Elections in the Kryfona Kingdom

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As a federal constitutional monarchy, the Kryfona Kingdom elects officials at a federal, provincial, and local level in most of the branches of its government. Federally, the public elects all 81 members of the Kryfonsparliszaiye, which functions as the nation's legislative branch and legislative body. In certain circumstances wherein a successor Monarch has not been appointed or is not in a position to ascend to the throne, a Monarch may also be elected to the office in a general election, although this has yet to happen in the history of the Kingdom since this reform was introduced in 1920. At the provincial level, every province has an elected governor, as well as one or two legislative bodies which likewise are elected. Most positions at the local level are elected; in some cities and regions, such positions are appointed, however. In 2013, it was estimated that there were over 170,000 elected or appointed political positions at various levels of government throughout the Kryfona Kingdom.

Federal laws typically dictate elections at all levels of government, although the federal laws surrounding the electoral process below the federal level are less comprehensive and thus vary in some capacities between provinces. For example, there are a number of provinces such as Reriskzeiy Province where a primary system rather than a party appointment system determines the party nominee to a given seat. Voter rights and how comprehensive these rights are also tends to vary by province; although there are a number of federal laws which dictate minimums for all provinces, provinces are largely in control of things such as the level of voter identification required.

Voting

Almost all Kryfona elections are determined through the process of first-past-the-post. The first-past-the-post system was established at the federal level with the Kryfonsparliszaiye, and despite some lobbying efforts by organizations opposed to the first-past-the-post system, has remained essentially unchanged since 1729. In part because of its ubiquitous nature at the federal level, most all provincial elections also employ first-past-the-post, although in some constituencies there may be a two round system. The two round system was applied to all parliamentary elections in the province of Szaras beginning in 2005; efforts to introduce it in other provinces have failed. Local elections are a mixture of electoral methods, with most still opting to use first-past-the-post but a number more using instant runoff voting or block voting.

Eligibility

The Kryfona Constitution lays out the voting rights of all Kryfona citizens; provincial constitutions and provincial legislation may endow further voting rights to citizens. Under the Kryfona Constitution, the legal voting age is 16, and voters cannot be discriminated against and prevent from voting based on any physical or mental characteristic that is protected by law (with certain exceptions). Those who are violently mentally ill or severely mentally disabled are generally not allowed to vote; those convicted of felonies who are still incarcerated are also not allowed the right to vote. This provision has been challenged repeatedly in court–most recently in 2013–by advocacy groups, but to date has not been overturned. Efforts to amend the Kryfona Constitution to allow incarcerated felons to vote have been unsuccessful historically as well. A valid provincial or federal ID is officially required to vote in federal elections; however, all Kryfona are issued such documentation upon turning 16. Some provinces may ask for more documentation to vote in provincial elections, but most do not.

Voter registration

Voter registration in the Kryfona Kingdom is essentially automatic upon turning 16. Kryfona citizens are, by law, required to register with the NMSS Draft upon turning 16, and during registration all Kryfona are given the option to register to vote. Registration does not cost money, and voters are not required to renew their registration nor register again to vote in provincial elections. At registration, voters may choose to remain unaffiliated, or affiliate themselves with a party. Most voters are not affiliated with a party. Those who do not register to vote but are eligible may opt to register at any time.

Historically, some provinces in which the primary system is used rather than party appointment required voters to be registered with a given party to vote in said party's primaries. This system was first established by the province of Fyranasaa and spread to most of the eastern provinces by the 1930s. In 1944, however, the law restricting primary voting to those affiliated with said party was challenged by a group of citizens seeking to overturn it. Similar suits were filed in Vyfarla and Yerljasqar in 1945 and 1948 respectively. In 1950, these three cases eventually found their way–as one case–to the High Court, where it was found such laws were not strictly legal per the Kryfona Constitution. Although on paper the Kryfona Constitution's voter protections regarding political affiliation only extended to federal, provincial, and local elections, the High Court ruled that primaries were essentially no different from such elections, and that therefore such laws were unconstitutional. An effort to appeal by the three provinces a year later was hard fought, but ultimately unsuccessful. Subsequently, such laws were done away with completely, and today all provincial voters are eligible to vote in any party's primaries.

Efforts to change electoral systems

Throughout the history of the Kryfona Kingdom, there have been a number of efforts–all unsuccessful thus far–to get the electoral system of the Kryfona Kingdom changed from first-past-the-post to another system, traditionally instant runoff voting. The most influential of these efforts are noted below:

  • In 1927, the Electoral Change Movement established itself in Nylzsryf and advocated for a change of electoral system from first-past-the-post to instant runoff voting by way of a constitutional amendment. At the time, the Kryfona Royalist Party was the dominant party and was in a patkoaliza with a number of the KLP members of the Kryfonsparliszaiye; the group summarily rejected the efforts. Nonetheless, the Electoral Change Movement managed to get a bill introduced by a member of the Yaraan Kryfon's Movement to consider the possibility of an amendment. That bill, however, was voted down 62-19. The Electoral Change Movement also tried to influence a number of down-ballot electoral systems, such as the ones in the recently-created provinces of the Eastern Kingdom. Ultimately, however, the ECM failed to have any serious influence on the provincial systems, and by 1929 the movement had collapsed.
  • Between 1946 and 1949, three motions to establish a commission on the electoral processes and system of the Kryfona Kingdom were introduced to the Kryfonsparliszaiye by the Yaraan Kryfon's Movement who, at the time, were in a government with the KLP. Although there was a broad support among both parties to look into the effectiveness of the first-past-the-post system, they encountered stiff resistance from KRP hardliners and a number of the "Royalist Loyalist" members who could not afford to be as liberal as the party. Subsequently, these otherwise-popular motions failed 45-36, 43-38, and 45-36 respectively when put to a vote.
  • A proposal to transition to a system based off of instant runoff vote by the year 2000 was introduced to the Kryfonsparliszaiye in 1960 by an MP of the Yaraan Kryfon's Movement with the support of several Kryfona Loyalist Party MPs; however, with the opposition of the majority of the KLP and KRP, the proposal failed by a vote of 60-21.
  • The New Electoral Change Movement, founded in 1974 out of the city of Uszyaa, established itself as a new campaign effort to instate instant runoff voting, and progressively grew in influence through the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1986, the movement pressured Aryela Party leader Layăn Togirika to introduce legislation to the Kryfonsparliszaiye in an effort to force a debate on the matter. Togirika refused; nonetheless, the Movement did force a bill into the Kryfonsparliszaiye through the United Kryfona Party in 1987. That bill narrowly failed by a vote of 42-39. At local levels, the movement managed to influence a number of locales to change from first-past-the-post to instant runoff vote, and although it has waned slightly in influence it remains an extant movement today. It has not pressed the issue federally since 1987, however. This is the last serious instance of an effort to change the voting system of the Kryfona Kingdom at the federal level, although the issue remains a plank for many of the smaller parties in the Kingdom.

Absentee and early voting

Absentee voting and early voting both are allowed at the federal and provincial level; local elections may vary in whether or not they allow either practice. In both federal and provincial elections, early voting for abroad citizens always begins one month before election day–usually 1 September–and for domestic citizens half a month before the election–usually 15 September. All eligible voters can request a ballot to vote early, and no reason is required to vote early.

Absentee voting is less frequent, and typically begins on 1 September for both domestic and foreign citizens. Typically a reason is required for an absentee ballot.