2011/8/19 Jonathan Lundell <[email protected]> > On Aug 19, 2011, at 9:22 AM, Jameson Quinn wrote: > > Re: 10 words per signatory. > > I don't think I should be the one to judge. What do other people think? If > people like things short, I've suggested an extra 15 or 20 words below. > > JQ > > 2011/8/19 Michael Allan <[email protected]> > >> One possible obstacle to participation (and to agreement) is the sheer >> size of the text. I once formulated a "laconic rule of thumb" to >> address this kind of problem. It states: [1] >> >> Limit the consensus draft to 10 words per voter [or signatory]. >> >> In our case, and depending on how we tallied the level of agreement, >> that would mean 20 or 30 words maximum. I recommend: [2] >> >> These are better than Plurality: > > Plurality has big problems. Any of these would solve most: > >> * Approval >> * Bucklin >> > / (Majority Judgment) > >> * Condorcet >> * Range >> * SODA >> Approval is ideal as a first step in voting reform. > > > Gerrymandering and safe seats are also problems. Proportional > representation would solve it. There are many good options, including some > with geographical aspects, but closed party list is not good. > > > I'm not a fan of closed lists, but I wonder if their condemnation qualifies > as an electoral-method topic. What drives closed lists is the desire for > strong parties and party discipline. One might disagree philosophically, but > that doesn't make it a bad electoral method if that's the goal. Seems to me > the question then becomes how the list gets generated. Suppose, for example, > that a party held a ranked-vote primary that used the Condorcet preference > ranking of the candidates to create a list. >
I live in Guatemala, where closed lists are completely decided by party higher-ups. What that means is that literally the majority of congress don't give a flying flip what the voters think. That is what I meant by closed lists. To me, a primary-based system would be more like "two-round open lists" than closed lists. And the problems I see with this go far beyond a matter of taste, and easily equal the worst problems of gerrymandering or two-party domination. JQ
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