[EM] 02/03/02 - STV for Candidate Lists:

[Olli Salmi]

At 13:17 +0200 3.2.2002, Donald Davison wrote:
>Donald:  While I agree to the good things you say about Party List, it does
>have a number of faults.
>
>One: Its high proportionality is only for party.

If you like the extra complication you can use apparentements or sublists.

>Two: The voter is not allowed to cross party lines.

This depends on how complicated you want it. In many countries you have as
many votes as there are seats to be filled and you can vote for any
candidate. Voting for candidates on other lists is called panachage. Here's
a German site about local elections in Hessen:
http://www.hess-staedtetag.de/Info/info2000/inf05-00/05_00_02.htm
The ballot papers should be graphic enough even if you don't read German.
It's possible to cumulate or use panachage or cast one's unspecified votes
for the top names of a party list.

A site on local elections in Lower Saxony in English:
http://www.niedersachsen.de/MI_kommunalwahlsystem_englisch.htm
They have three votes which can be cumulated on one candidate or cast for
different candidates on any party list. Naturally no primaries are needed.

>Three: The order of the candidate list of each party is suspect.

If you use closed lists, the order on the list is about as suspect as the
single candidate of a party in a first-past-the-post election. I don't like
closed lists because they give too much power to party leaders or party
activists. I think it's a pity that closed lists have been adopted in
places like Kosovo.

In this country we only vote for one person. This is at the same time a
vote for the party (no panachage; much easier to count than German
ballots). The parties order their candidates either alphabetically
(right-wing parties) or in the order of the internal party vote (left-wing
parties). This order in no way influences the result. What would be a less
suspect order?

I've read that in Belgium, where it's possible to vote for a party as well
as individual candidates, the top names on the party lists still get to be
elected. I don't know about other countries, but I wouldn't be surprised if
it were the same.

Olli Salmi