[EM] Re: Lincoln; Big money, gerrymanders, rotten EC, etc.

[DEMOREP1 at aol.com]

Mr. Hager wrote-

I'm currently investigating the possibility of using "cake cutting" as a way 
to avoid gerrymanders in the redistricting process.

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D-  The gerrymander crisis in the U.S.A. is now ULTRA-DANGEROUS (due to the 
many left/ right extremists being elected from *safe* de facto one party 
districts/ States).

Proportional representation has now been around for about 150 plus years.

It is only being used in public elections in the U.S.A. in Cambridge, Mass 
(for the Cambridge City Council using Single Transferable Vote and the Droop 
Quota).

I suggest proxy p.r. with multi-member districts (with at least 5 members per 
district)  -- voters rank choices using 1, 2, etc. --- votes for losers go to 
the voter's next choice -- each winner has a voting power in the legislative 
body equal to the final votes that he/she receives).   

Proxy p.r. districts do not have to have the same number of voters in each 
district --- i.e. more voters in urban area districts, less voters in rural 
area districts.

Purists suggest party voting power (by the elected members of a party) = 
Party Votes for any party getting at least Total Votes/ Total Seats (or 
possibly even more than half of such ratio).

Most p.r. systems make the winners have one vote each in the legislative body 
--- which becomes inaccurate with a small number of members in the 
legislative body due to the unequal ratios of party votes/ party seats.

With any semi-accurate p.r. method, gerrymanders go out of business.

For more info on proportional representation see--

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/polit/damy/prlib.htm

A source of information on proportional representation elections -- 
including beginning readings, in-depth articles by scholars and 
activists, an extensive bibliography, and a guide to related Web sites. 
---
Book-

Behind the Ballot Box 
A Citizen's Guide to Voting Systems 
By Douglas J. Amy 
Praeger Paperback. Westport, Conn. 2000. 248 pages 
LC 00-029841. ISBN 0-275-96586-4. B6586 $19.95 

A cloth bound edition is available: 0-275-96585-6, $65.00 

** Table of Contents **

-- Preface 
-- Introduction 
-- What Are Voting Systems and Why Are They Important? 
-- Criteria for Evaluating Voting Systems 
-- Plurality-Majority Voting Systems 
-- Proportional Representation Voting Systems 
-- Semi-Proportional Voting Systems 
-- Voting Systems for Single-Office Elections 
-- Making Your Final Choice 
-- Appendixes 
-- Selected Bibliography 
-- Index 

** Author **

DOUGLAS J. AMY is Professor of Politics at Mount Holyoke College [in MA]

Greenwood Publishing Group, 88 Post Road West, Westport CT 06881, (203) 
226-3571

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