[EM] Election-Methods Digest, Vol 150, Issue 42

[Erik Moeller via Election-Methods]

On Fri, Dec 30, 2016 at 12:43 PM, Jack Santucci via Election-Methods
<election-methods at lists.electorama.com> wrote:

> The argument I make in "Exit from PR" above could apply to
> any voting system with low effective thresholds. It may apply to
> any PR system, period.

Agreed. The STV repeal example is also unusual in that a new voting
system was introduced at the city-level in a country with a long and
deeply entrenched history of FPTP. In the US, more than in many other
countries, the electoral system is also associated with the American
revolution and a sense of American exceptionalism.

The literature indicates that this, too, was used as an argument in
the campaign, and it could be brought against any PR system (basically
decrying anything other than single-winner plurality as
"un-American").

It's difficult to estimate just how much the complexity of STV (across
dimensions like voting, counting, explaining results, visualizing
results, etc.) contributes to the success or failure of repeal
efforts. I do find it interesting that the one place where STV
persists is a voting system (Cambridge, MA) is perhaps also one of the
places least susceptible to anti-intellectual arguments (home of
Harvard+MIT), and most likely to embrace a nerdy voting system
alternative. ;)

If anyone is aware of "perception of complexity" of different voting
systems, I'd love pointers -- I haven't found any good literature on
this yet.

Cheers,

Erik