[Foundation-l] The average voter and voting systems (was Re: Notice of the results of the WMF Board of Trustees election)

[Jussi-Ville Heiskanen]

On 7/13/07, Delphine Ménard <notafishz at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On 7/13/07, Stephen Bain <stephen.bain at gmail.com> wrote:
> > On 7/13/07, Jussi-Ville Heiskanen <cimonavaro at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > While I think the Single Transferrable Vote is the best voting system,
> the
> > > electorate probably is not sophisticated enough to grasp it, and vote
> > > counting on it with the number of seats and candidates we have, would
> be a
> > > positive nightmare, so yes, I am absolutely in agreement with the
> > > paragraph above.
> >
> > It's easier if you make preferences optional (ie, if people don't have
> > to number all the way to the end of the list). That can result in more
> > exhausted votes than otherwise, but it's a worthwhile tradeoff I
> > think.
> >
> > I don't know if STV is that hard to explain anyway, at least, if you
> > give a simplified explanation: first you number all the candidates in
> > order of preference (1 being your first preference). If your #1
> > preference doesn't win, your vote goes to your #2 preference, and so
> > on.
>
> Just because I am not familiar with STV.  On a list of say 10
> candidates, can you chose to number the number of candidates that you
> want, or do you have to number all candidates?


No problem at all. If your list ends, it will count as having left
an empty ballot in a common election. It is one way to protest
the quality of the field that is quite legitimate in fact. In some
systems there is even a specific candidate called No Award
(when the voting is for an award) and if No Award ever gets
above a certain threshold of the votes, then no award is given
out. This particular form of the STV has the added bonus that
even if you wish to protest in this fashion, but No Award (or
Noah Ward, as he is sometimes known by) only gets say 49 %
of the  votes with the eventual winner getting 51 %, ones votes
after No Award will still have guided who of the least awful but
still undeserving candidates (or nominees) claims the prize, what
ever it may be in the case at hand.


--
Jussi-Ville Heiskanen, ~ [[User:Cimon Avaro]]