[EM] Thoughts on a nomination simulation

[Kevin Venzke]

Hi Dave,

--- En date de : Mer 16.6.10, Dave Ketchum <davek at clarityconnect.com> a écrit :
> >> That is possible. Would primaries encourage that
> effect? If
> >> so, would we expect parties in two-party states
> without
> >> voter primaries to be closer to each other?
> > 
> > I'm not sure. I tend to view primaries as one form of
> a phenomenon that
> > will inevitably happen under FPP one way or another.
> If there's something
> > important about them I guess it has something to do
> with timing...
> 
> Plurality NEEDS primaries because its voters can vote for
> only one.  If X1 and X2 run for party X, without
> primaries, they can expect to each get only half the votes
> intended for party X.  If Y1 is the only candidate for
> party Y, Y1 has a big advantage over X1 and X2.

What I'm saying is that if we didn't have primaries, candidates would
either drop out or voters would decide not to support them, so that
there would still only be two viable candidates on election day. What I'm
unclear on is what effect primaries have (or we should expect that they
have) on candidate positions in comparison to just having candidates drop
off as they start to lose in the polls.

Kevin Venzke