QUICK SHEET · CONSTITUTION OF THE FEDERATED REPUBLIC
States, Territories & Indigenous Nations
How a place rises to statehood, falls from it, or leaves entirely — all by audited standards rather than political favor. Statehood is earned by passing an audit, not granted by a vote; and Indigenous sovereignty is acknowledged as something that precedes the Republic, not conferred by it.
Article XV · §15.1–§15.9
Article XVI · §16.1–§16.5
Article XVI · §16.1–§16.5
The Status Ladder — Statehood Is Earned, Not Voted — §15.1–§15.3
§15.1
Territory
Elected local authority, Article I protections, social-state access, proportional Assembly seats (no Senate seats). May begin the Statehood pathway.
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§15.2 · THE AUDIT
Statehood Audit
The JMC administers — pass it and you advance. No political vote required. Fail and you get published findings and may resubmit.
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§15.1.a
Provisional Status
Full self-government continues uninterrupted. Statehood becomes automatic on a second consecutive clean audit — no ceremony, no gatekeeper.
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§15.3 · DECLINE
Mandatory Devolution
Three consecutive failed audits (each with an Early Warning + Remediation Plan) send a State back to Provisional status. The ladder runs both ways.
The Voluntary Exits — §15.4, §15.9
Devolution & Merger §15.4
60% State referendum→
2/3 Senate ratifies
A State may restructure its relationship with the Republic. A binding, NRS-published agreement sets asset allocation, timeline, successor status, and continuing obligations.
Independence §15.9
2/3 legislature→
60% vote, 60% turnout→
irrevocable
A State may leave entirely. Once the Elections Panel publishes the petition, the choice is irrevocable — and the Republic may not prefer, discourage, or obstruct it. Failed? Barred 5 years.
Indigenous Nations — Sovereignty Acknowledged, Not Granted — §16.1–§16.5
Prior sovereignty, recognized§16.1 · Bilateral Compact
The Republic's framework does not create Indigenous sovereignty — it recognizes sovereignty that precedes it. The Republic deals with recognized nations as sovereign nations. During the Transition Window each recognized nation makes a founding status election (§16.2): Associated Community (the default — a sovereign nation in an Article XX compact, held automatically if no election is made), or Territorial Integration (entering as a Territory via §15.6, Statehood pathway open). After founding, a nation may seek recognition under §16.4; predecessor treaties bind the Republic regardless of status (§16.3).
Numbers Worth Remembering
0
political votes to become a State — the Audit alone decides (§15.2).
2
consecutive clean audits from Provisional status = automatic Statehood (§15.1.a).
3
consecutive failures trigger Mandatory Devolution back to Provisional (§15.3).
60%
referendum bar for devolution and for independence (with 60% turnout) (§15.4, §15.9).