User:LizArchive/Constitution of Oceanic

The Constitution of the Oceanic Commonwealth of States is the founding and governing document of the Oceanic Commonwealth of States. The original constitution was drafted by inaugural Governor Isabella Roberts, incorporating elements from texts drafted by Greg Dover, Daniel Dancio, and Sammy Snail. The Constitution has been amended once.

Preamble
Affirming the belief in a government by and for the people, with an understanding and compassionate heart towards all peoples and people of the earth, we, the People of the Oceanic Commonwealth of States, united for mutual defense and protection of liberties and rights, do hereby ordain and establish this constitution for the Oceanic Commonwealth of States.

Article 1: Suffrage

 * 1) All citizens of the Oceanic Commonwealth of States, henceforth referred to in this document as Oceanic, shall have the right to vote in all elections within Oceanic.
 * 2) Gubernatorial elections, which shall occur by Ranked Choice Voting, shall take place consecutively with the quadrennial United States presidential election.
 * 3) Elections for the United States House of Representatives shall take place via Ranked Choice Voting in districts determined by the Governor of Oceanic.
 * 4) Elections for the United States Senate shall take place via Ranked Choice Voting.
 * 5) Elections for the President of the United States shall take place whereas: Three electoral votes shall be assigned to the victor of the popular vote in Oceanic; the remainder shall be distributed as proportionally as possible - in the same manner as the apportionment of United States Representatives.
 * 6) Any individual elected to any non-Federal Oceanic office, such as but not limited to: the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, and members of the Oceanic cabinet, must be sworn in by the following oath:  “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of _____, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Oceanic Constitution, and uphold the responsibilities of this esteemed office. So help me _____.”

Article 2: The Executive

 * 1) The Governor of the Oceanic Commonwealth of States shall be the Chief Executive and Commander-in-Chief of the Oceanic Commonwealth of States.
 * 2) The Governor shall be the Commander-in-Chief of the Oceanic Armed Forces, which shall consist of the National Guard, the Oceanic Regional Guard, and the Naval Militia.
 * 3) The Governor shall have the authority to issue Executive Orders, which may have the power of executive or legislative action.
 * 4) The Governor may issue pardons for those convicted or facing conviction under Oceanic law.
 * 5) The Governor may commute the sentences of those convicted or facing conviction under Oceanic law.
 * 6) The Governor is responsible for establishing, enforcing and executing laws passed within the state.
 * 7) The Governor shall be elected to a 4-year term, with no limit on the number of terms.
 * 8) There shall be a Lieutenant Governor, who shall be appointed by the Governor and not disapproved by a majority of the populace by a 24-hour vote.  The Lieutenant Governor may be removed from office by the Governor unilaterally.
 * 9) The Governor may appoint any number of executive offices to which the Governor may delegate certain powers to make up the Cabinet of Oceanic.
 * 10) Should an Oceanic seat in the United States Senate be vacant, the Governor shall be authorized to appoint an individual to fill the vacancy until the culmination of a special election taking place not less than 8 months following the initiation of said vacancy.
 * 11) No person shall be elected to the office of the governor thrice consecutively.

Article 3: Citizen Powers

 * 1) Citizens may create Petitions, which may:
 * 2) Remove from Office the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or any other Cabinet Official.
 * 3) Overturn Executive Orders.
 * 4) Amend the Constitution.
 * 5) Enact Executive Orders.
 * 6) Recall any Oceanic United States Representative, Senator, or Governor
 * 7) Appoint a cabinet member.
 * 8) All Petitions must be approved by a 24-hour public referendum.
 * 9) All Petitions must gain 5 signatures to proceed to a public referendum, with the exception of a recall election, which shall require 15% of the oceanic population to proceed to a referendum.

