[EM] Burlington Vermont repeals IRV 52% to 48%

[robert bristow-johnson]

On Mar 7, 2010, at 6:26 PM, Raph Frank wrote:

> On Sat, Mar 6, 2010 at 1:34 AM, robert bristow-johnson
> <rbj at audioimagination.com> wrote:
>> i almost never vote for all 6.  usually just 2.  but it's a  
>> strategic vote.  and since i didn't hit the limit, it's  
>> practically no different than Approval voting.  i cannot see how  
>> Warren and company claim that it's less strategic than Condorcet.

...
>> but what if there is *one* (or maybe two) of those candidates that  
>> i take an
>> affirmative interest in seeing elected?  that is, i would really  
>> like to see
>> that one candidate elected more than i would want to see any other
>> candidate, including those others in my party that i *might* have  
>> tepid
>> approval for.  i know that, even being in the same party, those other
>> candidates *are* effectively running against the candidate i  
>> like.  it's not
>> just the candidate from the other parties that are running against my
>> preferred candidate.  voting for *any* other candidate (by me or  
>> by any
>> other voter) independently of the party that other candidate is from,
>> reduces the likelihood of my preferred candidate getting elected.
>
> It comes down to personal vs party power.  Is it more important that
> party X wins or do the legislators have more freedom.
>
> In fact, you could look at it like a deal between you are the other
> party supports to support each other's candidates.

yeah, i guess i'm greedier than that.  if there is someone i *really*  
think (on some emotional or visceral level) should be elected, i feel  
i'm willing to throw the others under the bus if it helps.  i guess i  
need to learn some enlightened self-interest.

> Btw, is it normal under that system for 1 or other party to take  
> all seats?

no, i don't think so.  Chittenden County is, i believe, the most  
populous in Vermont, so i don't think the other counties have as many  
as 6 at-large state senators.  some counties will have just one, i'll  
bet.  in my county the state senators are R, D, and D/P:

  http://www.leg.state.vt.us/lms/legdir/districts.asp?Body=S

but, all i wanted to do is compare the voting experience i have in  
that particular election with what i would imagine is Approval  
voting.  it feels like Approval voting to me with a limit of 6 that i  
never hit.  now that feeling would not be the same if i lived in,  
say, the "Grand Isle District".

also, i just figgered out that the State Senate Districts are not the  
same as counties, because that guy in the Grand Isle District is in  
my county.  so i do not get what the rhyme or reason is the state had  
in drawing these legislative district lines.  they are clearly not  
drawn with equal population in mind and i am not sure what is  
equivalent for voters in my district to be choosing six at-large  
senators while my neighboring district has just one.  the neighboring  
district has a clear "winner-take-all" election and we do not.   
different voting strategies would be used in different places for the  
same office (different seats) in the same state (and not for passing  
parochial political differences, but more constitutional differences  
between the districts).

i guess Vermont is sorta weird.

--

r b-j                  rbj at audioimagination.com

"Imagination is more important than knowledge."