Spring 2023 Election Dates Announced

Well, San Andreas, it’s time to gear up for the quarterly election cycle here in San Andreas! Elections occur once every four (4) months, with the gubernatorial and five representative seats opening. This article is intended to tell you all about the duties of each role, things to consider if you want to run, and important dates to watch out for. 

House Resolution 239 was recently passed by the state representatives; this resolution enacts an election period. With this resolution passed, and other bills voted on, Weazel News expects to see the current Congress begin to wind down for the change of power.

The Governor bears the responsibility of overseeing the Government Structure in its entirety, which encompasses tasks such as ensuring robust, productive, and affirmative communication between State Departments (e.g., Law Enforcement, Judiciary, State Legislator, Attorney General, Surgeon General), hosting State-Sponsored Events, conducting relevant meetings pertinent to the Office, creating a budget for approval by the State Representatives, ratifying Bills passed by the Legislature into Law, appointing Government Officials to positions with the endorsement of the State Legislature, and upholding the law, order, and peace among all citizens by bringing outlaws and criminals to justice on behalf of the victims. In addition, the Governor can set up committees for various projects – some active ones include the “Exemplary Citizen and Public Servant Committee” and the “San Andreas Event Management Committee” (SAME). 

The Governor is a part of the Executive Branch, which according to the State Government Website, “The Executive Branch of government handles the ‘day-to-day’ oversight of all government departments, working with government officials to address issues for the public and to help remedy issues ongoing within various government departments and agencies. The Executive Branch comprises 4-key positions: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, and Chief of Staff.”

You can sign up for the governor’s race online here.

The State Representatives are tasked with crafting and passing pivotal State Laws, Acts, Edicts, Procedures, Resolutions, Criminal Punishments, Civil Appointments, and other critical tasks. In addition, their solemn obligation is to attend the mandatory “Legislative Meeting” every month and present proposals for discussion that align with San Andreas’ citizens’ welfare.

You can sign up for the state rep race online here.

In San Andreas, we use a voting system called Rank Choice Voting. You will often hear this term during the next few weeks – let’s dive into what it is. In a typical voting system, also known as first-past-the-post voting, voters choose their preferred candidate, and the candidate with the most votes wins. In a rank-choice voting system, also known as ranked-choice voting or preferential voting, voters not only choose their preferred candidate but can also rank the other candidates in order of preference. If no candidate wins a majority of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed to the voters’ second-preference candidates. This process continues until one candidate wins a majority of votes.

One advantage of rank-choice voting is that it allows voters to express their preferences rather than just their first choice. It also helps to ensure that the election’s winner has the support of a majority of voters rather than just a first-past-the-post.

Still confused? Here is a fun video explaining it all and if you want to learn more you can watch this follow up video as well.

Dates to be on the lookout for: 

Candidate Registration: 
OPENS – April 13, 2023, at 8 pm EST
CLOSES – April 20, 2023, at 8 pm EST

Candidate Campaign Period: 
OPENS – April 20, 2023, 8 pm EST
CLOSES – May 4, 2023, 8 pm EST

Voting period:
OPENS – May 4, 2023, 8 pm EST
CLOSES – May 8, 2023, 8 pm EST

Our team is actively working with our Election Commission partners to schedule the Gubernatorial and Representative Debates. Weazel News is committed to being your unbiased political information center this season!