Draft:Federal Commonwealth of Cascadia

Federal Commonwealth of Cascadia
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Of the people, by the people, for the people"
Anthem: "O Cascadia!"
Territories of Cascadia
Status	Active
Location	Tacoma, Washington, United States
Capital	Olympia
Largest	Seattle
Official languages	English, Latin
Recognised national languages	Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese
Ethnic groups (2022)	65.1% White (non-Hispanic) 14% Hispanic 10.2% Asian 4% Black 1% American Indian 5.7% Other
Religion (2022)	36.27% Cascadianism 24.90% Christianity 9.50% Islam 7.08% Hinduism 6.62% Buddhism 5.61% Folk religions 0.79% Other
Demonym(s)	Cascadian
Government	Federal semi-presidential republic
• President	Alexander Scott-Perez
• First Lady/Gentleman	Brianna Scott-Perez
• Chancellor	Romin Millan '
• President of the Senate	Vacant
• Speaker of the House	Vacant
Legislature	Congress
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Independence  from the United States
• Independence	25 January 2020
• Constitutional Convention Convened	14 September 2023
• Constitution Adopted	2 August 2024
• Provisional Republic	25 January 2020–2 August 2024
• Guerilla War	17 February 2020–22 May 2023
Area
• Total	651,274 km2 (251,458 sq mi)
Population
• 2024 estimate	13,743,000
• 2022 census	13,658,300
Membership	3
Currency	Cascadian florin
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PST)
Date format	mm/dd/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+1
Internet TLD	.com

The Federal Commonwealth of Cascadia, more commonly known as Cascadia, is a micronation in the Cascadian bioregion. Cascadia claims the former United States states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Cascadia has 6 states which make up the second highest level of governance in the nation, under the federal government. Cascadia has faced a tumultuous first years, plagued by three years of guerilla warfare during the Guerilla War under a weak and often times unstable and uncoordinated Provisional Government. The Cascadian government recently ended the Guerilla War, and proceded to convene a constitutional convention to enforce democratic rule of law.

The Cascadian House of Representatives(House) and Senate make up the Congress, Cascadia's legislative branch. The House is elected by proportional representation, with nationally registered parties being eligible to participate in elections. The House elects the Chancellor, whilst the Senate approves nominations for the Cabinet and other federal appointees. The High Court of Justice is the de jure head of the Judicial Branch, and serves as the highest appellate court, and the only court able to rule on the constitutionality of cases before it. The President leads the Executive Branch, delegating significant authority to the Chancellor and the Cabinet to oversee daily functioning and law enforcement.

Due to the recent war scarring significant portions of Cascadia, the nation has prioritized internal development over foreign entanglements. The federal government's official foreign policy remains maintaining friendly relations with neighboring nations, whilst avoiding relations that would take away its goal of reconstruction.

Etymology

The Cascadian nation derives its name from the bioregion it lays claim to. The bioregion takes its name from the Cascade Range that cuts through the area.

History

The Federal Commonwealth of Cascadia attained independence from the United States on January 25, 2020 under a Provisional Government. The initial cause for independence is listed as high support for bioregionalism among the population. The Provisional Government was led by a Council of National Salvation, with seven members. The National Council was established to maintain order and establish a constitution for Cascadia.

During the first three years of independence, the Provisional Government faced insurrection from several paramilitary organizations throughout the nation. Called the Guerilla War, due to the style of fighting engaged by the insurrection groups, the insurrectionist groups fought to control the constitution's writers. Left-wing militias fighting was centered in the Portland area, targeting mainly infrastructure and political assassinations. Right-wing militias were spread out much farther then their left-wing counterparts, and targeted military targets throughout Idaho and eastern Oregon. The Council of National Salvation paused efforts to create a constitution to handle the insurrectionist militias.

State Governments had military governors installed in early 2022, and transferred state powers to the military to help fight the insurrections. Military governors in the western states often times utilized less military powers over their populations due to the significantly lower insurrectionist groups located there. Harsh military actions in eastern states led to the conclusion of the insurrection by destroying most groups capability of fighting. Several groups still exist but their presence is hidden from the public and they lack the resources to fight the federal government openly.

In March of 2023, Colonel Alexander Scott, Military Governor of the State of Washington, led a coups of the National Council. The National Council was housed in the former Washington State Senate Chamber, protected by a military police company of the Cascadian Army. Colonel Scott used connections with the Chief of Staff of the Army to stage a bloodless coups by arresting the members of the National Council. By May, major anti-insurrection operations had concluded, and Colonel Scott, at this time Acting President, convened a constitutional convention involving local leaders of all backgrounds to establish a free democracy.

