As of the start of the 2011 session, the new ERA (passed in 1999) has been ratified by the legislatures of 33 states. Following the admission of Puerto Rico as the 51st state, the amendment needs to be ratified by at least 39 states in order to take effect.
The following map shows the states that have ratified the 1999 ERA in green, and the states that have not (yet) ratified it in red:
The following is a slightly more detailed map. In blue are the states that had ratified the old (1972) ERA but have not ratified the new one. In yellow are the states that had once ratified the 1972 ERA but then rescinded it (and have not ratified the 1999 ERA).
(OOC) Ongoing Ratification Process
The Set-Up:
- The attempted ratification process will be run as a two day mini-game. For IG purposes, this simulates all ratification-related activity that takes place during the entire session. No other ratification/rescission attempts are in order.
- States that have not ratified the ERA can attempt to ratify it. States that have already ratified it can attempt to rescind the ratification. A combination of 39 states must have a valid ratification in place at the same time in order to officially enact the ERA.
- Day 1 of the Mini-Game = "Docket Access", or getting various state legislatures to bring a ratification/rescission brought up for a vote. To successfully get on a docket, the measure needs the support of either (a) a majority of the state majority party's legislators, OR (b) 2/3 of the total state legislators. If you don't have the majority party's leadership on your side or enough legislators to override the leader's authority, no vote occurs and the ratification/rescission attempt dies after the first day. At the end of Day 1, we put out a list of states where ratifications or rescissions have been brought up for a vote. These states are then in play for Day 2.
- Day 2 = "Floor Vote", or getting a ratification/rescission passed by the legislature. To be successful with either a ratification or a rescission, a simple majority of the state legislators must vote in favor. If you don't achieve majority support, the vote fails.
- If the process doesn't result in 39 states ratifying, the mini-game can be repeated once per session with the request of at least 3 governors.
Influencing the Votes:
- Endorsements: Any player can make an endorsement, either for/against the ERA (a pro-ERA endorsement means both pro-ratification and anti-rescission). Housies are influential in their home state. Senators are influential within their region. Governors and Lt Governors are influential within their superregions. Congressional Leadership (PPT, Speaker, SML, SmL, HML, HmL) are influential nationwide. Endorsement threads will be opened shortly and will remain open until the end of Day 1.
- Rallies: Players may participate in one event per day, asking voters to call their legislators and tell them to vote for/against a ratification/rescission. Housies can rally in their home state. Senators can rally anywhere in their region. Gov/Lt Gov can rally anywhere in their superregions. Congressional Leadership can rally anywhere nationwide. You should include an event-length speech (including soundbyte), a state, and a demographic target. Appearing at a combined rally alongside other players will result in a bonus -- even moreso if two players from opposite parties appear together. In order to combine a rally, all players must include a list of everyone who's speaking at the rally.
- Money: I will take volunteers to head up the funding for the pro-ERA and anti-ERA efforts. Both sides will get a total of $25 million starting money, to be allocated amongst different states. A modest dose of momentum money will be handed out after Day 1 (think $5-10 million or so). Officially, this money is spent on advertisements telling voters to call their state legislators to support/oppose the ERA, but you do not have to actually write an ad -- just allocate the money. If you are interested in heading up one side's spending, send me a PM by 23:59 ET on Wednesday night.
Ratification Schedule:
May 10 (Tuesday) - Endorsement threads opened
May 12 (Thursday) - Last day to volunteer to handle funding for either side
May 13 (Friday) - Day 1 (Docket Access); funding and events due by 23:59 ET; endorsement threads close at 23:59 ET
May 14 (Saturday) - Day 2 (Floor Votes); Docket Access results posted; funding and events due by 23:59 ET
May 15 (Sunday) - RESULTS
