[EM] AV used in Oshkosh, WI?

[Jurij Toplak]

There is something very interesting on this ballot:
A line to write in the name of the candidate whose name is not on the ballot. Does that mean that I can just write my name or a name of my friend? That means that anyone has "access to ballot" automatically? That is not the case in most of the other countries so I am interested in this phenomen.

About the ballot being approval ballot. This was just an ordinary multimember district (at large) plurality voting, like it is used in many US local elections. In most cases voter does not have to vote for the whole number of candidates to be elected (in your case 3) but he can vote for less candidates too (therefore for one or two). However, this system becomes similar to AV if the number of candidates to be elected is large and the number of all candidates is small. For example 3 members to be elected and four candidates altogether. Or evenmore: 7 candidates to be elected and 8 candidates overall. But what if there were 20 candidates in your district and only 3 to be elected? That would be nothing like approval voting. Therefore a coincidence is needed to end up with a system similar to AV.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Steve Barney <barnes992001 at yahoo.com>
To: Election_Methods-list <election-methods-list at eskimo.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 09, 2002 11:37 PM
Subject: [EM] AV used in Oshkosh, WI?


> My hometown, Oshkosh, WI, used what appears to be the equivalent of an Approval
> Vote in the last City Council election. There were 4 candidates for 3 seats in
> an at-large (multi-winner) district, and the ballot instructed voters to "Vote
> for not more than 3"  - see the sample ballot at:
> 
> http://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/City_Clerks/ballots/ward12.gif
> 
> 
> SB
> 
> 
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