[EM] Advocacy

[Richard Fobes]

On 12/2/2012 11:50 AM, Michael Ossipoff wrote:
> ...
> Voting system reform can only happen as part of a larger package of
> improvements that will come by electing a non-Republocrat party to
> office. Preferably a progressive one. That would be the Greens, the
> most winnable progressive party. FairVote says that the LIbertarians,
> like the Greens, favor IRV.

The Green party _claims_ to support IRV.  Yet they do not use it to 
elect their internal party delegates.  And I haven't heard of the Green 
party putting any effort into using IRV in their primary elections.

If they -- or any party -- did use IRV, then I and many other voters 
would support more of their candidates.

> ...
> So then, how can we get a better voting system? Vote for the Green
> nominee in every official public election, starting with the next one.

Michael also had what I think is a better idea: vote for a third-party 
candidate for Secretary of State.  For clarification, Secretary of State 
is the official who handles a state's election.  Such votes would 
hopefully express a desire for election reform.

FYI, about a year ago I met the Green-party candidate here when he 
attended a presentation I gave, and I voted for him in the last 
election, and I expressed support for him on a progressive online 
resource (even though he prefers IRV).  He got 3 percent of the vote, 
which is about twice what each other third-party Secretary of State 
candidate in that election got.

I also agree with Kristofer's statement about usage being very 
important.  People need to try something on a small scale before they 
are comfortable with trusting it at the large scale.  Where will that 
happen?  More importantly, _when_ will a U.S. third party wake up and 
adopt better ballots and a better counting method for electing party 
officials, the way the Pirate parties already do?

Richard