[EM] Corrections to inaccurate FairVote historical perspective

[Richard Fobes]

On 3/14/2013 9:51 AM, Ralph Suter wrote:
> ...
> My own biggest disagreement with FairVote is that it has never, itself,
> been a truly democratic organization. At the 1992 founding meeting, I
> was under the impression that it would be incorporated as a
> member-controlled organization. In fact an initial board of directors
> was elected at the meeting using a PR procedure (STV as I recall). Only
> several years later did I learn that the organization was incorporated
> as a conventional nonprofit organization controlled by a
> self-perpetuating board (i.e., the board chooses all new board members).
> The initial board was selected by Matthew Cossolotto and the other
> incorporators and was not the board elected at the founding meeting. As
> a result of how it was incorporated, the organization has never been
> open to pressure from members (since it doesn't have any) regarding its
> positions on IRV and other issues. [...]

It's insightful that the organizations that claim to support 
election-method reform -- especially the FairVote organization and the 
Green party -- do not elect their own leaders using the election methods 
that they "support."

Real reform will begin when there are political parties that use the 
election methods that they "support."

This is why the Czech Green party is far ahead of other political 
parties.  They have begun to use better election methods in their own 
elections.  Bravo!

Does anyone know of any other political party that uses the 
election-method reform that they promote?

Richard Fobes