A Civis Guide to Nova Roma Elections

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Comitia

Comitia are formal assemblies of the citizens, convened by magistrates and having the power to make authoritative expressions of the will of the people. There are four such assemblies in Nova Roma modeled on the ancient Roman Republic.

Comitia curiata

The comitia curiata (curiate assembly) is the oldest recorded comitia in Rome. It dates from the time of the Kings; by the late Republic it had become largely ceremonial. The members of the comitia curiata are Nova Roma's lictors (lictores curiati), convened and presided over by the pontifex maximus. The duties of the comitia curiata are to invest elected and appointed magistrates with imperium, witness the appointment of the official priests and priestess of the sacra publica Romana, and ratify some adoptions, wills, and changes of status.

Comitia centuriata

The Comitia centuriata (Assembly of Centuries) is made up of all of the citizens, grouped into their respective centuries. It enacts laws that are binding upon all citizens and is also empowered to try legal cases in which a citizen is subject to permanent removal of citizenship. The offices elected by this comitia are consul, praetor and censor.[1]



Comitia populi tributa

The Comitia populi tributa (Assembly of the People) is made up of all citizens, grouped into their respective tribes. It is empowered to elect the quaestores and Curule aediles, and to enact laws and to try legal cases that do not involve permanent removal of citizenship.[2]



Comitia plebis tributa

The Comitia plebis tributa (Assembly of the Plebeians) is made up of all non-patrician citizens, grouped into their respective tribes. It elects both the plebeian aediles and the plebeian tribunes. It is also empowered to enact laws binding upon the entire citizenry (called plebiscites) and to try legal cases solely involving members of the plebeian order that do not involve permanent removal of citizenship.[3]




Magistracies

The offices and number of seats elected by the Comitia centuriata are:


Consul (2 seats)

The consulship is the highest executive magistracy of Nova Roma. The two consules are co-presidents of the republic. To stand for election as consul, a potential candidate is required to be at least 30 years old as of the effective date of office, must be assiduus, must have been a citizen of Nova Roma for at least four years, and must have previously held the position of praetor or tribunus plebis for at least six months, or served as Provincial Governor for at least three years, or held the position of Senator for a year.[4]



Praetor (2 seats)

The praetores are the second highest executive magistrates and vice-presidents of the Nova Roman Republic and are considered as lower colleagues and deputies for the [Consul (Nova Roma)|consules]]. There are two praetores in Nova Roma and their principal duty is to oversee the official fora and to administer the judicial system. To stand for election as praetor, a potential candidate is required to be at least 27 years old, must be assiduus, must have been a citizen of Nova Roma for at least three years, and must have held one or more of the following positions for at least six months: tribunus plebis, plebeian aedile, Curule aediles, quaestor, or Senator.[4]



Censor (1 seat)

Censores are very respected magistrates with the highest auctoritas to safeguard the public morality and honor but third in rank after the consules and praetores, because they do not possess imperium, and have no power to convene either the Senate or an assembly of the people. Their principal duty is to maintain the lists of citizens, equestrians and Senator. To stand for election as Censor, a potential candidate is required to be at least 30 years old, must be assiduus, must have been a citizen of Nova Roma for at least four years, and must have previously held the position of praetor or consul for at least six months, or served as Provincial Governor for at least three years, or held the position of Senator for a year.[4]




The offices and number of seats elected by the Comitia populi tributa are:


Aedilis curulis (2 seats)

All aediles are responsible for the organization of the ludi (public games), public religious events and State properties maintenance. Curule aediles specifically are also responsible for the Aedilician Fund and the Macellum. To stand for election as aedilis curulis, a potential candidate is required to be at least 25 years old, must be assiduus, must have been a citizen of Nova Roma for at least two years, and must have held the position of plebeian aedile, Provincial Governor, quaestor, or a Senator for at least six months.[4]


Quaestor (8 seats)

There are eight quaestores elected annually to serve as aides and financial administrators to the consules, praetores, and aediles. After eight quaestores have been elected, the newly elected senior magistrates are consulted and asked which of the new quaestores they wish to have assigned to them. The new consules make the final determination of this, publishing an edict assigning quaestores to senior magistrates. Each quaestor may be assigned additional duties by the consules aa a diribitor, custos or rogator if there are not enough citizens serving in these positions.[5]

To stand for election as quaestor, a potential candidate is required to be at least 21 years old, must be assiduus, must have been a citizen of Nova Roma for at least one year, and must have previously held the position of an apparitor for at least six months of service.[4]




The offices and number of seats elected by the Comitia plebis tributa are:


Aedilis plebis (2 seats)

All aediles are responsible for the organization of the ludi (public games), plebeian events and State properties maintenance. Candidates for aedilis plebis must be citizens in good standing for at least six full months before taking office. They must be of the plebeian order, assidui, and at least 21 years of age by the date of taking office.[6]


Tribunus plebis (5 seats)

The Constitution of Nova Roma provides that there shall be five tribuni plebis (Tribunes of the Plebs), who shall be elected by the Comitia plebis tributa, and who shall all be of the plebeian order. The plebeian tribunes have a special power that allows them to stop actions by other magistrates, including actions by the consules, that violate Nova Roma law. The plebeian tribunes also attend all Senate meetings and keep the citizens informed about what occurs in the Senate sessions as well as posting public reports on the outcomes of all voting with in the Senate. Candidates for tribunus plebis must be citizens in good standing, for at least six full months before taking office, of the plebeian order, assidui, and at least 25 years of age by the date of taking office.[6]




Cista

Currently, Nova Roma has two voting locations. Each voting location is called a cista.

The first location is Cista Novae Romae on the Nova Roma website. This cista was developed by a past web master for Nova Roma. Although it is outdated and work is being done to bring the site up to current web standards for usability and security, it works fine for Nova Roma elections. To vote using the Cista Novae Romae each citizen must go to his or her Album Civium page to get the link for their voter code and their ballot.[7]


The second location is votingplace.net, which is a commercial site used by many non-profit organizations for elections. This cista has served Nova Roma well over the past couple of years despite the fact that it is not fully under the control of Nova Roma. However, the CFO and the Senate have placed a high priority on developing the Cista Novae Romae or another self-hosted alternative so the considerable annual expense incurred through the use of votingplace.net for Nova Roma elections will no longer be required. If an election requires the use of ballots and voting through votingplace.net the election officials will ensure each registered citizen is sent a voter code via email along with voting instructions.


References

  1. ↑ Lex Cornelia de ratione comitiorum centuriatorum - http://novaroma.org/nr/Lex_Cornelia_de_ratione_comitiorum_centuriatorum_(Nova_Roma)
  2. ↑ Lex Cornelia de ratione comitiorum populi tributorum - http://novaroma.org/nr/Lex_Cornelia_de_ratione_comitiorum_populi_tributorum_(Nova_Roma)
  3. ↑ Lex Pompeia de ratione comitiorum plebis tributorum - http://novaroma.org/nr/Lex_Pompeia_de_ratione_comitiorum_plebis_tributorum_(Nova_Roma)
  4. ↑ 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Lex Cornelia de cursu honorum - http://www.novaroma.org/nr/Lex_Cornelia_de_cursu_honorum_(Nova_Roma)
  5. ↑ Lex Cornelia de quaestoribus - http://novaroma.org/nr/Lex_Cornelia_de_quaestoribus_(Nova_Roma)
  6. ↑ 6.1 6.2 Lex Pompeia de cursu honorum - http://www.novaroma.org/nr/Lex_Pompeia_de_cursu_honorum
  7. ↑ Simple steps for voting - http://novaroma.org/nr/Simple_steps_for_voting

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