[EM] A design flaw in the electoral system

[Juho Laatu]

On 5.10.2011, at 9.44, Michael Allan wrote:

>   1. Take the last election in which you voted, and look at its
>      outcome (P).
>   2. Subtract your vote from that election.
>   3. Recalculate the outcome without your vote (Q).
>   4. Look at the difference between P and Q.
>   5. Repeat for all the elections you ever participated in.
> 
> Your vote never made a difference.  Most people feel uncomfortable or
> perplexed in this knowledge, and I think the feeling indicates that
> something's wrong.

I'm not sure that most people feel uncomfortable with this. Many have learned to live as part of the surrounding society, and they don't expect their vote to be the one that should decide between two alternatives.

I don't think there is anything wrong. I can understand that some feel so, but I rather think that they are wrong.

One could also say that a system where it would be common that one's vote could decide who the winner is would be a bad system. That system would be a very unstable.

But I guess the key point is to learn to think in terms of what do WE decide instead of what do I decide.

Juho