[EM] Making a Bad Thing Worse

[Dave Ketchum]

On Sat, 18 Oct 2008 23:33:13 +0100 Raph Frank wrote:
> On Sat, Oct 18, 2008 at 8:54 PM, Dave Ketchum <davek at clarityconnect.com> wrote:
> 
>>In FPTP parties NEED primaries - a party cannot afford to divide its
>>members' votes among multiple candidates.
> 
> 
> Well, in the UK, the party leadership decides who the candidates are.
> Ministers are generally assigned to safe seats for example.
> 
> 
>>A DISASTER!  Mechanics become difficult.  Voters cannot learn enough of all
>>to sort them out.  Etc.
>>    A party with sufficient voters can reasonably nominate a candidate.
>>    Makes sense for a reasonable sized group of voters to nominate a
>>candidate without formally getting involved in parties for this.
>>
>>As to losers - they chose to try for party backing and got rejected - not
>>the same as someone who only got approval outside the parties.
> 
> 
> Well, there is a balance between having hundreds of candidates and
> having only two.
> 
> The ballot access laws should allow sincere candidates to stand.
> 
How do we measure 'sincere'?  In most places in the US N backers place a 
candidate on a party primary ballot, and N2 (usually a larger number) 
directly on the general election ballot.  Also voters can usually vote for 
others via write-in.  N and N2 NEED to be based on the number of potential 
nominators and getting a 'reasonable' quantity of candidates.
      Party leadership may also place candidates on the primary ballot (no 
need for primary election if only one candidate, though voters can demand a 
primary to provide for possible write-ins).
> 
>>Intent is to prevent large states from swamping small states.
>>
>>Having two houses is a standard thought - single houses too easily wander
>>into stupid thoughts.
> 
> 
> Right, and also, it is recommended that they are elected in different
> manners.  If both Houses use the same electorate and method, then they
> are copies of each other.
-- 
  davek at clarityconnect.com    people.clarityconnect.com/webpages3/davek
  Dave Ketchum   108 Halstead Ave, Owego, NY  13827-1708   607-687-5026
            Do to no one what you would not want done to you.
                  If you want peace, work for justice.