Politics and government

The Federal Commonwealth of Cascadia follows a three branch style republic, having an Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches all separate from each other. The Executive Branch, led by the President and the Chancellor, enforces the laws of the nation. The President nominates all cabinet secretaries on the Chancellor's recommendation.

The Legislative Branch is comprised of the Cascadian Congress, a bicameral body, responsible for passing the nations laws and confirming federal office nominations. The Congress is also responsible for holding investigations into government misconduct from the other branches.

The Judicial Branch, with the High Court of Justice as the De Jure leader of the branch interprets laws. The federal government has a series of lower courts to try violations of federal law. Federal Appellate Courts under the High Court, with federal District Courts as the lowest.

Early government

The Provisional Government of Cascadia was led by the Council of National Salvation, a seven member body that was the supreme executive, legislative, and judicial authority. During the Guerilla War, the National Council established military governors for the states. These military governors started as attaches to the original civilian governors, but as the war continued the military governors started usurping more authority until they were the only type of governors.

For the last year of the Provisional Government, the military had near total control of the state. The National Council was eventually disbanded by a military coups which eventually led to the democratic reforms seen in the current Cascadian government.

{President}

The President of the Federal Commonwealth is the Head of State, and De Jure leader of the Executive Branch. The President nominates all cabinet secretaries, federal judges, diplomats, and other federal offices. The President exercises the power to create "Executive Orders" to dictate the Executive Branches enforcement of the law. The President is elected in a three stage electoral process, all by popular vote.

{Chancellor}

The Chancellor is the Head of Government, leading the President's Cabinet and handling the daily functioning of the government. The Chancellor is elected by the House of Representatives, and must maintain the confidence of the House to stay in office.

{Cascadian Congress}

The Cascadian Congress is a bicameral legislature comprised of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Both chambers are elected by the people and are responsible for the creation of laws.

Senate

The Senate is a 119 member chamber, elected from single member districts of equal numbers of constituents. The Senate acts as a regulatory chamber, reviewing the laws created in the House of Representatives and approving nominations for federal offices. The Senate acts as the judge and jury during impeachment trials initiated in the House. The Senate appoints one of its members to be the President of the Senate, leading sessions of the Senate and who is first in line for the presidency if vacated before an election.

House of Representatives

The House of Representatives is a 238 member chamber, elected by proportional representation. The House creates laws, and reviews laws created by the Senate. The House appoints the Chancellor, typically the leader of the largest party, who must serve with the House's confidence. The House is the only chamber of Congress that may initiate impeachments and declarations of war.

Legislative Actions of the People

Cascadian citizens who are registered to vote have the ability to create initiatives or referendums which will be approved by all voters on the election immediately after the initiative or referendum is proposed.

Political parties

Political parties are an essential part of the Cascadian political system, with the focus of their responsibility being to represent as much of the publics views as possible by allowing as many parties as possible participate in government.

Logo		Name		Ideology	Political Position	Leader	House	Senate	Cabinet
		Unity for Cascadia Party	UCP	Market Liberal Federalist Pro-Democracy Social Liberal	Center-Left	Alexander Scott-Perez	124 / 238	63 / 119	5 / 5
		Democratic-Republican Party	DR	Agrarianism Social Conservative Populism Pro-Democracy	Center-Right	Vacant	114 / 238	56 / 119	0 / 5

Law and order

The justice system is split between the Judicial Branch and the Executive Branch. Law Enforcement is responsible for investigating and enforcing Cascadian Laws, and the Judiciary is responsible for sentencing and interpreting laws.

Judiciary

The High Court of Justice is the highest court in Cascadia, acting as an appellate court except for cases involving states as both parties or foreign parties are involved. The federal Circuit Courts are the regular appellate courts, with the first circuit overseeing Washington and Lincoln, the second circuit overseeing Columbia and Idaho, and the third circuit overseeing Multnomah and Oregon. The federal District Courts are the lowest federal courts, acting with original jurisdiction of cases. Each state has its own federal District Court overseeing it.

Federal Law Enforcement

All Executive Branch agencies and departments have law enforcement powers, but direct policing authority has been mainly left to the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of the Interior.

The primary federal law enforcement agencies are the Federal Intelligence and Security Agency, which mainly serves as an investigatory agency, the Cascadian Marshal Service, which captures fugitives, the Drug and Alcohol Enforcement Agency, which investigates drug and alcohol crimes, and the Customs and Border Protection Agency, which protects the nations borders.

