Comitia centuriata (Nova Roma)

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The comitia centuriata is one of three voting assemblies within Nova Roma. The main function of this assembly is to elect the year's two praetors, two consuls and one of the two censors. It is sometimes called to vote during the year on laws but this function is usually performed in the comitia populi tributa.

Every citizen is grouped into one of 51 centuries. Originally, Nova Roma followed ancient Roman practice and had 193 centuriae. This was abandoned due to insufficient numbers of citizens.

The placement of citizens into a centuria rises and falls depending on the attainment of century points. While in ancient Rome financial assets determined the assignment of citizens into centuries, the Lex Fabia Centuriata places point values on the holding of offices, length of citizenship, participation in various sodalites and the censors than group the appropriate number of citizens who have approximately the same numbers of points together. The idea of buying century points has arisen in the past but has generally been rejected.

The voting procedure in the comitia centuriata, defined by Lex Fabia de ratione comitiorum centuriatorum, is sequencial. In a first voting round only citizens of the centuria praerogativa can vote. This centuria praerogativa is select by lot from the centuries of the first Class (see below). In a second voting round only citizens of the centuries of the first class, including citizens of the centuria praerogativa that have not yet vote, can vote. In the third and final round all citizens, including any citizen from class I centuries that have not yet vote, can vote.

The division of the centuries by the five classes are defineded by the Lex Octavia altera de comitiis centuriatis resulting in the following division:

Centuries I to XIV: Class I

Centuries XV to XXVI: Class II

Centuries XXVII to XXXVI: Class III

Centuries XXXVII to XLIV: Class IV

Centuries XLV to L: Class V

Century LI: Capite Censi