House Elections Rules

Overview

Beginning with the 2016 election cycle, the House majority will be determined according to a head-to-head election between caucuses, combining strategic elements of resource allocation and events-based campaigning. The party that had the higher vote total during the previous session will go into the election with an advantage, but may not necessarily win the majority for the next session.

Seats

1) As a matter of simplicity, parties are not competing for specific seats, but rather the proportion of seats in each superregion. Campaigning done in a superregion may increase the number of seats a party wins there, but parties can't target an individual seat at the expense of other seats in the same region.

2) Seats won and lost are only for the purpose of providing election results and determining the majority. These results do not limit players' freedom to choose whichever House district they'd like to represent.

Polls and Results

1) Polling and results will be given in a superregion-by-superregion format, giving you the total number of safe seats for each party along with the total number of "swing" seats. Given enough resources and quality campaigning, it is possible to win seats which were considered safe for the opposing party, but it's not easy.

2) Pre-polls will be determined based on current majority status, party platforms, demographics, and the presence of powerful, active, and/or popular Housies in each superregion. The better and more influential the Housies who represent a superregion, the more favorable their party's pre-poll will be. The home states of all leadership positions -- including Speaker, HML/HmL, HMW/HmW, and Chair/RM -- will all be taken into account.

Funding

1) Each party will be given a warchest of funds at the start of each election, determined by the Admins according to a number of factors. These warchests are final -- there are no transfers into or out of House Election coffers. The factors that determine the size of the warchests are:

• Vote totals - This is by far the most heavily weighted factor. Each caucus will receive money based on the average number of Housies they have participating in final votes on bills throughout the session. Every bill from the start of the session until the start of elections will be included in the calculation.

• Other factors - The House Admin will also take legislative accomplishments and spin (ie. effective use of press offices) into account when determining starting funds. This may involve regular or one-time bonuses throughout the session, and/or looking back on the overall body of work of each caucus and adjusting the funding totals accordingly. As a rule of thumb, quality is favored over quantity, and consistency will be rewarded.

2) On each day, each party may allocate a maximum of 40% of its total starting warchest amongst the 8 different superregions to improve their chances of winning seats there. These expenditures work just like Org, except that there are no pre-set cost levels -- the amount spent is up to the discretion of the party leadership.

3) By default, the HML and HmL are in charge of posting the funding decisions on behalf of the party (as well as posting the party platform). In the leader's absence, another Housie may post funding decisions on behalf of the caucus, but if the leader posts a different set of numbers for the same day, the leader's post takes precedence. The same character -- even the HML/HmL -- may not simultaneously run the House election and run for higher office.

Events

In addition to the funding, players may submit events to influence the voters in each superregion. Events should target Democrats/Independents/Republicans, but the points go toward the entire superregion as opposed to individual states. Except for the HML/HmL who are campaigning around the country, there is no need to designate a location for a House Election event.

Leader

1) The HML/HmL may submit three events per day, including one marquee, in any superregion. In the leader's absence, another Housie may post three nationwide events, but if the leader also posts, his events take precedence.

2) The maximum scores for leaders vary according to the title they hold; the higher your rank, the more points you're eligible for. HML/HmL/Speaker are eligible for maximum points, followed by Whips, followed by Chairs/RMs, and finally, non-ranking Housies. Please include any titles you hold with each day's events, or list them in your signature.

Other Representatives

1) One representative per superregion from each party may submit one event per day in their home region.

2) The maximum scores for non-leaders are the same as listed above, but their scores will have less of an effect than those of the leader. Please include any titles you hold with each day's events, or list them in your signature.

3) The same character may not submit events for the House elections and run for higher office in the same cycle.

4) Players with House Multis are allowed to participate so long as their primary characters are not running for higher office.

CTs

1) Each party may have a maximum of 2 non-Housies per day CT for them, subject to the standard CT rules. If more than 2 CTs are posted on a given day, the grading admin will ignore all but the first 2 unless instructed otherwise.

2) All players participating in House Elections may CT in other races if they are otherwise eligible to do so.

Penalties & Defaults

1) Platforms, events, or funding decisions posted 24 hours late or less will be subject to a late penalty. Anything posted more than 24 hours late will not be counted, nor will any late items on day 4.