All federal law enforcement agencies must meet the Department of Homeland Security's regulations and training standards. Federal law enforcement, and state and local agencies who receive federal funding, must meet federal standards to standardize policing and increase cooperation between agencies nation wide.

Military

The Cascadian Self Defense Forces is the military of the Federal Commonwealth. The Self Defense Forces are made up of the Cascadian Ground Defense Force, Maritime Defense Force, Air & Space Defense Force, and Marine Corps. The Secretary of Defense is the civilian and highest ranking leader of the Self Defense Forces. The Defense Forces are divided into three departments, the Department of the Air Forces, the Department of the Ground Forces, and the Department of the Maritime Forces all led by a civilian Secretary.

Ground Defense Force

The Cascadian Ground Defense Force is the primary land fighting force. They are the largest branch with there being a standing force of 135,000 and 300,000 in reserves in 2022. They are equipped with the standard M-16 Assault Rifle.

The CGDF is comprised of three corps, each with having three divisions assigned. The reserves are designed to create an additional corps when activated. The Chief of Staff of the Ground Defense Force is the highest ranking uniformed member of the CGDF. The Chief of Staff reports directly to the Secretary of the Ground Forces.

The CGDF has several specialized units outside of the regular forces such as, the Airborne Corps, the Cascadian Rangers, and the Cascadian Special Forces. The Cascadian Special Forces are the most specialized group in the CGDF, often times only selecting individuals who are members of the other two groups.

Maritime Defense Force

The Cascadian Maritime Defense Force is the primary naval force. The have a standing force of 100,000 personnel and 210,000 reserves in 2022.

The CMDF is too small for major divisions, and is only made up of one Strike Group for defending the coast and serving operations in international waters, one Amphibious Deployable Group for transporting Marines, and one Maritime Auxiliary Group which has the CMDF's logistical crafts including fuel, food, ordnance and nearly everything that Navy ships need for extended periods of time. The force also conducts towing, rescue and salvage operations and manages floating medical facilities. These ships are operated by civilian mariners.

The CMDF is led by the Chief of Maritime Operations, who is the highest uniformed leader of the CMDF. The CMO reports directly to the Secretary of the Maritime Forces.

The CMDF has a special forces group, the Special Maritime Service. The SMS, alternative to its name, conducts missions in all environments including sea, air, and land. The SMS has a standing force of around 1,000 active members which maintains itself as the most exclusive and well trained special forces group in the Cascadian Self Defense Forces.

Air & Space Defense Force

The Cascadian Air & Space Defense Force is the aerial defense force for Cascadia. In 2022, the CASDF had a standing force of 95,000 and 63,000 reserves.

The CASDF, like the CMDF, is too small for major divisions, only having three Air Wings (equivalent to a army division). Each Wing is made up of approximately 30,000 airmen, with a total of 144 planes total in 2024. Only two of the three Wings are air capable, with the third being and administration based unit.

The Chief of Staff of Air & Space Defense is the highest ranking uniformed member of the CASDF, leading the CASDF Headquarters unit overseeing the entire force. The Chief of Staff of Air & Space Defense reports directly to the Secretary of Air & Space Defense.

The CASDF Air Wings are divide into four Groups. Each Group has three Squadrons focused on fighters, bombers, and transports. The CASDF focuses on Cybersecurity and space operations along side air defense. Space operations are currently confined to satellite supervision and defending Cascadian communication and power grids.

Marine Corps

The Cascadian Marine Corps is the amphibious fighting force of the CSDF. The Marine Corps is the smallest branch with a standing force of 21,000 and 13,000 reserves. The Marine Corps operates with one active division and one reserve division.

The Commandant of the Marine Corps is the highest ranking uniformed member of the Marine Corps and reports directly to the Secretary of the Maritime Forces. The Marine Corps operates closely to the CMDF, and acts as a de facto special forces group.

The Marine Corps leaves the administration side of the branch to the CMDF, focusing its personnel entirely on combat operations and logistics.

Cabinet Departments

The Executive Branch operates with the Cabinet Departments enforcing different areas of federal law. All ten Cabinet Departments will be listed, but currently only 6 are being prioritized for national reconstruction.

Department of State

The Department of State is responsible for communicating with foreign governments, and communication the federal governments official foreign policy. The Secretary of State is nominated by the President and reports to the Chancellor. All Cascadian Ambassadors are appointed by the President and report to the Secretary of State.

The Cascadian Foreign Aid Agency is a sub-department of the Department of State, providing aid to other micro-nations allied to Cascadia.

