Vacancy Rule - STV cycles rule

[New Democracy]

Dear List,

Norman wrote: "For example, although this may seem odd, a group of STV
voters who would elect candidates:  {A,B,C,D} if four seats are available,
could instead elect candidates:  {A,B,C,E,F} if five seats are available."

Donald writes: It does not seem odd to me. When we make the change of
adding one more seat we have a smaller quota which results in more surplus
votes to be transferred. It is a new ball game.

     Candidates {A,B,C,D} must be protected. The best way to protect the
already chosen candidates is to have a rule.  The rule is that after a
candidate has been chosen for the list that candidate is not to be
eliminated in any following cycles of STV.

     It may help persons to accept this rule if I tell you that this rule
is also used when we go back to the data of the last election in order to
fill a vacancy on a STV elected council. We only want to fill the vacancy -
we do not wish to displace any of the sitting members, therefore we have
the rule that no sitting member can be eliminated during the reworking of
the ballots.

     This vacancy policy should also apply when we use STV to construct a
party list. We do not want to displace any already chosen candidates - we
only want to add one more at each cycle of STV.

     I need one more design feature in order for me to accept this system
of constructing the party list: We should use only cycles of STV to form
the entire party list.  We should not use cycles of some single seat method
for the second part of the list - as MikeO has suggested. If we do, that
part will not be proportional. The candidates selected in that part will be
determined by the same voters that selected the candidates in the first
part. In other words; the largest factions in the party will have the power
to decide the entire list. MikeO should not have suggested this - he is in
error.

     If these two design features are included, then my current thinking is
that the Cycles of Choice Voting(STV) make a very good method for
constructing a party list.

Regards,
Donald


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