ideas-groupDecisionMaking-plan11-bylaws-amend

How these bylaws may be amended

The bylaw amendment process may be initiated in one of two ways:

• a legislative body adopts an amendment by a 2/3s vote
• an amendment is proposed in a successful ballot initiative

Once initiated, the amendment is placed on the ballot. Two electoral cycles with respect to the amendment are defined as follows: the first cycle begins at the time that the amendment is voted upon, and ends after one electoral cycle duration has elapsed since that time. The second cycle begins at the end of the first cycle, and lasts for one electoral cycle duration past that time.

It succeeds if, in each of those cycles, at least one of these conditions happen:

1. the amendment gets >3/4 in the referendum
2. it passes one house with a 2/3 vote, gets 2/3 in the referendum, is not vetoed by more than one house
3. it passes two houses with a 2/3 vote, not vetoed in any house, and gets a majority in the referendum

The amendment is automatically placed on the ballot for the second cycle if any of the conditions held in the first cycle. Within each legislative body, in order for the amendment to be adopted, it must first be introduced, debated, and voted upon as if it were a new proposal in each cycle. However, if the amendment process was initiated through adoption, then that adoption "counts" as passage in that body in the first cycle.

If, in either cycle, none of these conditions hold, then the proposal dies.

Making an exception

By passing an act with a vote threshold of 2/3, the legislature may make a single, specific exception to the bylaws. This exception cannot have the effect of making it easier to amend or to make an exception to the bylaws. An exception is not counted towards the text quota.