[EM] A design flaw in the electoral system

[Andrew Myers]

On 7/22/64 2:59 PM, Michael Allan wrote:
> Dear Juho and Fred,
>
>>> 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.
>
> Juho Laatu wrote:
>> 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 certainly never expected my own vote to be decisive in an election.
> But knowing it has *no* effect on the outcome?  This is unexpected and
> makes me uneasy.  (more below)

I think we should be a little more careful here. Just because a voter's 
vote has no effect on the outcome of an election does not mean that the 
vote has no effect.  By voting you are affecting the margin of victory 
or defeat. And vote margins still matter to politicians -- they signal 
whether the politicians are taking the right positions and making 
convincing arguments.

-- Andrew