Great news: The online newspaper named "Democracy Chronicles" wants to
write an article about our "Declaration of Election-Method Reform
Advocates"!
The article also will cover what goes on in this election-method forum.
Below are the questions that editor Adrian Tawfik is inviting us to
answer. Clarifications follow the questions.
Question 1. Your name and the city and country you work in.
Question 2. What is your Company or Organization?
Question 3. Any contact info you wish to give to be published with
article for readers (for example your email or website.)
Question 4. If you have signed the Declaration, is there any additional
information, beyond what's in your signature, that you feel is important
to mention?
Question 5. If you have not signed the Declaration, why?
Question 6. Briefly explain what characteristics you think are most
important for a voting method to have?
Question 7. What do you think is the most important election reform
needed where you live (either locally or nationally)? Why is this
reform important?
Question 8. What is your opinion on other aspects of election reform
such as reforming money's role in politics or redistricting
(particularly in the US but very interested as well concerning election
reforms internationally)?
Clarifications:
* Please change the subject heading if you are writing something other
than your answers to these questions.
* This article is about our Declaration, and about the election-method
reform concepts you think are the most important. If you want to
propose an article about a different topic, I'm sure that Adrian would
be happy to consider it.
* Please remember, as stated in the Declaration, that our enemy is
plurality voting (or First Past The Post, or the single-mark ballot),
not instant-runoff voting, and not the supporters of methods you don't
like. For example, consider that many election-reform advocates believe
that instant-runoff voting is suitable for U.S. governmental elections,
so if you dismiss that method as no better than plurality, then your
other statements may lose credibility.
* Remember to avoid jargon (unless you can explain it in a few words)
and avoid acronyms. Many readers of the Democracy Chronicles won't know
about concepts that we all know by name.
* I suggest taking a look at www.DemocracyChronicles.com to see what the
online newspaper is about. Physically it's based in New York, but the
subjects cover the globe.
* You do not need to answer every question. If you just want to answer
one or two questions, that's fine.
* I have given Adrian a link to this month's list of forum messages, so
he will be seeing the answers himself. (I am not filtering the answers.)
* Adrian might join the forum himself, and hopefully the article will
attract other election-reform advocates to participate in our forum, so
consider that this development is the beginning of a relationship with
people who understand the importance of election reform (which is
broader than just election-method reform).
In my opinion, this is a great opportunity to connect with election
reformers who can benefit from our election-method expertise.
FYI, I contacted the Democracy Chronicles and suggested this article,
and I made suggestions about the first draft of the questions, but I
have made it clear that this is a collaborative forum, and the
Declaration has been a collaborative effort among all of us who have
signed it. Although I have already written general comments that may
end up in the article, I have not yet answered these questions, so I too
will answer them here.
Richard Fobes
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