Department of Defense

The Department of Defense is responsible for overseeing of defense operations, and oversees the Cascadian Self Defense Forces. The Secretary of Defense is nominated by the President and reports to the Chancellor. The Department of the Ground Forces, the Department of the Air & Space Defense, and the Department of the Maritime Forces are sub-departments of the Department of Defense.

Department of the Treasury

The Department of the Treasury is responsible for printing currency, monitoring the Cascadian economy, and creating and managing the federal governments budget. The Secretary of the Treasury is nominated by the President and reports to the Chancellor. The Cascadian Central Bank and the Office of Financial Management are subordinate agencies to the Department of the Treasury.

Department of Justice

The Department of Justice is responsible for the administration of justice, investigating federal law violations, and leading prosecutions of law violations in the federal court system. The Attorney General is the leader of the Department of Justice, and is nominated by the President and reports to the Chancellor. The Federal Intelligence & Security Agency, the Drug & Alcohol Enforcement Agency, the Federal Corps of Prosecutors, and the Cascadian Marshals Service are all subordinate agencies to the Department of Justice.

All excluding the Federal Corps of Prosecutors are law enforcement agencies.

Department of the Interior

The Department of the Interior is responsible for administering the interior of the country including caring for natural resources, preserving land and environmental conservation, and protecting wildlife. The Secretary of the Interior is nominated by the President and reports to the Chancellor. The Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and the Bureau of Fish & Wildlife are subordinate agencies to the Department of the Interior.

Each agency has a law enforcement component, including the Bureau of Fish & Wildlife which is entirely a law enforcement agency.

Department of Homeland Security

The Department of Homeland Security is the second federal department responsible for the investigation and enforcement of federal law on a broad basis. The department is also responsible for controlling ports of entry, setting immigration policy, and enforcing federal immigration and citizenship laws. The Secretary of Homeland Security is nominated by the President and reports to the Chancellor. The Office of Federal Security Training, the Office of Customs and Border Protection, and the Office of Citizenship and Immigration Services are subordinate agencies to the Department of Homeland Security.

The Office of Federal Security Training is responsible for setting federal law enforcement training standards, and all federal law enforcement officers attend a ten week basic academy with the office before returning to their home agency to complete their individualized trainings.

Department of Health & Education

The Department of Health & Education is responsible for the healthcare administration and educational services provided to Cascadian citizens. The Secretary of Health & Education is nominated by the President and reports to the Chancellor. The Department of Children, Youth, and Families, the Center for Disease Control, the Council of Higher Education, the Office of Inspector General, and the Office of Elementary & Secondary Education are subordinate agencies and departments of the Department of Health & Education.

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families is responsible for enforcing federal laws relating to children, welfare programs for families, and youth programs. The Department also oversees state departments of children and youth services.

The Center for Disease Control is responsible for researching infectious diseases and publishing health guidelines for the public in response to public health emergencies.

The Council of Higher Education is a board of experience tertiary educators nominated by the President that oversees all tertiary educational institutions in Cascadia.

The Office of the Inspector General audits the Department of Health & Education along with all of its subordinate agencies for malpractice due to the sensitive nature of the departments responsibilities. The Inspector General is nominated by the President to maintain its independence from tampering.

The Office of Elementary & Secondary Education sets public school curriculum, monitors charter/private schools, and oversees state educational departments and school districts.

Department of Commerce & Labor

The Department of Commerce & Labor is responsible for employment relations and sustaining international commerce. The Secretary of Commerce & Labor is nominated by the President and reports to the Chancellor. The Office of Labor Management Services, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Cascadian Census Bureau, and the International Trade Administration are subordinate agencies to the Department of Commerce & Labor.

The Office of Labor Management Services is responsible for receiving and investigation complaints of employer misconduct. The office is able to fine or even revoke business licenses for multiple violations of labor laws.

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance is responsible for intervening in business contract negotiations to ensure federal law is followed. Businesses that break contracts to violate employees, consumers, or other businesses rights will be referred for prosecution by the office.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics researches labor trends and monitors the labor market within Cascadia.

The Cascadian Census Bureau is responsible for conducting the nation-wide census every 5 years. The census collects data on population size, demographics of the nation, religion statistics, among other things.

The International Trade Administration is responsible for maintaining trade networks with other micro-nations, and is led by the Cascadian Trade Representative who is appointed by the President.

Department of Housing & Urban Development

The Department of Housing & Urban Development is responsible for maintaining public infrastructure, economic development in urban areas, housing assistance programs, and public transportation between metropolitan areas. The Secretary of Housing & Urban Development is nominated by the President and reports to the Chancellor. The Department of Economic Development and the Department of Infrastructure & Transportation are sub-departments of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The Department of Economic Development is responsible for developing programs to revitalize poor inner-city areas, and bring jobs to urban and rural areas.

