[EM] How to proceed

[Narins, Josh]

I consider voting systems, by being non-partisan, to be a technical issue.
To me, it's strictly an Administrative advance of a technical nature. 

There are some Congresspeople who believe that technical advances are great
things. Of the types we might know, for instance, Newt Gingrich. His
interest in technology could well be considered radical populist. He
proposed giving every student in America a free laptop.

Yes, I know Newt is no longer in Congress, but he is invited to speak
widely, and often discusses technological issues.

I'm sure there are other, current, Congresspeople who support technical
advancements. 

I'd wager Rep. Clyburn of South Carolina(D) would be all for it. He's from
the Columbia area of South Carolina. He's proposed bills this Congress for
technical advancements related to voting (not voting systems, though).
I'd also bet Rep. Serrano of New York might be intrigued. He's from the
Bronx.
I seriously doubt it would be up Rep. Maloney's of New York alley, but she
is the ranking member on the Census Subcommittee, and may be in tune with
how the numbers play out. She is from the Upper East Side.
My Rep. is Nadler of New York, who, considering the WTC issues, is probably
kinda busy.

Senator Clinton proposed, at one point, abolishing the Electoral College.
She might also see this as a way to improve voter choice.

Heh! That's it! Call the thing VOTER CHOICE! Nuff' said about that :)

Whatever forces in Maine and Nebraska which put them on a split Electoral
system (2 votes to statewide, 1 per each CD-wide) system are natural allies,
but they are most definitely state level officials.

Similarly, I'm fairly sure some statewide types in Kentucky would be up for
it. I don't have a name, though.





-----Original Message-----
From: Anthony Simmons [mailto:bbadonov at yahoo.com]
Sent: Saturday, April 06, 2002 8:11 AM
To: election-methods-list at eskimo.com
Subject: [EM] How to proceed


>> From: "Narins, Josh" <josh.narins at lehman.com>
>> Subject: [EM] How to proceed

>> Even if you are dead-set on IRV, Approval, or Voodoo-
>> MindReading Tallies, the way to get this done is to have
>> the NAS study the issue.

>> That's why we need a great writer. We need to petition
>> Congress.


I think you've found the right approach.  Only problem is
getting Congress to move on it.  Changing the voting system
is generally only supported by parties that stand to gain
from it.  Since the groups in power were put there by the
current system, they're not enthusiastic about replacing it.
Which means that only the Greens and Libertarians in Congress
are likely to want to start the process by referring the
matter to NAS.  What to do?



------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This message is intended only for the personal and confidential use of the designated recipient(s) named above.  If you are not the intended recipient of this message you are hereby notified that any review, dissemination, distribution or copying of this message is strictly prohibited.  This communication is for information purposes only and should not be regarded as an offer to sell or as a solicitation of an offer to buy any financial product, an official confirmation of any transaction, or as an official statement of Lehman Brothers.  Email transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free.  Therefore, we do not represent that this information is complete or accurate and it should not be relied upon as such.  All information is subject to change without notice.