Jonathan Lundell wrote:
Apropos this general subject, David Hill wrote an article on the subject
of STV with constraints (Voting matters
<http://www.votingmatters.org.uk/ISSUE9/P1.HTM>). He concludes (and I
agree):
I believe that the approach given above is the best way, within STV,
to implement constraints but that they should not be employed unless
it cannot be avoided.
The mechanisms of STV are already designed to give voters what they
want, so far as possible, in proportion to their numbers. It should be
for the voters to decide what they want, not for anyone else to tell
them what they ought to want.
The magazine Punch in 1845 included "Advice to persons about to marry
- Don't". My advice on constraints is similar.
Dividing a nation into districts before performing STV elections is
itself a constraint on the geographical distribution of the candidates.
If constraints should be done away with, do you think that nations
employing STV should have only one district? If not, why not?
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