[EM] Democracy Chronicles, answers to interview questions

[Richard Fobes]

Great news:  The online newspaper named "Democracy Chronicles" wants to 
write an article about our "Declaration of Election-Method Reform 
Advocates"!

The article also will cover what goes on in this election-method forum.

Below are the questions that editor Adrian Tawfik is inviting us to 
answer.  Clarifications follow the questions.

Question 1.  Your name and the city and country you work in.

Question 2.  What is your Company or Organization?

Question 3.  Any contact info you wish to give to be published with 
article for readers (for example your email or website.)

Question 4. If you have signed the Declaration, is there any additional 
information, beyond what's in your signature, that you feel is important 
to mention?

Question 5. If you have not signed the Declaration, why?

Question 6. Briefly explain what characteristics you think are most 
important for a voting method to have?

Question 7. What do you think is the most important election reform 
needed where you live (either locally or nationally)?  Why is this 
reform important?

Question 8. What is your opinion on other aspects of election reform 
such as reforming money's role in politics or redistricting 
(particularly in the US but very interested as well concerning election 
reforms internationally)?

Clarifications:

* Please change the subject heading if you are writing something other 
than your answers to these questions.

* This article is about our Declaration, and about the election-method 
reform concepts you think are the most important.  If you want to 
propose an article about a different topic, I'm sure that Adrian would 
be happy to consider it.

* Please remember, as stated in the Declaration, that our enemy is 
plurality voting (or First Past The Post, or the single-mark ballot), 
not instant-runoff voting, and not the supporters of methods you don't 
like.  For example, consider that many election-reform advocates believe 
that instant-runoff voting is suitable for U.S. governmental elections, 
so if you dismiss that method as no better than plurality, then your 
other statements may lose credibility.

* Remember to avoid jargon (unless you can explain it in a few words) 
and avoid acronyms.  Many readers of the Democracy Chronicles won't know 
about concepts that we all know by name.

* I suggest taking a look at www.DemocracyChronicles.com to see what the 
online newspaper is about.  Physically it's based in New York, but the 
subjects cover the globe.

* You do not need to answer every question.  If you just want to answer 
one or two questions, that's fine.

* I have given Adrian a link to this month's list of forum messages, so 
he will be seeing the answers himself.  (I am not filtering the answers.)

* Adrian might join the forum himself, and hopefully the article will 
attract other election-reform advocates to participate in our forum, so 
consider that this development is the beginning of a relationship with 
people who understand the importance of election reform (which is 
broader than just election-method reform).

In my opinion, this is a great opportunity to connect with election 
reformers who can benefit from our election-method expertise.

FYI, I contacted the Democracy Chronicles and suggested this article, 
and I made suggestions about the first draft of the questions, but I 
have made it clear that this is a collaborative forum, and the 
Declaration has been a collaborative effort among all of us who have 
signed it.  Although I have already written general comments that may 
end up in the article, I have not yet answered these questions, so I too 
will answer them here.

Richard Fobes