leisure.

Clause II - On Election Day, citizens will cast their votes for Mayor and the Senator of their district at an officially announced polling location. On the 15th of each month, when an election takes place, voters will submit their votes for each position in a Google Form document. Each citizen will rank each candidate numerically using multiple choice grids. enter the building, ask the polling official for a ballot by providing which district they live in, and in turn, will receive a book and quill. They will open up the book and see a list of candidates running for Mayor (city-wide) and Senate (in their district). They shall indicate their candidate of choice as directed in the book, then sign the book and place it in the hopper located by the polling official’s desk. The polling station will be placed on Capitol Drive in Melonia. This polling place will serve as the only place and way to vote for candidates in elections. On the 15th of each month, when an election takes place, voters will enter the building, grab paper from the chest, use an anvil to write down their candidate for each office, and then place it in the appropriately marked hoppers.

Clause III - Votes will be invalid on the following conditions: -No candidate is ranked. -The voter’s name is incorrect. -The paper is blank/no candidate is named or indicated. -The voter writes/indicates an invalid candidate on the ballot. -The ballot is unsigned. -The voter writes their name on the ballot. -The voter writes an invalid name on the ballot, or mixes up the ballot boxes (e.g. places a Senate candidacy vote in a Mayor box.)

Clause IV - The elections will be held and concluded at a time that is seen fit by the Mayor. The Mayor will open the election Google Form at a time that is close to the “actual election time” - the 15th of the month, in a regular election, or for a special election, whenever the Mayor sees fit. From there, a 24 hour timer starts for people to vote. Once that has elapsed, the form will close.

Clause V - Once voting ends, the Mayor and Vice Mayor shall tally up the final votes, and announce the winners of each election within half an hour. all of the votes in the highest rank. If there is a tie, add the votes in the second highest rank, and if there is still a tie, repeat this process until all ranks have been exhausted. If there is still a tie at this point, see Clause VIII. If there is no tie, then the winners of each election will be announced within half an hour.

Clause VI - It is illegal for any election official to delete someone’s ballot. If they are caught doing this, they will be charged with the Minor Offense of Election Fraud. tamper with ballots in any way, shape or form. If they are caught doing this, they will be permanently banned from Melonia.

Clause VII - Referendums will also be run by the Executive Branch. When one is set to take place, the polling place (see Clause II) will be open when the Mayor decides (within 24 hours of a referendum being called for in this Constitution). The typical election process will take place, but instead of voting for candidates, the vote will be “Yes” or “No” to the referendum question.

Clause VIII - If there is a tie after the instant runoff voting process, the winners of each election where it applies will be decided by the Vice Mayor.

SECTION V — Cabinet

Clause I - The Mayor, in order to more effectively run the government, can appoint people to assist them. An example is the Secretary of City Planning. This position would be filled by someone who would lead city planning for Melonia. They would approve or deny requests to build in certain locations, and decide how much land they would be granted, if any.

SECTION VI — Emergency Powers

Clause I - The Senate may vote to give emergency powers to the Mayor. The Senate requires a unanimous vote to begin emergency powers, and requires a half majority vote to end emergency powers.

Clause II - While the Mayor has emergency powers, the Mayor is able to approve or veto bills immediately. The Mayor may not create their own bills, but they may still advise Senators on what bills to create. To a certain extent, the Mayor may also execute emergency actions without Senate approval, especially in times of disaster.

SECTION VII — Voting Districts

Clause I - Voting districts shall be created before each election by the Mayor. The Mayor shall split all residences in the City of Melonia into a whole number of districts that is equal to this equation: (Current Population / 5). This number will always round down; for example, if there are 14 people, there will still only be 2 districts to abide by the Constitutional requirement for 1 Senator to represent at least 5 people.

Clause II - The Mayor should split these districts to contain the same amount of people in each district. In an instance where this cannot be done, it should be as close as possible. For example, if there are 13 people in Melonia, one district would have 6 people, and the other would have 7. The Senator who declares candidacy first out of all city Senators will get the excess number of people to represent.

Clause III - Once the Mayor has created these districts, they shall be sent to the Senate for their approval. The Mayor shall call an emergency Senate meeting into effect if a district map has not been agreed upon by the third day before the election.

Clause IV - Once district maps have been approved, citizens will be notified which district they live in, and what candidates are running for Senate in their district.

Article II — Legislative Branch

SECTION I — Overview of this Branch

Clause I - The Legislative Branch will contain the Senate, which consists of a number of Senators (see Clause II) who will write laws and vote amongst themselves on which laws will be passed, at which point the Mayor, being chief legislator, will either approve or veto the passed law. For a law to be passed, it needs to be approved by more than half of the Senate. If a tie occurs during this vote, the Vice Mayor, being President of the Senate, will cast a tie-breaking vote.

Clause II - There will be one Senator per five citizens of Melonia, with a minimum of two Senators. If the population increases or decreases, the number of Senators will not be adjusted until the following election.

SECTION II — Powers of this Branch

Clause I - If the Mayor vetoes a law, the Senate may cancel the veto by voting unanimously to start a referendum, in which citizens will be asked to cast their votes on whether or not the law shall be passed. In an event where the citizens’ vote ties, the law will not be passed.

