Lex Vedia de ratione comitiorum centuriatorum (Nova Roma)

In accordance with paragraph III.B. of the Constitution of Nova Roma, the Lex Vedia de Ratione Comitiorum Centuriatorum is hereby enacted to set forth the rules and procedures for debate and the taking of votes within the comitia centuriata.

I. A consul or urban praetor may call the comitia centuriata to vote on a law, hear a legal case, or elect magistrates as described in paragraph III.B. of the Constitution of Nova Roma. The following procedure shall be used:

A.The presiding magistrate (defined as the highest-ranked magistrate present who holds imperium shall, in a public forum (such as the official email list, the official web site, or other venues which shall be provided for the purpose) convene the comitia and publish one or more of the following, along with the deadline by which voting must be completed:

• 1.In the case of a law, the content of the rogationes (proposals to be voted upon). While each proposal must deal with only a single topic, multiple proposals may be considered and voted on by the comitia at the same time.
• 2.In the case of a magisterial election, the names of the candidates and the offices for which they stand.
• 3.In the case of a legal case, the charges, names of the litigants, and consequences facing the defendant.
  

B.The people shall thenceforth engage in contio (discussion) of the various proposals, candidates, or merits of the case. This contio (period of discussion) shall last at least long

enough for three nundinia (market days) to have passed during the interval. Within the first twenty-four hours after the convening of the comitia, the right of intercessio or nuntiatio may be exercised by those Constitutionally empowered to do so.

C.Voting on the proposal shall begin following the first market day following the publication of the proposal. The diribitores and custodes (election officials) shall tally the vote and present the result to the presiding magistrate. Voting shall be done by centuries; a plurality of the members of each century shall determine the vote of the century as a whole. A plurality of the centuries shall then decide the issue. The presiding magistrate shall then publish the result of the vote in at least the same forum as the original vote was called.

II. Leges saturae, which are laws which deal with more than one topic, may not be enacted by the comitia centuriata. Laws dealing with different aspects of the same topic shall not fall into this category.

[ As is the case with the two preceding laws, and others to follow, the term "rogator" has been replaced with those of "diribitores" and "custodes" in accordance with the Lex Equitia de Vigintisexviris and praetorian edictum. The rogatores now assist the censores in registering new citizens; the diribitores and custodes perform the duties of tallying votes and certifying elections formerly assigned to the rogatores. The censores do not participate in these functions, so the phrase "with the assistance of the censors" has also been removed].

Notes

The word "trinundium," which does not exist, has been replaced with the term "contio," for that is the intent as demonstrated by the comment in parentheses. It is unlikely that "trium nundinum," a genitive plural signifying a twenty-four day period, is meant by this.