On Mar 7, 2010, at 6:26 PM, Raph Frank wrote:
On Sat, Mar 6, 2010 at 1:34 AM, robert bristow-johnson
<[email protected]> wrote:
i almost never vote for all 6. usually just 2. but it's a
strategic vote. and since i didn't hit the limit, it's
practically no different than Approval voting. i cannot see how
Warren and company claim that it's less strategic than Condorcet.
...
but what if there is *one* (or maybe two) of those candidates that
i take an
affirmative interest in seeing elected? that is, i would really
like to see
that one candidate elected more than i would want to see any other
candidate, including those others in my party that i *might* have
tepid
approval for. i know that, even being in the same party, those other
candidates *are* effectively running against the candidate i
like. it's not
just the candidate from the other parties that are running against my
preferred candidate. voting for *any* other candidate (by me or
by any
other voter) independently of the party that other candidate is from,
reduces the likelihood of my preferred candidate getting elected.
It comes down to personal vs party power. Is it more important that
party X wins or do the legislators have more freedom.
In fact, you could look at it like a deal between you are the other
party supports to support each other's candidates.
yeah, i guess i'm greedier than that. if there is someone i *really*
think (on some emotional or visceral level) should be elected, i feel
i'm willing to throw the others under the bus if it helps. i guess i
need to learn some enlightened self-interest.
Btw, is it normal under that system for 1 or other party to take
all seats?
no, i don't think so. Chittenden County is, i believe, the most
populous in Vermont, so i don't think the other counties have as many
as 6 at-large state senators. some counties will have just one, i'll
bet. in my county the state senators are R, D, and D/P:
http://www.leg.state.vt.us/lms/legdir/districts.asp?Body=S
but, all i wanted to do is compare the voting experience i have in
that particular election with what i would imagine is Approval
voting. it feels like Approval voting to me with a limit of 6 that i
never hit. now that feeling would not be the same if i lived in,
say, the "Grand Isle District".
also, i just figgered out that the State Senate Districts are not the
same as counties, because that guy in the Grand Isle District is in
my county. so i do not get what the rhyme or reason is the state had
in drawing these legislative district lines. they are clearly not
drawn with equal population in mind and i am not sure what is
equivalent for voters in my district to be choosing six at-large
senators while my neighboring district has just one. the neighboring
district has a clear "winner-take-all" election and we do not.
different voting strategies would be used in different places for the
same office (different seats) in the same state (and not for passing
parochial political differences, but more constitutional differences
between the districts).
i guess Vermont is sorta weird.
--
r b-j [email protected]
"Imagination is more important than knowledge."
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