What do you call it?

[Donald E Davison]

  ----------- Forwarded Letter -----------
From: Mike Ositoff <ntk at netcom.com>
Subject: Re: What do you call it?
To: donald at mich.com (Donald E Davison)
Date: Sat, 10 Apr 1999 11:51:33 -0700 (PDT)
MIME-Version: 1.0

Don--

All I know is that Salva is describing something that sounds like
part of STV. STV without the surplus re-allocation, if I understood
him correctly. STV is, of course, more numerically correct with the
surplus re-allocation.

But I'm not into PR anymore; I now specialize only in single-winner
methods, because I feel that that's where more help is needed. PR
is already being adequately dealt with by U.S. electoral reformers,
is a well-discussed topic (unlike single-winner methods), and I've
posted or written in web articles everything that I know about PR.
Besides, all the PR systems & methods are good, whereas single-winner
methods differ drastically in merit.

Mike
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Donald writes:
Everyone,

     I have now given Salva's question more thought. I say what he is
talking about is some routine for resolving the remainders left over after
the whole seats have been assigned in a Party List election.

     It appears that this routine looks to the lower choices of party to
fill the remainder seats. If a party has a full quota of second choices,
then that party would receive one of the remainder seats. If not all the
remainder seats are filled via the second choices then the routine would
look to the third choices of party.

     I would guess that the remainder ballots are selected by random draw.
I would prefer that all the ballots of a party would have some say in the
selection of the remainder seats.

     I feel that it will be very hard for this routine to fill all the
remainder seats. We cannot count on getting enough full quotas in the lower
choices in order to fill all the remainder seats.

     If it is the wish to use lower choices of party then I say it would be
better to use run-off. Eliminate the lowest remainders and transfer their
votes to the next choices of party until we end up with the number of
parties equal to the number of remainder seats.

     After all this talk, we still have not answered Salva's question - we
do not know what the routine is called.
     But, being that it is not a good routine, does it matter that it has
no name?

Donald,
- - - - - - - Repeat of Salva's question - - - - - - - - -
>Resent-Date: Mon, 5 Apr 1999 20:22:27 -0400
>From: Salva
>Subject: What do you call it?
>Date: Tue, 6 Apr 1999 02:18:33 +0200

>I have a question, can somebody answer please?:
>
>What's the name given to this election method:
>In the ballot you rank as many parties as you like, from 1 to whatever.
>Once polling stations have closed, in the first count only the first choice
>of every ballot is taken into account and seats are allocated according to
>this first count. Ballots that have not obtained any seat are re-counted
>this time on their second choice. Ballots that on their second choice still
>don't have representation are scrutinized for their third choice. The proces
>goes on and on untill all ballots are allocated to a party that obtains
>seat/s.
>
>Thank you
>
>Salva