[EM] Candidate Vote Transfer Proportional Representation Method, 20 April 2002

[DEMOREP1 at aol.com]

Candidate Vote Transfer Proportional Representation Method 
20 April 2002
Demorep1 at aol.com

[optional/ fill the blank]

Sec. 1. (a) A legislative body shall have 5, 7, 9, etc. at large members or 
11, 15, 21, etc. district members respectively from 2, 3, 4, etc. districts 
[or a combination of each] elected for [1] year terms.
(b) As nearly as possible, each district shall contain an equal number of 
Electors at the last [area] Election (plus or minus [1] percent), consist of 
1 or more political subdivisions and/or parts of 1 or 2 political 
subdivisions and be square.
(c) All election areas shall be formed at least [36] weeks before the 
Election.

Sec. 2. Each candidate shall file a nominating petition at least [10] weeks 
before the Election signed by at least [0.2] percent [but not more than [0.6] 
percent] of the number of at the last [area] Election [OR] [registered 
Electors [36] weeks before the Election] divided by the number of persons 
being elected.

Sec. 3. (a) Each candidate shall get a list of all candidates at least [14] 
days before an election.
(b) Each candidate shall rank all the other candidates (using 1, 2, etc.) and 
file such list not later than [4 P.M.] [7] days before the election.
(c) The lists shall be made public immediately at such deadline.
(d) If a list is not filed, then the votes for the candidate shall not be 
counted.
.
Sec. 4. (a) Each Elector may vote for 1 at large or district candidate for 
each legislative body.
(b) The Ratio shall be Total Votes for all candidates divided by the Total 
Members (dropping fractions).
(c) Each candidate getting the Ratio shall be elected.
(d) The excess votes more than such Ratio shall be transferred (or 
re-transferred) to 1 or more unelected candidates highest on the elected 
candidate's rank order list (starting with the largest excess).
(e) The candidate with the lowest number of direct plus transferred votes 
shall lose.
(f) The votes for a loser shall be transferred (or re-transferred) to 1 or 
more unelected candidates highest on the losing candidate's rank order list.
(g) The transferred votes in (d) or (f) to any 1 unelected candidate shall 
not be more votes than are needed to get such Ratio.
(h) Steps (c) to (g) shall be repeated until all members are elected.
[(i) Each Member shall have a voting power equal to the number of final votes 
that he/she receives.]

Sec. 5. (a) A candidate or member may file a written rank order list of 
persons to fill his/her vacancy, if any. 
(b) The qualified person highest on the list shall fill the vacancy. 
(c) The legislative body shall fill the vacancy if the preceding does not 
happen.
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Party Members variant ---- quicker (but more inaccurate)

Secs. 1-3 Same as above.

Sec. 4. (a) Each Elector may vote for 1 at large or district candidate for 
each legislative body.
(b) Independent candidates shall be deemed to be in a party.
(c) The Ratio shall be Total Votes for all candidates divided by the Total 
Members (dropping fractions).
(d) If a party's candidates get less than the Ratio, then such candidates 
shall all lose (starting with the party with the lowest votes).
(e) Such votes shall be transferred (or re-transferred) to the unelected 
candidate(s) highest on the rank order lists of the losing candidates.
(f) Steps (d) and (e) shall be repeated until all members are elected.
(g) A party shall get members (M) equal to --- the Total Members multiplied 
by the votes for all the party's candidates (Party Votes) divided by the 
Total Votes for all candidates (using [the Method of Equal Proportions] OR 
[the highest fractions] for fractions).
(h) The M candidates getting the highest votes of each respective party shall 
be elected.
[(i) Each Member shall have a voting power equal to the party's final Party 
Votes multipled by the Member’s votes divided by the total votes for all of 
the party's elected Members (using the Method of Equal Proportions for 
fractions).]

Sec. 5. Same as Sec. 5 above.
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The above is for lower tech areas and/or having simpler politics.

In higher tech election areas, the voters can make additional choices (2, 3, 
etc.) and have voter vote transfers (instead of using candidate rank order 
lists for vote transfers).

There happens to be a very strong (but wrong) fixation with having 1 vote per 
seat in legislative bodies.

A candidate will directly (or indirectly) get more than, equal to or less 
than the Total Votes/ Total Members ratio (aka Hare Quota).

Thus -- the excess votes from winners (or votes from losers) go to 1 or more 
unelected remaining candidates (with less than the Hare Quota) until all 
candidates are elected or lose.

Candidates of a party will presumably rank each other highest and then 
candidates of other coalition parties, if any.

Note- the Method of Equal Proportions produces a rank order list of (Party 
Votes x Party Votes)/ (Seats x (Seats + 1)) (for Seats = 1, 2, etc.) to 
apportion seats/ members.  

The MEP is used to apportion the 435 seats/ members in the U.S.A. House of 
Representatives among the States using Census Populations of the States after 
each State gets 1 seat/ member.

Proxy p.r. permits districts with an unequal number of voters per district 
(to have obvious district boundaries --- political subdivision lines,  major 
roads, rivers, mountain ranges, etc.) and avoids excess Ratio vote transfers.

Each proxy p.r. winner has a voting power equal to the number of votes that 
he/she finally receives (directly from the voters or from transfers from the 
voters or losing candidates) -- especially for use in smaller legislative 
bodies since the final votes per member will likely be unequal.

That is, transferring excess Ratio votes is arbitrary and may often be 
contrary to the will of the voters.  Also with proxy p.r. there is no minimum 
number of votes required to win a seat.

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