2) If more than one Housie from the same region posts events for the same day, and the leader has not provide a list of authorized campaigners, only the event posted first will be graded.

3) In the event of a default, all safe seats will remain in the hands of the party that was favored to win them, but all swing seats will go to the party that did not default. The following actions may result in a default:

• Being more than 24 hours late on posting a party platform
• Plagiarism in the leader's events (plagiarism in a non-leader's events will result in all swing seats for just that region going to the other party)
• Other actions as determined by the grading admin on a case-by-case basis

MOV Bonus Votes

1) In addition to the winning party becoming the new majority, the margin of victory in House Elections will be converted to Bonus Votes to be awarded to the majority party for use throughout the next session. The grading admin will announce the next session's Bonus Votes along with the election results.

2) The Speaker of the House (or whomever is presiding over the vote) may then cast that many extra votes on each final vote (NOT on amendments or procedural motions) throughout the next session, in addition to his or her own vote. These Bonus Votes represent party hacks who always vote as instructed, but should be listed separately in the official breakdown by party. These votes will not be included when determining session-long vote counts for the next cycle of House Elections.

3) The maximum number of Bonus Votes to be awarded is 5.

Fundraising

Eligible House members may conduct fundraisers to supplement their party's House election coffers. Except where otherwise noted below, House election fundraisers will be subject to the same rules and guidelines as personal fundraising.

1) Each caucus may have a maximum of 10 fundraisers per cycle to supplement their election coffers. Similar to Party Press outlets, House fundraising threads will be moderated by the leadership of each respective caucus.

2) Only individual members of the House who are not running for another office in the current cycle are eligible to post fundraisers. If a player posts a House fundraiser and later files with the FEC for the same session prior to the first fundraising deadline, the House fundraiser will be discounted. This shall not exclude Housies from conducting personal off-cycle fundraisers for future sessions.

3) No player may post more than two (2) House fundraisers per cycle.

4) A player who runs in a Presidential primary may participate in House fundraising and elections if he drops out before the deadline to enter a Senate or Governor's race. However, any such player will be allowed to post only one House fundraiser for that cycle if he posts at least one but no more than half of his allotted presidential fundraisers. Posting more than half of the allotted presidential fundraisers disqualifies a player from House fundraising.

5) Each caucus may post a maximum of three (3) Headliner events per cycle, as defined in the Fundraising rules. The rest must be Grassroots. Contrary to the general fundraising rules, Grassroots events need not be posted prior to Headliner events.

6) The higher the player's rank (eg. chair/RM, whip, HML/HmL, Speaker), the more money may potentially be raised at the fundraiser.



PAC Donations

Each House caucus may apply to Political Action Committees for funding to supplement their election coffers each cycle.

1) The eight Permanent PACs, which shall be controlled by the House Admin, are as follows:

• Liberal PACS: AFL-CIO, ACLU, NOW, Sierra Club
• Conservative PACS: API, CC, CFG, NRA

2) In addition to the above, each caucus may apply to one (1) other PAC of the party's own choice. This may be a group representing a particular industry which the caucus feels it has served during the past session, an ideological lobbying group, or virtually any other realistic PAC subject to the House Admin's approval. The caucus chooses the group and makes its pitch, and the Admin simulates the group's donation. If you don't know the name of a specific group, you can just say something like "Realtors" or "Pro-gun control lobbyists." Caucuses are free to name a different PAC each cycle or to stick with the same one again and again.

3) PACs can distribute funds in two forms: Hard Money and Soft Money

• Hard Money is transferred directly to the party's House election efforts in a specific region of the PAC's choosing and may not be spent elsewhere by the caucus. Hard Money is intended to reward the efforts of individual Congress members toward achieving the PACs' respective policy goals, and will be allocated in these members' home districts.
• Soft Money is transferred to the party's House election coffers and may be spent in any region along with the rest of their funds. Soft Money is intended to reward the efforts of the caucus as a whole toward achieving the PACs' respective policy goals.

4) The eight Permanent PACs can each donate a maximum of $15 million per cycle in Soft Money and $5 million per cycle in Hard Money. The two Ad Hoc PACs chosen by the respective caucuses can each donate a maximum of $5 million per cycle in Soft Money and $2 million per cycle in Hard Money. However, PACs will rarely donate the maximum amount. It will take a lot to get a PAC energized enough to donate as much as they have.