[EM] Statement by this list (was Remember toby Nixon)

[Juho Laatu]

On 29.5.2011, at 2.09, James Gilmour wrote:

>>> On 27.5.2011, at 10.01, Jameson Quinn wrote:
>>> 1. We draw up a statement which details the serious problems 
>>> with plurality in the US context, and states that there are 
>>> solutions.
> 
>> Juho Laatu  Sent: Friday, May 27, 2011 9:43 PM 
>> Good approach. I have one comment on the target statement. 
>> Expression "problems with plurality in the US context" 
>> contains the assumption that the traditional two-party system 
>> in not the correct solution for the US. 
> 
> I would respectfully suggest that this statement is not correct.  I don't think JQ's statement says or implies anything about "the
> traditional two-party system".  But even if the electors and voters in the USA wanted and voted only for "the traditional two-party
> system", there could be, and probably would be, problems with plurality, even in the US context.  Plurality frequently distorts the
> voters' wishes, is inherently unstable, and even when it delivers acceptably balanced representation overall there are often
> "electoral deserts" where one party or the other has almost no representation despite having significant voting support there, even
> when there are only two parties.
> 
> And I think you need to distinguish between the two types of election that occur in the US context: election to a single-office
> (city mayor, state governor, etc); and election to a "representative assembly" (city council, state legislature with upper and lower
> houses, federal legislature with upper and lower houses).  These two types of election present different opportunities for securing
> representation of the voters within a system of "representative democracy".  These are more fundamental issues that I would suggest
> you need to address, and they are quite independent of any consideration of the number of parties (or the number of effective
> parties) that might come later.
> 
> JG

Ok, I agree that plurality may have problems also within an otherwise well working two-party system. And a two-party country might well have single winner elections that are not partisan and contain several candidates that are not associated with the two parties. Or maybe we want to have a method that allows both parties to nominate more than one candidate. In all these cases we might need also improved methods.

Juho