[EM] Vote trading: Repub vote for Lib, & Dem vote for Nader

[MIKE OSSIPOFF]

There's a website that describes an interesting solution to the 
lesser-of-2-evils problem, a solution that works even with Plurality:

Say you prefer Nader, but you're going to vote Democrat, in the belief that 
that's the only way to keep the Republican from winning. And say that 
there's someone who prefers the Libertarian, but is going to vote 
Republican, in the belief that that's the only way to keep the Democrat from 
winning.

Yes, you're way ahead of me: You and s/he agree that you will both vote 
sincerely: You'll vote for Nader, and s/he'll vote for the Libertarian.

In that way, the Dem vs Repub race is completely unaffected, except that 
it's less well-attended, less validated by people voting for the 
media-claimed "two choices". And more people expressing their preference for 
non-Republocrat candidates.  More people expressing what they actually want. 
You know, it isn't at all good for democracy when people are strategically 
prevented from expressing what they want. That's why I advocate voting 
systems that do something about that. But this solution works even without 
electoral reform.

You say you don't trust hir to keep hir end of the deal? Remind hir that 
it's vanishingly improbable that hir vote will affect the outcome. One votes 
because of principle. What kind of principle would it be if s/he lied and 
violated hir promise in that deal?

But, if that weren't enough, the website points out that _if it's legal in 
your state_, you and s/he could use absentee ballots, and fill them out 
together, and mail them together. I emphasize, don't show you vote to anyone 
if doing so is illegal in the state where you reside. The website makes that 
admonition also.

I've also discussed 2 other lesser-of-2-evils solutions that are usable 
without a better voting system (since we obviously don't have a better 
voting system yet):

1. The suggestion that we've discussed, whereby Nader could designate, as 
his electors, people whom Kerry has designated as his electors.

2. A deal among all the progressives (or between and advocated by some 
prominent lesser-of-2-evils-voting progressives and some prominent Nader 
advocates), whereby this time, when it's widely agreed to be a genuine 
national emergency, all the progressives, including those who would 
otherwise vote for Nader, will vote for Kerry--in return for a promise from 
the lesser-of-2-evils-voting progressives that, after this election, when 
the danger is past, especially if a Democrat is the incumbant, they will 
vote sincerely for someone whom they genuinely respect and trust, someone 
whom they consider honest and un-bought. Someone like Nader whom the 
progressives agree is that honest and popular candidate.

The trouble with #2 is that it requires all the progressives in the deal, 
while the vote-trading that began this postisng is a deal that requires only 
2 people. So, if we can't get the all-progressives deal, and if Nader won't 
designate Kerry's electors (Why not, Mr. Nader?)  then the remaining 
solution is a 2-person deal such as the one that began this posting.

This posting wouldn't be complete without mentioning another 2-person deal 
that you've probably all heard of: It's between 2 progressives.  An 
otherwise-Kerry-voter in a secure Kerry or secure Bush state makes a deal 
that he'll vote for Nader if an otherwise Nader voter in a swing-state will 
vote for Kerry. That's a good deal too. It has the advantage that it's 
between 2 people who really want the same thing, so there isn't the 
perception of a trust problem. Of course I claim that the 2-person deal 
between the Nader-preferrer and the Libertarian--preferrer doesn't have a 
genuine trust problem either, for the reasons that I described. One could 
make whichever of those kinds of 2-person deal is available.  Either works.

And I realize that not all Lilbertarians prefer the Republican to the 
Democrat. But some do, and those are the ones you'd make that deal with. Or, 
of course, with anyone who is going to vote for the Republican as a 
lesser-evil.

That's 4 ways to get rid of the lesser-of-2-evils problem without a better 
votng system. Let's use one of those this time.

The website's URL for the Republican-Democrat deal is:

http://www.VoteBuddy.com

Mike Ossipoff

_________________________________________________________________
Discover the best of the best at MSN Luxury Living. http://lexus.msn.com/