[EM] Re: Ballot Design

[Araucaria Araucana]

On  8 Apr 2005 at 08:38 UTC-0700, Lloyd Caesar wrote:
> This may be a bit off topic. It's about art not science.  How should
> an STV ballot be designed for ease of use and ease of counting. (For
> the rules, let's say, paper ballots, computer count, manual recount
> if necessary) A simple list of names with spaces next to them
> forwriting in a number is clear for voters but difficult for
> poll-workers who can't use a computer for the count(without
> foolproof OCR) and have to decipher handwriting.  Names with
> numbered circles to fill in (SAT style) reqquire as many numbers as
> there are candidates, possibly a huge number in say a multi-party
> 9-seat (about the largest practical) election. Furthermore, voters
> can lose track of the numbers as they move around the ballot and
> accidentally spoil their ballots.  What might work? any ideas?

Hi Lloyd,

How about an abacus-like approach?

         500                 50                  5             
         ( )                 ( )                ( )        
   ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )     ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )    ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )  
   100 200 300 400     10  20  30  40      1   2   3   4   

Here's how you might represent various numbers:

3:
         500                 50                  5             
         ( )                 ( )                ( )        
   ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )     ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )    ( ) ( ) (X) ( )  
   100 200 300 400     10  20  30  40      1   2   3   4   

7:
         500                 50                  5             
         ( )                 ( )                (X)        
   ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )     ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )    ( ) (X) ( ) ( )  
   100 200 300 400     10  20  30  40      1   2   3   4   

62:
         500                 50                  5             
         ( )                 (X)                ( )        
   ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )     (X) ( ) ( ) ( )    ( ) (X) ( ) ( )  
   100 200 300 400     10  20  30  40      1   2   3   4   

489:
         500                 50                  5             
         ( )                 (X)                (X)        
   ( ) ( ) ( ) (X)     ( ) ( ) (X) ( )    ( ) ( ) ( ) (X)  
   100 200 300 400     10  20  30  40      1   2   3   4   


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