[EM] Condorcet elevator pitch (fwd)

[Rob Lanphier]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 13:26:08 EDT
From: LoringRbt at aol.com
Subject: Condorcet elevator pitch

Hi Rob,

Please pass this on to the election methods list.

The most successful California activist for PR wrote an "elevator pitch for 
PR."  It is a very effective handle for students to grasp.  Can we write an 
elevator pitch for Condorcet?  Ideally, it will fit on a business card just 
as this PR pitch does.

The principle of Proportional Representation is this:
Majority rule, 
with representation for the electoral minority, 
in proportion to the way people vote.
That is, 60% of the vote gets you 60% of the seats, not all 
of them.  And 10% of the vote gets you 10% of the seats, 
not none of them.
There are 2 key ingredients to PR: You have to elect more 
than 1 person from a district, and you have to allocate the 
winners in proportion to the vote.

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A parallel card on Condorcet might begin

The principle of the Condorcet Winner is:
The candidate who beats each of the others, 
one against one, should win the tally.
That is ...  
There are 2 key ingredients to Condorcet.  Voters have to rank the candidates 
and the tally has to compare candidates 1 on 1.  

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The back of each card could sketch a rule's benefits
and mechanisms:

The effects of Proportional Representation are:
Increased voter turnout, conformity of government 
policies with public opinions, representation of women 
and minorities, attention to and spending on social 
issues, education, day care, health care.

How does it work?  Instead of voting for 1 candidate, you 
vote for a list. In Germany and New Zealand, parties make 
up the lists presented to voters.  In Australia and Ireland 
each voter makes a list by ranking the candidates.  Either 
way, the more votes a list gets, the more candidates from 
that list get elected. 

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And for Condorcet rules:

The effects of Condorcet Winners are:
The winner appeals to voters on the left and the right.  This central and 
broadly-popular candidate moderates a council by holding the decisive swing 
vote.  Mandate...
 
How does it work?    

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Thanks,
Rob Loring