Article 4: Bill of Rights

 * 1) All Oceanic citizens shall have the right to marry or enter into a civil union with whomever, be it consensual, with exception for inter-familial relations.  Should this conflict with legislative or court-ordered standards that are held in a higher regard than this document, exception shall be inherent to this clause; the entire clause shall not be nullified.
 * 2) All citizens shall be afforded equal protection under the laws of Oceanic.
 * 3) There shall be a well regulated militia, being necessary for the security of our region.
 * 4) Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist within the Oceanic or any place subject to its jurisdiction.
 * 5) The right of Oceanic citizens to vote shall not be denied or abridged on account of race, color, sex, sexuality, gender identity, ethnicity, origin, or religion.
 * 6) All people have the rights guaranteed by the Constitution of our United States, and all rights guaranteed simply by being a human. One’s rights may not be stripped from them.
 * 7) This government's legitimacy and moral right to use state power is only justified and lawful when consented to by the people or their chosen representatives. All power is inherently from the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority.
 * 8) All may worship any religion, or none, according to the dictates of their own consciences, given there is no infringement upon the rights of others. The Oceanic legislature shall make no law respecting an establishment of an official regional religion.
 * 9) All peoples with all opinions shall be welcomed in the Oceanic. No law infringing on speech (except in cases of incitement of violence, fraud, or child pornography) shall be allowed to exert influence over the people, without the referendum consent of the people.
 * 10) No money shall be drawn from the Treasury for the benefit of any religious, or theological institution.
 * 11) No law shall violate the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable search, or seizure. No warrant shall be issued but upon probable cause.
 * 12) No person shall be put in jeopardy twice for the same offence, nor be compelled in any criminal prosecution to testify against himself.
 * 13) Offences, except murder, and treason, shall be bailable proportional to the offence. Murder, treason, and rule breaking, shall not be bailable, when the proof is evident, or the presumption strong.
 * 14) In the Oceanic, civil cases shall not have a trial by jury, only criminal cases shall.
 * 15) No ex-post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts shall ever be passed.
 * 16) The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in the Oceanic shall not be suspended unless in case of rebellion, or if public safety requires it.
 * 17) No law shall be passed restraining any of the inhabitants of the Region from assembling together in a peaceable manner to consult for their common good.
 * 18) The Oceanic shall not deprive any life, from conception to death, of their life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
 * 19) The citizens shall have the right to bear arms for their self-defense.
 * 20) No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, except in the manner prescribed by law.
 * 21) Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged on account of sex, sexuality, or gender identity.

Amendment I
The Flag of the Oceanic Commonwealth of States shall be called the Voyageur-Mangrove, and shall consist of:


 * A royal blue background, fringed on the top and bottom by a salmon and black colored samoan traditional pattern.  The height of the fringes shall be ⅕ of the height of the blue background.
 * The ratio of height to length of the flag shall be 1:2
 * In the centre of the flag shall be a white depiction of an infant mangrove tree, above which a white depiction of the kahili emblem in front of a depiction of two crossed pointed paddles, also white.
 * To the left of the mangrove there shall be a white depiction of a latte stone, and to the right of the mangrove there shall be a white depiction of a traditional Mariana canoe.

The official symbolism of the flag shall be as such:


 * Mangrove tree - the importance of the tree in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands; the resilience, yet delicacy of the mangrove tree, living in hostile environments, is comparable with the Oceanic Commonwealth and people.  To give recognition to the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
 * The Latte Stone - to give recognition to the people of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, and to show the importance of indigenous culture.
 * The Mariana Canoe - to give recognition to the people of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands; to show the Oceanic importance of travelling across the seas, and how despite the physical distance between areas in Oceanic, there is connection.
 * Kahili + Paddles - to give recognition to the people of Hawai’i.  To show the importance of travelling the seas to Oceanic, and to show Oceanic unity; to show the importance of indigenous culture, and a resistance to colonialism.
 * Samoan Pattern on Fringes - to give recognition to the people of American Samoa; to show the importance of indigenous culture.
 * Salmon coloring of fringes - to give recognition to the people of Alaska, by including the color associated with the Salmon fish, prevalent in Alaska.
 * Blue background - to show the importance of the sea and ocean.