The Department of Infrastructure & Transportation is responsible for creating new transportation projects, maintaining existing public transportation, and providing maintenance for public infrastructure.

Department of Energy & Science

The Department of Energy & Science is responsible for clean energy production, and developing national research projects. The Secretary of Energy & Science is nominated by the President and reports to the Chancellor. The Office of Renewable & Nuclear Energy and the Bureau of National Research are subordinate agencies to the Department of Energy & Science.

The Office of Renewable & Nuclear Energy is responsible for researching and establishing renewable energy sources, mainly nuclear energy sources.

The Bureau of National Research is the leading government agency that works with private industries to develop innovating technologies that are safe for the public. The Bureau handles copyrights, and investigates copyright fraud and misuse violations.

Foreign relations

The Federal Commonwealth of Cascadia's official foreign policy is that of non-interference. The government does not currently recognize any foreign nations nor has it received any formal recognition.

Administrative regions

Flag	Arms/Seal/Emblem (optional)	Name	Map	Area	Population	Officials
{States of the Federal Commonwealth}
		State of Washington		24,742 sq mi	6,014,700	3
		State of Oregon			1,847,800	0
		State of Lincoln		46,620 sq mi	1,192,700	0
		State of Idaho		82,644 sq mi	1,663,700	0
	No Seal	State of Multnomah		6,644 sq mi	2,087,400	0
	No Seal	State of Columbia		23,456 sq mi	852,000	0

Geography and climate

Map of the Olympic peninsula

The Cascadian bioregion dominates much of the lands in Cascadia. The Cascade Mountain range cuts the nation in two, with a temperate rainforest environment on the western side, with large plateaus on the east.

The Cascadian federal government has several regulations in place to protect the nation's climate, and enforces strict rules on polluting industries.

Economy

The Cascadian economy runs mostly on timber and wheat exports, but has a sizable manufacturing based industry located in the Seattle-Portland metro area. The Cascadian economy runs on a free market system open to investors and entrepreneurs, but is heavily regulated to protect consumers.

The Cascadian florin is the national currency and is backed as a fiat currency. The Cascadian Central Bank is the only institution in Cascadia able to print florins. The inflation rate and florin count in circulation is determined by the President in conjunction with the Secretary of the Treasury.

Culture

Cascadia has a vibrant immigrant culture, taking inspiration from the generations of immigrants and natives who inhabit the nation. The national sport of Cascadia is Soccer, with the nation having its own soccer federation holding yearly tournaments with professional teams across the country.

Cascadian television and radio programs are relatively popular in the region outside of the nation, but the domestic audience for Cascadian based media organization tend to be the largest. The federal government publicly funds a state media non-profit corporation, the Cascadian Public Broadcasting Agency to announce government news and provide free educational broadcasts for the public.

Holidays

Cascadia has several national holidays which are mandatory days off from work regardless if the occupation is public or private sector.

Date	Name	Remarks
1 January	New Years Day	A day celebrating the start of the new year, and allowing time for citizens to plan for the new year.
25 January	Independence Day	The day celebrating Cascadia's independence from the United States.
1 February	Black History Day	A day celebrating black history in Cascadia and in the North American continent in general. The entire month of February is recognized as Black History Month, but only February 1st is regarded as a national holiday with a day off from work.
2 March	Nan Day	A day where citizens eat honey bbq chicken strips from Dairy Queen, and watch movies or local Cascadian tv programs with their significant others.
3 March	Animal Care Day	A day recognizing the importance of our pets and honoring their places in our families.
3 August	Constitution Day	A day celebrating the adoption of the Constitution, ending a period of instability for the nation.
14 September	Women's History Day	A day recognizing the struggle that women have faced on their path to equality.
1 October	Indigenous Pride Day	A day for indigenous peoples of the North American continent to celebrate their heritage and teach about their history. The entirety of October is Indigenous Pride Month, with only the 1st being the national holiday.
31 October	Halloween	The day of Halloween, allowing school children and their parents to celebrate the festivities.
1 November	Labor Day	A day celebrating the shared history for the fight for labor rights.
24 December	Christmas Eve	Celebrating Christmas Eve.
25 December	Christmas Day	Celebrating Christmas Day.
31 December	New Years Eve	Celebrating the last day of the year.

External links

Below can be found the Cascadian official Discord, and application for citizenship:

• Citizenship Application
• Official Discord