<div dir="ltr"><font face="arial, sans-serif">It may not be fair but in the status quo US system there</font> are networking effects in activism and voter education about electoral reform. Given the need to deal w. rational ignorance about politics, and even moreso electoral rules, there is a need for marketing short-cuts. FairVote does that well in simplifying the message for low-info voters ignorant about electoral rule analytics. <div>
<br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">So reform in a system where economies of scale are exacerbated by the status quo is not fair and there's scope for a 2nd best approach based on networking externalities and marketing advantages that include over-simplifications or statements of tendencies as absolutes. <br>
<br>I agree w. your focus on primary systems where the no. of candidates on average wd tend to be higher.</div><div><br></div><div>My agenda is to defend iRV for single-winner gener'l elections and redirect energy to complenting such with American forms of Proportional Represetnation that similarly won't so much challenge the US's 2-party dominated system but keep it from tilting to one-party domination and make it work a lot better, as I belive would be inevitable if the proliferation of LTPs were incentivized by the use of Am forms of PR that make it easy for a small, local third party to win represetnation.</div>
<div><br></div><div>dlw<br><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">------------------------------</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">
<br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">Message: 5</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">Date: </span><span class="" tabindex="0" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px"><span class="">Wed, 29 May 2013 14:48:45</span></span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px"> -0700</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">From: Richard Fobes <ElectionMethods@VoteFair.org></span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">To: </span><a href="mailto:election-methods@electorama.com" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">election-methods@electorama.com</a><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">Subject: Re: [EM] Re2: Fobes wrt IRV w. relatively few competitive</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px"> candidates.</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">Message-ID: <51A677BD.4070303@VoteFair.org</span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">></span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px"><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">A clarification would be helpful in this discussion (below).</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px"><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">David seems to be talking about the number of candidates in _general_</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">elections.</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px"><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">I am more focused on the number of candidates in _primary_ elections.</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">This is where the greatest unfairnesses now occur. This is where there</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">should be more candidates.</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px"><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">Specifically, in a congressional election where the district boundaries</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">do not ensure victory for the incumbent's party, the other party should</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">have about four to seven credible candidates in their primary election.</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">
<br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">IRV cannot handle that many credible candidates.</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">
<br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">Richard Fobes</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.513513565063477px">
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