Rob Richie's transitional reform

[New Democracy]

  -------- Forwarded Message --------

Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1998 15:40:22 -0400
From: Rob Richie <FairVote at compuserve.com>
Subject: half representation
To: donald at mich.com

Hi, Donald,

      Hope you understand that I haven't been touting 3-seat districts as
an ideal reform, but as a transitional reform that could help jar some
folks into breaking free of winner-take-all voting. Please present it that
way in the future.

thanks,
Rob   [Executive Director of the Center for Voting and Democracy]
*****

Dear Rob,

     I do not feel that this "Half Representation" step is a good game
plan. If your good work does result in an electoral change, I fear that we
may be required to live with it for a long time - maybe a hundred years.

     While your system of three seat districts is an improvement, we should
not risk being stuck with it for a long time.

    Some effects of your system are not good. One: Your system excludes a
near twenty-five percent of the voters by disqualifing their votes. Two:
Only candidates of the top three parties are allowed to be elected. The
voters are allowed to vote for other candidates but not elect them. Their
votes must be transferred to candidates of the top three parties. If some
party had twenty percent of the national vote, but that vote was spread
evenly across the country, this party would elect few members to the House
in Congress.

     Now if you would add Top Up MMP to your three seat STV districts then
I would say that would be a system we could live with for a hundred years.
The combination would become the best MMP system in use.

     Anytime we use districts we should also use some means to balance up
the proportionality between the districts - some means like MMP.

     A better system would be my plan of Two Cycle Choice Voting which does
not have the flaws of closed lists and overhanging members, but that is
another discussion.

Regards,
Donald D


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