General elections were held on 19 February 2023 in Cascadia to elect the President of Cascadia, the Public Advocate, and all seventeen seats in the House of Representatives for one-month terms. These were the seventh elections to be held in Cascadia, and were held alongside 3 judicial retention referendums.
Incumbent President EstiQT did not choose to stand for re-election for a second term as President. Incumbent Secretary of Recruitment Milgorn123 announced his campaign for the Presidency on February 14. His main rival in the race included Jericho mayor Akeboun. Other presidential candidates included Secretary of Defense Bachinuni, Newport resident ninjaboi601, and Banff resident BillowySplash5.
The President of Cascadia was elected by Instant Runoff Voting due to more than two candidates being on the ballot. In this system, voters complete a closed ballot on google forms, numbering candidates 1, 2, 3, etc. in order of their preference. The voting period lasts for roughly twenty four hours, however this may be a tiny bit more. Voters may mark as many or as few preferences as they wish. Each ballot is initially credited to its first-preference candidate but may be transferred on later counts to the next available preference where the first preference candidate is elected or eliminated.
House of Representatives
Members of the House of Representatives were elected by single transferable vote (STV) from 4 constituencies with between three and five seats. In this system, voters complete a closed ballot on google forms, numbering candidates 1, 2, 3, etc. in order of their preference. The voting period lasts for roughly twenty four hours, however this may be a tiny bit more. Voters may mark as many or as few preferences as they wish. Each ballot is initially credited to its first-preference candidate but may be transferred on later counts to the next available preference where the first preference candidate is elected or eliminated.
Electoral boundary changes
The Electoral Commission (formerly the House Standing Committee on Apportionment) convened in early January 2023 under the provisions of Section 2, Article III of the Constitution and made recommendations on changes to constituency boundaries due to monthly changes in population, influence, and activity. The Commission report, released on 3 January 2023, did not recommend an increase in the number of representatives, instead keeping the House at 17 members. A new constituency, Great North, was created. The commission also recommended variance in the number of members returned from each constituency, opposed to the equal number used in previous legislative elections. These changes were implemented by H.R. 22 - The Recommendation of the Apportionment Committee (Electoral Commission) for January 2023. The election of the 6th Legislature was therefore held using the new boundaries, for 17 seats.
