[Election-Methods] Primary Elections using a "Top 2/Single Transferable Voting Method"

[Dave Ketchum]

This puzzles.

You cannot design Primary elections until you know what method will be 
used in the general election.  Plurality is the usual method there.

Plurality penalizes including near-clones as candidates, who will split 
the votes headed for the positions they share.  Therefore the needed 
primaries need to be designed to produce EXACTLY one candidate per party.
      My choice for primary is Condorcet, given that the general election 
will be Plurality.
      Given a chance to influence the general election, I would make that 
Condorcet, removing necessity for having primaries.

BTW:  When I look around I see Ron Paul registered as a Republican - 
rather than where you place him.

On Sun, 16 Dec 2007 15:44:24 -0800 Don&Cathy Hoffard wrote:
>  
> 
> Primary Elections using a "Top 2/Single Transferable Voting Method"
> 
>  
> 
> For more information on the STV method see 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_transferable_vote
> 
>  
> 
> My objective was to find a method that would:
> 
>  1. Narrow the field of candidates in the General Election to a 
> reasonable number.
> 
>  2. Follow the US Supreme Courts ruling that only Party member can 
> select their Parties Candidate (the free association principle).

Curious, for your sample ballots had voters outside a party getting 
involved is a party's selection.
> 
>  3. Allow the maximum flexibility by voters (subject to 2 above).
> 
>  4. No vote is wasted.
> 
>  
> 
>  (See sample ballots below)
> 
>  
> 
> Counting Rules in finding the Top 2/STV (or Top 3+) General Election 
> Candidates:
> 
> 1. Add all of the individual candidates votes ranked number 1 (and 
> transferred votes in later rounds).
> 
> 2. Allocate all of the Party (Group) votes, ranked number 1 (and 
> transferred Party votes in later rounds), to the candidates in that 
> Party (Group) in proportion of the votes receive under step 1 above.
> 
> 3. If any candidate who has reached or exceeded the required Droop quota 
> (33.4% - "Top 2", 25.1% with "Top 3") they will be included in the 
> General Election.
> 
> 4. If a candidate has more votes than the quota, then their votes are 
> transferred to other candidates according to each voter's allocated 
> preferences.
> 
> 5. If not enough candidates have been selected, the count continues.
> 
> 6. The candidate with the fewest votes is then eliminated and their 
> votes are transferred to remaining candidates (or Parties) according to 
> voters' preferences.
> 
> This process repeats from step 1 until the required number of candidates 
> has been selected for the General Election.
> 
> Please give me your comments:
> 
> Don Hoffard
> 
>  
> 
> Sample Ballots:
> 
...
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  davek at clarityconnect.com    people.clarityconnect.com/webpages3/davek
  Dave Ketchum   108 Halstead Ave, Owego, NY  13827-1708   607-687-5026
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