Clause II - Upon passing of a law, the law must be immediately enforced by the Executive Branch and all executive bodies below the Executive Branch.

Clause III - The Senate may choose to remove the Mayor from office. To do this, they must vote amongst themselves unanimously, and then the citizens will be asked to vote. If two-thirds of citizens vote to remove the Mayor, the Mayor will therefore be removed, and an election for Mayor will be called, in which the previous mayor is banned from being a candidate.

Clause IV - Currently passed laws may be removed or amended by the Senate. If more than half of the Senate votes to alter a law, the law is removed from legislation, and either a replacement law or the lack thereof will be instituted.

SECTION III — Meeting of this Branch

Clause I - The Senate must meet at least once a week, the date and time agreed upon beforehand. All Senators must be present for this meeting. The Vice Mayor should be in attendance to lead this meeting. However, if they are not available, the Mayor will lead the meeting instead, also getting the tie breaking vote power. During this meeting, the meeting members may discuss the following matters: The writing of new laws. The removal or amendment of a current law. An amendment of the Constitution. The impeachment of the Mayor.

Clause II - If all Senators cannot be present for the Senate meeting, then the Vice Mayor will take the place of that Senator for that meeting. If more than one Senator is unavailable, other government officials will take the place of the other missing Senators. People who take these Senators’ places can contribute to discussions and vote. If the Vice Mayor is unavailable to replace the first unavailable Senator, then other government officials can replace the first unavailable Senator as well. If the Vice Mayor takes the place of a Senator, the Mayor will lead the meeting.

Clause III - During this meeting, there should be a period of time open to any citizens who want to propose a matter to the Senate. The Senate does not have to act on it, but can use their ideas if they would like.

Clause IV - If a citizen proposes the impeachment of a Senator, the Senate, with the inclusion of the Vice Mayor, must vote amongst themselves, excluding the member who would be impeached. If the Senate finds a half majority in this vote, the citizens will vote. If the citizens find a half majority in this vote, the Senator will be removed, and an election for replacement Senator will be called, in which the previous Senator is banned from being a candidate.

Clause V - During this meeting, the Senate may start a vote after they have decided the current matter. Senators shall cast their vote by declaring “Aye” or “Nay” upon a vote being called. All Senators must vote, so when the vote ends, all votes must be counted and must be equal to the number of Senators. If all votes are not equal to the number of Senators, the vote must be called again. The vote of each Senator will be logged publicly.

Clause VI - If the Senate has not met within the period of a week, or if the Mayor calls for it, an emergency Senate meeting shall be called. If all Senators cannot be present, the Senate meeting will continue without all members. During this emergency meeting, a vote must occur. This vote will be equivalent to what is described in Clause III, except that all votes counted must be equal to the number of Senators present, rather than the total number of Senators.

Article III - Amending This Constitution

SECTION I - Introduction

Clause I - This Constitution can be amended. This means that there can be new articles, sections and clauses added to this Constitution.

SECTION II - The Process of Amendment

Clause I - This amendment process shall begin in the Senate, where a Senator will introduce a law to add an amendment to the Constitution (See Article II - Legislative Branch). Unlike the usual process of passing a law, all Senators must approve this amendment, or else it shall not pass.

Clause II - Once all Senators pass an amendment, a referendum will be immediately posed to the citizens asking whether or not to pass the amendment. The majority of citizens must vote “Yes”, or the amendment will not be passed. If the majority do vote “Yes”, however, the amendment shall be added to this document.

Article IV - First Amendment

SECTION I - Treaties

Clause I - The Senate may write a treaty between other nations. This treaty must be voted for by more than half of the Senate and approved or vetoed by the Mayor before being sent to the nations it pertains to.

Clause II - The Senate may be presented with a treaty written by other nations. In order to sign this treaty, more than half of the Senate needs to vote for it, and then it must be approved or vetoed by the Mayor before being signed.

SECTION II - Wars

Clause I - In order to enter a war with another nation, or a civil war against a rebellious group, the Senate needs a two-thirds majority vote, and the Mayor needs to approve or veto it. Once the vote to enter war passes, the Mayor receives emergency powers until either the enemy surrenders or Melonia surrenders. If the enemy group attacks first, then the Melonia Legion will be allowed to defend. To launch a counterattack and to declare emergency, however, the Senate must formally declare war.

Clause II - In order to surrender in a war with another nation, the Senate needs a half majority vote. The Mayor may not veto this action. After that, the citizens will be asked to vote. All votes from all participants will be counted up, and if there is a half-majority vote for surrender, then surrender will occur, the Mayor will lose emergency powers, and a treaty must be drafted and signed within the period of two weeks.

Article V - Second Amendment - “Changes to Election Law” Section I - Removals

Clause I - This amendment hereby removes all text inside of the following clauses: Article I, Section IV, Clause II, and Article I, Section IV, Clause III.

Section II - Replacement of Article I, Section IV, Clause II

Clause I - This section of the amendment replaces the deleted text of Article I, Section IV, Clause II with the text in Clause II of this section.

