[EM] PR, Approval ballots, "power"

[Olli Salmi]

At 08:57 +0200 12.7.2003, Kevin Venzke wrote:
>"Total Power" is an arbitrary number; I've been using 10,000.  Suppose there
>are 5 seats to be filled and 100 voters.  In that case, every 
>elected candidate
>will end up with a fifth of the power (2,000).  Ideally every voter should
>get (10000/100) or 100 power.
>
>Let's say I am the only voter (of 100) who voted for a certain 
>candidate.  If he is
>somehow elected, I personally enjoy 2,000 power, or twenty times too 
>much.  (The
>idea is that this candidate is only responsible to me.)
>
>Let's say I am one of 90 voters who vote for a certain candidate. 
>If he is elected,
>I only enjoy (2000/90) or about 22 power, and am entitled to 78 more (from
>some other candidate).  The idea is that this candidate doesn't 
>represent me very
>specifically, so he shouldn't cost me as much.

It seems to me that this is exactly the principle that Phragmén's 
method has. You use the term power, which he also used in some 
writings.

>Maybe something resembling an example will help.  Let's say the candidate with
>the most votes got 55 votes.  Every ballot starts with strength 100 (that is,
>10000/NumberOfVoters).  For the first seat, the method sees that 
>5500 ballot strength
>(100 strength times 55 ballots) are "available" for this candidate, 
>so he's elected.

This means your method is sequential, like Phragmén's. Are there any 
differences from his method?

Olli Salmi