[EM] Worst methods ever used?

[Alex Small]

I'm trying to see what's wrong with this open list method, or at least why
you single out Brazil?  I thought that open list was a common method:
people vote for a party, and specify their favorite (or favorites) within
the party.  Seats are apportioned among parties, and the candidates with
the most votes in each party are the ones elected.

Now, many people here have made clear their preference for candidate-based
PR, as opposed to party-based PR, but not being the best is not the same
as being the worst.

Anyway, your description of Brazil's system sounds to me like a pretty
common method, that a lot of people around the world use without (too
much) complaint.  I'm trying to understand why you single out Brazil. 
Maybe there's some other twist that distinguishes it from other
implementations of open-list?



Alex


Kevin Venzke said:
> Maybe no one will be interested in this topic, but I wonder if there are
> any thoughts on it.  (Was Borda ever used?)
>
> The worst I think I've heard of is Brazil's open-list PR.  (You can vote
> either  for a party or for a single candidate within a party, which also
> counts as a vote  for the party.  The seats are divided up based on each
> party's share of the vote, and  the seats are filled in the order of who
> got the most individual votes.)
>
> Most voters vote for an individual, and are unconcerned with parties.
> That means a candidate's "surplus" votes serve to elect candidates who
> may not have any connection beyond party affiliation.  Parties can't
> discipline candidates because parties aren't what earn votes.
>
> If you eliminate the surplus vote transfer, the method seems practically
> equivalent to SNTV, which is not so good to begin with.
>
>
> Kevin Venzke
> stepjak at yahoo.fr
>
>
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