The Constitution of the April Knights

Preamble

Our Order was founded in the days of the Button as a force of balance and a beacon of hope. We strive to spread the glory of our Order far and wide, to unite the people of Reddit towards a common goal, and to oppose the evil forces of chaos that seek to ruin the fun of the April Events.

Article 1 - The Grandmaster

Section 1 - Position

  1. The position of Grandmaster is supreme commander of all Knight forces and is the chief executive. The Grandmaster has full power to exert their authority over all operations.

Section 2 - Appointment

  1. The Grandmaster is voted in by the consent of our order by a popular vote.
  2. To be eligible to run for Grandmaster, a candidate must both have the rank of Captain or higher, and have participated in two full campaigns.
  3. Additionally, a candidate cannot nominate themselves, and must have another Knight nominate them for the position and a second Knight to second that nomination. Only then can the nominee accept and register as a candidate for election.
  4. The Grandmaster shall serve a term lasting from the moment they are sworn in until the next Grandmaster is sworn in.

Section 3 - Powers

  1. The Grandmaster has full authority to declare war and negotiate all treaties during times of both peace and war.
  2. The Grandmaster has the power to introduce legislation.

Article 2 - The Upper Council

Section 1 - Membership

  1. The Upper Council shall consist of the Grandmaster, the First Ranger, the First Herald, the First Builder, the Grand Inquisitor, the leader of the Arcanaeum, and up to two advisors, all appointed by the Grandmaster.
  2. The Grandmaster shall have the power to change their Upper Council upon being elected to office. If a member of the Upper Council leaves of their own choice, the Grandmaster shall have the power to appoint one new person to the Upper Council, moving seats if necessary. Further than this, if the Grandmaster wishes to make changes to the Upper Council, they may petition for the consent of the Lower Council via a simple majority vote no sooner than three months since the last Upper Council change.

Section 2 - Powers

  1. The Upper Council has the power to introduce legislation.

Article 3 - The Lower Council

Section 1 - Membership

  1. Each battalion commander will be a member of the Lower Council and is entitled to one vote therein.
  2. If a battalion commander has obligations in the Upper Council, the battalion’s First Officer, whatever their official rank is, will take their Commander’s place in the Lower Council.
  3. Should there be a case where a Battalion is represented in the Lower Council by a First Officer and that individual is called to also serve on the Upper Council, the position of First Officer must be passed to the next individual worthy of the responsibility of serving in the Lower Council for their Battalion.

Section 2 - Powers

  1. The Lower Council has the power to introduce legislation.

Article 4 - Legislation

Section 1 - Viewing

  1. All proposed legislation must have the ability to be viewed by the public for 2 weeks before voting.
  2. If legislation needs to be passed during an April Event, Section 1.1 can be waived.

Section 2 - Voting

  1. All legislation must pass both Councils with an absolute majority and be approved by the Grandmaster.
  2. The Grandmaster has the power to veto all legislation either Council passes. Both Councils have the power to bypass a veto with two-thirds absolute majority of both Councils voting in favor of the legislation.

Article 5 - The Battalions

Section 1 - Creation

  1. The Grandmaster has the authority to raise battalions, either new or through reinstatement, with a simple majority of the Upper Council.

Section 2 - Leadership

  1. The Grandmaster has the power to nominate candidates for commanders of any battalions raised.
  2. New appointments are confirmed by a simple majority of the Upper Council.

Article 6 - Emergency Powers

Section 1 - Enactment

  1. Both Councils have the power to grant emergency powers to the Grandmaster. This suspends the authority of both Councils.
  2. Invoking Article 6 must be approved by two thirds absolute majority of both Councils.
  3. The duration of Article 6 must be specified when being enacted.
  4. Article 6 cannot last more than 6 months after it is passed by the Councils.

Section 2 - Power

  1. The Grandmaster shall be granted absolute power for the duration of Article 6.
  2. The Grandmaster shall have immunity for the duration of Article 6 and shall have immunity for all actions during.
  3. The Grandmaster cannot use the mentioned absolute power to extend the duration of Article 6.

Section 3 - Rejection

  1. The Grandmaster has the power to reject Article 6 at any time against both Councils wishes.
  2. Should this occur, a two-thirds absolute majority vote of both Councils can give specific temporary powers, never absolute power, to an individual that is not the Grandmaster. The Councils cannot bestow these powers without the Grandmaster’s rejection of Article 6 being enacted at that time.

Section 4 - Revocation

  1. An early revocation of Article 6 proposed by a body other than the Grandmaster must be approved by two thirds absolute majority of both Councils.

Article 7 - Amendments

Section 1 - Enactment

  1. The Councils have the power to propose amendments to this constitution. The amendment must be ratified through a two thirds absolute majority in both Councils to be added to this constitution.

Definitions

  1. “Absolute majority”: The number of Yes votes must be counted against the total number of Yes, No, Abstain, and Absent. Unless specified otherwise, the default threshold for “majority” is over half.
  2. “Simple majority”: The number of Yes votes must be counted against the total number of Yes or No. Abstaining or failing to vote lowers the required Yes votes to pass.
  3. “Officer”: A Knight with the rank of Sergeant or higher.
  4. “Campaign”: The yearly Reddit April Fool’s event.