The Best Part of MMP

[New Democracy]

Dear List Members,

     The best part of the MMP system is the second vote that is used to
determine the proportional representation of all the political parties
across an entire country.

     BUT! - why combine this good feature with the single member district?

     This feature can also be combined with STV using multi-member
districts of two or more members. There is a big improvement realized when
we go from one to two or more members.

    With two or more members there will be proportional representation at
the local level and it will be representation for more reasons than
political party. This will reduce the correction that needs to be provided
by the second vote.

    With two or more members the wasted votes may be reduced by 80-100 percent.

    With two or more members the voters will be able to elect the best
candidates from several current candidates and not elect the bad ones. If
two good candidates are running in a single district, only one will be
elected. If two bad candidates are running in a single district, one will
be elected. But if we combine these two districts into one district, the
voters will most likely elect the two good candidates and not elect the two
bad candidates.

    How important is it for the voters to have a local person as their
elected member? I say that we let the voters answer that question in the
ballot box. If they are in a district of three or four members, the voters
are free to vote for the local candidate - and if that candidate receives
enough votes that candidate is elected and the voters have received their
local member. And voters in another area of the district are also free to
elect their local member.

    Voters are able to obtain a local member in a multi-member district -
there is no need to keep single-member districts.

    Multi-member districts plus the second vote is the best solution.

Don,

Donald Eric Davison of New Democracy at http://www.mich.com/~donald

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -