[EM] Raw Deal for Mayors, more unfairness than improvement

[Bart Ingles]

Craig Carey wrote:
> 
> http://www.fairvote.org/irv/faq.htm
> 
>  >      Who opposes IRV?
>  >
>  >      Little  organized  opposition  to   IRV   exists.   Election
>  >      officials are understandably cautious about  a  system  that
>  >      may increase their workload, and some  incumbents  fear  any
>  >      change to the system that elected them. If you  can  win  an
>  >      election under a plurality or runoff  system,  however,  the
>  >      odds are that you would also win under IRV.  The  exceptions
>  >      are rare but can  be  important.  Examples  include  several
>  >      recent  House  races  in  New  Mexico,  where  Green   Party
>  >      candidates threw races to Republicans, and state legislative
>  >      races  in  Alaska  in   which   Libertarians   and   Alaskan
>  >      Independent Party candidates knocked off Republicans.
>  >
>  >      Some political minorities may believe that they can only win
>  >      representation in a  plurality  election.  Such  groups  may
>  >      oppose IRV, but of course,  in  such  situations,  a  larger
>  >      groups stands to gain representation by IRV.
>  >
> 
> At their own FAQ they assert that it is also "rare" for the Alternative
> Vote, to produce a different result from the result that
> First Past the Post ("a plurality election") would produce.


Sure it's rare.  Both systems give the parties and voters incentive to
focus their support on the top two candidates.  It's counterproductive
to allow a spoilers to gain too much ground, whether in Hare/IRV or in
First Past the Post.

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