[EM] A Small Loss

[Alex Small]

Yesterday, in a Georgia primary election for the Democratic nomination,
Rep. Cynthia McKinney was defeated.  This is a small loss for election
reform advocates because she was one of the few members of Congress whom
I've heard support PR and alternative single-winner methods.

(I won't comment on McKinney's stances on other issues, which people on
this list may or may not agree with.  Her overall merits or flaws as a
public servant are matters for another forum.  I'll merely observe that,
for the purposes of this single-issue forum, her defeat was a loss.)

Let's hope for the best this November.  Maybe other candidates out there
support PR and alternative single-winner methods.  Also, for those who
dislike IRV, keep this one consolation in mind:

If an IRV initiative passes, it will indicate that the voters are open to
alternative election methods.  Even though many of us here can point to
perversities like nonmonotonicity and so forth, it's a safe bet that most
people who vote in favor of IRV will do so unaware of such phenomena, only
wanting to put in place a reform that they believe will make elections
more competitive.  Politically, such _voters_ are our allies, regardless
of technical disagreements with staunch IRV advocates.

That's all for now, folks.



Alex


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