Clause II - On Election Day, citizens will cast their votes for Mayor and the Senator of their district at an officially announced polling location. On the 15th of each month, when an election takes place, voters will enter the building, ask the polling official for a ballot by providing which district they live in, and in turn, will receive a book and quill. They will open up the book and see a list of candidates running for Mayor (city-wide) and Senate (in their district). They shall indicate their candidate of choice as directed in the book, then sign the book and place it in the hopper located by the polling official’s desk.

Section III - Replacement of Article I, Section IV, Clause III

Clause I - This section of the amendment replaces the deleted text of Article I, Section IV, Clause III with the text in Clause II of this section.

Clause II - Votes will be invalid on the following conditions: The ballot is blank/no candidate is named or indicated. The voter writes/indicates an invalid candidate on the ballot. The ballot is unsigned.

Section IV - Additions

Clause I - The next section, Section V, will be appended into Article I, Section IV of the Constitution. This will create voting districts, where Senators will be elected from.

Section V - The Amendment

Clause I - Voting districts shall be created before each election by the Mayor. The Mayor shall split all residences in the City of Melonia into a whole number of districts that is equal to this equation: (Current Population / 5). This number will always round down; for example, if there are 14 people, there will still only be 2 districts to abide by the Constitutional requirement for 1 Senator to represent at least 5 people.

Clause II - The Mayor should split these districts to contain the same amount of people in each district. In an instance where this cannot be done, it should be as close as possible. For example, if there are 13 people in Melonia, one district would have 6 people, and the other would have 7. The Senator who declares candidacy first out of all city Senators will get the excess number of people to represent.

Clause III - Once the Mayor has created these districts, they shall be sent to the Senate for their approval. The Mayor shall call an emergency Senate meeting into effect if a district map has not been agreed upon by the third day before the election.

Clause IV - Once district maps have been approved, citizens will be notified which district they live in, and what candidates are running for Senate in their district.

Article VI - Third Amendment

Section I - Replacements

Clause I - The following text shall replace Article II, Section III, Clause I of the Constitution.

Section II - The Amendment

Clause I - The Senate must meet at least once a week, the date and time agreed upon beforehand. The Vice Mayor should be in attendance to lead this meeting. However, if they are not available, the Mayor will lead the meeting instead, also getting the tie breaking vote power. During this meeting, the meeting members may discuss the following matters: The writing of new laws. The removal or amendment of a current law. An amendment of the Constitution. The impeachment of the Mayor.

Section III - Additions

Clause I - The following clause shall be added after Article II, Section III, Clause I of the Constitution.

Clause II - If all Senators cannot be present for the Senate meeting, then the Vice Mayor will take the place of that Senator for that meeting. If more than one Senator is unavailable, other government officials will take the place of the other missing Senators. People who take these Senators’ places can contribute to discussions and vote. If the Vice Mayor is unavailable to replace the first unavailable Senator, then other government officials can replace the first unavailable Senator as well. If the Vice Mayor takes the place of a Senator, the Mayor will lead the meeting.

Article VII - Fourth Amendment

Section I - Purpose

This amendment’s purpose is to resolve potential ties in the general election by instituting an instant runoff voting system, and if a tie occurs after that, allowing the Vice Mayor to choose the winner of the election. This amendment will also remove in-person voting so that more citizens can vote, even if they cannot join the server.

Section II - Replacements

Clause I - The following text shall replace Article I, Section IV of the Constitution.

SECTION IV — Elections

Clause I - The Executive Branch shall carry out all elections in Melonia. An election will be held on the 15th of each month, except when a position needs to be replaced, in which a special election will be called at the Mayor’s leisure.

Clause II - On Election Day, citizens will cast their votes for Mayor and the Senator of their district. On the 15th of each month, when an election takes place, voters will submit their votes for each position in a Google Form document. Each citizen will rank each candidate numerically using multiple choice grids.

Clause III - Votes will be invalid on the following conditions: No candidate is ranked. The voter’s name is incorrect

Clause IV - The Mayor will open the election Google Form at a time that is close to the “actual election time” - the 15th of the month, in a regular election, or for a special election, whenever the Mayor sees fit. From there, a 24 hour timer starts for people to vote. Once that has elapsed, the form will close.

Clause V - Once voting ends, the Mayor and Vice Mayor shall tally all of the votes in the highest rank, if there is a tie, add the votes in the second highest rank, and if there is still a tie, repeat this process until all ranks have been exhausted. If there is still a tie at this point, see Clause VIII. If there is no tie, then the winners of each election will be announced within half an hour.

Clause VI - It is illegal for any election official to delete someone’s ballot. If they are caught doing this, they will be charged with the Minor Offense of Election Fraud.

Clause VII - Referendums will also be run by the Executive Branch. When one is set to take place, the polling place (see Clause II) will be open when the Mayor decides (within 24 hours of a referendum being called for in this Constitution). The typical election process will take place, but instead of voting for candidates, the vote will be “Yes” or “No” to the referendum question.

Clause VIII - If there is a tie after the instant runoff voting process, the winners of each election where it applies will be decided by the Vice Mayor.