Hors de Propos

Hors de Propos is a term used in the politics of the United States of Quentin, referring to the symbolic and expressive vote that Territorial Delegates to the House of Representatives have the power to cast on all legislation in the House of Representatives. The term comes from the New Zwakazian language, and translates roughly to, "vote of irrelevance."

The vote was created with the acquisition of the first territories of the nation in the 1850's, and the hors de propos was created as a way for the territorial delegates to express their territory's views on the bill, though the vote did not actually matter when it came to the passage of a bill, hence the term "vote of irrelevance." However as many territories, including the Kade Islands and Berlinsavis, became more important as history went on, the vote became much more important, especially in recent years, and other delegates have made a point to base their votes off those that the territorial delegates cast. The term, nonetheless, has persisted, and is used both officially on the floor of the House and amongst the media and popular culture.

History

The term "hors de propos," came into use in the 1850's, in 1853 to be exact. J.P. Island had just been acquired from the Protectorates of Allia, and the 8th Amendment in 1853 created the position of Territorial Delegate. In Section Three of the document, the term was used to describe the vote the delegates would take in the House, and defined it.

The term originated for the New Zwakazian language, a tribal and not widely used language that originated in the Zwakazi Alliance in the 1700's. New Zwakazian has never been widely spoken in the USQ, but the Territorial Examiner, a Quentinian political newspaper stationed in Zwakazi to report happenings to the Quentinian populous, picked up the language in 1843, and began using it to send to its translating office in the USQ instead of Sacred Zwakazian, which was longer and more expensive. This resulted in many in and around the office in the USQ learning the language, and soon politicians who needed the news immediately had to learn the language, and resulted in the language making an inroads into Quentinian politics. Other terms that show this are Completum Votum, and Champ de Pêche. Hors de Propos was used to describe to vote during planning and debates for the amendment, and became part of the document when it was ratified.