[EM] Declaration of Election-Method Experts and Enthusiasts

[Dave Ketchum]

Seems to me Fred is wandering on this one.

Our declaration gets big enough without tackling:
.     Who gets to be a candidate.
.     Who gets to be a voter.

I know New York law gets plenty of complexity while tackling these two  
- much of it in trying to be fair and reasonable while getting it all  
done in a reasonable number of days.

"party nomination" relates to primary,, "independent nomination"  
relates to independence ignoring party,  and "designating petition"  
relates to primary - are all used in our law on this.

Dave Ketchum

On Sep 2, 2011, at 4:25 PM, Fred Gohlke wrote:

> Good Afternoon, Mr. Fobes
>
> re: "I think that the listed benefits (of election-method reform)
>     cover most of your "participation" principle ..."
>
> The declaration presumes the right of political parties to select  
> the candidates for public office, thereby preventing meaningful  
> participation by the public.
>
> Over two hundred years experience with party politics (should) have  
> taught us that political parties transcend the will of the people.  
> Parties are important for the principals: the party leaders,  
> contributors, candidates and elected officials, but the significance  
> diminishes rapidly as the distance from the center of power grows.   
> Most people are on the periphery, remote from the center of power.   
> As outsiders, they have little incentive to participate in the  
> political process.  The flaws in party politics are disastrous and  
> we ought not blind ourselves to the political causes of the  
> devastation we're enduring, right now.
>
> If the only purpose of the declaration is to break the hold of  
> plurality it may be effective, but it offers no roadmap for those  
> countries seeking an electoral method that gives their people  
> meaningful participation in the political process.
>
> Fred Gohlke