[EM] Re: PR not representing median voter

[Kevin Venzke]

Alex,

 --- Alex Small <asmall at physics.ucsb.edu> a écrit :
> Well, say that the breakdown of the voters is
> 
> 40% left
> 40% right
> 20% center
> 
> These are just general proclivities.  They aren't guarantees for how
> people will feel about every single issue.  There could be some issues
> that have support from left and right but not center.  This would indicate
> that, on particular issues, center isn't really center.  

True, but I would hope that if enough people were elected by a "median-seeking"
method, such subtleties could be caught.  Suppose the extremes (used loosely)
unite on some issue, but the traditional center opposes them.  If the extremes
actually have a majority, that should suggest that there's another dimension by
which to define "median."

>On those issues,
> there's still a median voter and median legislator, so a legislature
> elected by PR is always enacting policies supported by its median
> legislator (who hopefully represents the median voter on that particular
> issue).
> 
> So a legislature doesn't need to over-represent the median voter to get
> policies that satisfy a majority of the electorate.  At least not in
> principle.

If the chamber doesn't make powerful appointments (like the government), I
think the center might get represented decently by PR.

But in a parliamentary system, I think the center voters will compromise on
left or right leadership themselves, rather than leave it up to a centrist 
legislator.  I see this as a "LO2E" situation.

I feel that any method but a median-seeker is doomed to misplace the median
legislator.

> 
> Still, I understand the desire to over-represent the median.  Here's a
> modest proposal for a legislative body:
> 

I would like to represent the center a bit more...  If there's to be a single
house, then I'd like between 1/5 and 1/2 to be elected by a median-seeker,
and the rest could be PR.

Kevin Venzke
stepjak at yahoo.fr


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