Discussion:
[EM] fully proportional representation with single member districts
Ross Hyman
2017-07-13 03:08:04 UTC
Permalink
Here is an electoral reform proposal for a county like Israel, which currently uses a closed list proportional system for the entire country and where there have been complaints that the people on a party list are not chosen democratically and are not geographically representative.
The proposal retains full proportional representation and does so with single winner districts. The basic idea is to hold the “primary” election after the “general election."
Each voter registers with a party. The number of voters who are registered for each party on the “general election” date is used to determine the number of seats for each party using the country's standard method, such as D’Hont. No actual election needs to be held on that day.
Next the “primary election” is held. There is a separate primary for each party but they are all held in the same day. Say party A has earned N seats in the general election. For party A's primary, the country is divided up into N districts with the same number of Party A members in each district (This could be done through an automated scheme). The same is done for each party. The districts from different parties will likely overlap with each other.
Voters who were registered for Party A on general election day get to vote in the Party A primary in the party A district where they reside. An appropriate single winner election method can be used. For a party that gets one seat, the entire country is one district. For a party that gets two seats, the country will be divided into two. But the dividing line can be different for a different party with two seats, since the distribution of party members will likely be different for both parties. Etc.
In this system party membership needs to be public so that candidates know whose votes they are campaigning for.
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robert bristow-johnson
2017-07-13 03:50:45 UTC
Permalink
 
lotsa problems...
    "Each voter registers with a party."
so a voter-applicant who does not identify with or wish to be identified with any party is disenfranchised?
    "For party A's primary, the country is divided up into N
districts with the same number of Party A members in each district (This could be done through an automated scheme). The same is done for each party. ...   For a party that gets one seat, the entire country is one district. For a party that gets two seats, the country will be divided into
two. But the dividing line can be different for a different party with two seats, since the distribution of party members will likely be different for both parties."
wow!  considering the bloody slug-fest redistricting is already, that seems to multiply the cost in money and in
blood.
    " In this system party membership needs to be public "
well, we sorta have that now, which i think violates voters' privacy.  many states require prior registration to a party before the primary.  my state does not.
i work the polls and
in the presidential primary we have to ask the voter coming in the door, what party ballot they want, and no one likes that.  for the statehouse primary, we give them three ballots and tell them they can only vote in one.  and they have to toss the other two.  but their privacy is
still a little violated because the different party primary ballots are colored differently and the official that is watching the voting machine (and ballot box) to make sure each voter only inserts one ballot into the machine can see the color of the ballot.  (this really should be done
differently.  in my opinion, if space allows, it should be a single ballot with clear instructions to mark votes in only one party's section and, if the voter violates that, it spoils their ballot.)
but the thing i like least about this, Ross, is the implication that, for the elected
office, each voter is limited to only candidates in that voter's registered party.  we should have the right to vote for a candidate we might like better than the one our own party chooses.
regards,
r b-j
 

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------

Subject: [EM] fully proportional representation with single member districts

From: "Ross Hyman" <***@sbcglobal.net>

Date: Wed, July 12, 2017 11:08 pm

To: "election-***@lists.electorama.com" <election-***@lists.electorama.com>

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Post by Ross Hyman
Here is an electoral reform proposal for a county like Israel, which currently uses a closed list proportional system for the entire country and where there have been complaints that the people on a party list are not chosen democratically and are not geographically representative.
The proposal retains full proportional representation and does so with single winner districts. The basic idea is to hold the &ldquo;primary&rdquo; election after the &ldquo;general election."
Each voter registers with a party. The number of voters who are registered for each party on the &ldquo;general election&rdquo; date is used to determine the number of seats for each party using the country's standard method, such as D&rsquo;Hont. No actual election needs to be held on that
day.
Post by Ross Hyman
Next the &ldquo;primary election&rdquo; is held. There is a separate primary for each party but they are all held in the same day. Say party A has earned N seats in the general election. For party A's primary, the country is divided up into N districts with the same number of Party A members in
each district (This could be done through an automated scheme). The same is done for each party. The districts from different parties will likely overlap with each other.
Post by Ross Hyman
Voters who were registered for Party A on general election day get to vote in the Party A primary in the party A district where they reside. An appropriate single winner election method can be used. For a party that gets one seat, the entire country is one district. For a party that gets two
seats, the country will be divided into two. But the dividing line can be different for a different party with two seats, since the distribution of party members will likely be different for both parties. Etc.
Post by Ross Hyman
In this system party membership needs to be public so that candidates know whose votes they are campaigning for.
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r b-j                  ***@audioimagination.com
 


"Imagination is more important than knowledge."

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