[EM] Nanson in the USA

[Steve Barney]

Today, I got a copy of the book Mike Ossipoff qouted as saying that the City 
of Marquette, WI, used Nanson's method in the 1920's, and I can now confirm 
that Mike did, in fact, slightly misquote that passage. The quoted sentence 
about Marquette should read:

"The only place where this system is used for public elections, so far as we 
know, is the city of Marquette, Michigan."


Whereas Mike wrote "Wisconsin" in place of "Michigan":

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/election-methods-list/message/10774

--- In election-methods-list at yahoogroups.com, Markus Schulze 
<markus.schulze at a...> wrote:
> Dear Mike,
>
> I guess that you still have access to the same copy of
> "Proportional Representation" by Hoag and Hallett where
> you have read about Nanson in Wisconsin. When you re-read
> this copy, does it still mention Marquette, Wisconsin?
>
> Markus Schulze

--- In election-methods-list at yahoogroups.com, Markus Schulze 
<markus.schulze at a...> wrote:
> Dear Alex,
>
> you wrote (20 Jan 2003):
> > Mike Ossipoff wrote (20 Jan 2003):
> > > Nanson was used in Wisconsin for a while. So far as I know,
> > > the only Condorcet Criterion method ever used in public
> > > political elections.
> >
> > When was this?  For what elections?  I'm originally from
> > Wisconsin.  I'm curious why it was adopted and why it was
> > abandoned.  Anyway, if you can point me to a reference (be
> > it on the web or from a library) that would be great.
>
> Hoag and Hallett wrote (Clarence Gilbert Hoag, George Hervey
> Hallett, "Proportional Representation," MacMillan Company, New
> York, page 491, 1926):
> >    The Nanson system gives the voter an opportunity of expressing
> > as many choices as he pleases, the form of ballot recommended
> > being like that used for the single transferable vote. But the
> > rules for transfer provided under the single transferable vote
> > are replaced under the Nanson system by rules for deducing the
> > result arithmetically from the figures marked on all the ballots.
> >    The only place where this system is used for public elections,
> > so far as we know, is the city of Marquette, Michigan. There
> > it is applied to the election of all city officials. Wakefield,
> > Michigan, also adopted it, but has never used it because of
> > doubts as to its constitutionality.
>
> Markus Schulze

Steve Barney

Richard M. Hare, 1919 - 2002, In Memoriam: <http://www.petersingerlinks.com/hare.htm>.

Did you know there is an web site where, if you click on a button, the advertisers there will donate 2 1/2 cups of food to feed hungry people in places where there is a lot of starvation? See:
<http://www.thehungersite.com>.

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