Exercising my Franchise

[Folinskyinla]

LOL, kinda funny example considering I have no clue about US sports. As I said "Proportional Representation" is the Irish voting system, much more democratic, every voter gets multiple choices for their vote and so if you utilize your votes properly, you at some point will vote for the winner, i.e. each voter has vote 1, vote 2, vote 3 etc, and so if your first choice is eliminated in the first count, the person you voted as second choice gets your vote then and so on,, makes it hard to get a large overall majority but is very fair voting system. Patrick

Hi:

Actually, the word for what you describe is not "proportional" but is
called "culmative" voting. Launi Granuier ran into trouble when
nominated by Clinton to a top assistant AG posistion because she
advocates.

I understand that Israel has a proportional system -- where each voter
casts a vote for which party they want. And each party has submitted a
list of candidates. The proportion of the vote the party gets
determines how many of the people on the list are elected.

Any time you introduce a district or borough system, the dynamics
change. There is a lot of debate about this in local electoral systems.
"At large" elections ["Select 5 from the following list"] are accused of
disnefranchising minority neighborhoods. [BTW, in various at large
elections, I tend to cast a "bullet" vote -- which increases its power.
Otherwise, your vote for your #5 person may be the vote margin of
victory of #5 over the person you consider #1].

All these issues are subject to discussion and all have advantages and
disadvantages.

--
Certified Specialist
Immigration & Nat. Law
Cal. Bar Board of Legal Specialization
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[sphyrapicus]

Hmmm..I think I prefer my one vote - voting for 2nd, 3rd and 4th choice seems very confusing. Also, in recent history we haven't had more than 2 serious candidates so why even have that ability to vote 1st or 2nd? The guy with the most votes still wins. I don't see a problem with only 1/3rd getting their choice - heck, it won't be 1/3 this year, it's going to be more like 1/2 - this is definitely a country divided. I enjoyed Mr. F's analogy of the electoral college, it helped me to understand it a little better and I'm a native! That being said, I truly hope that we eventually do away with the electoral college and go with a straight popularity vote. I hate living in a state where I'm a democrat, but the electoral votes always go Republican. So essentially my vote doesn't matter squat. At least if it was a popularity vote every vote really would count. I agree that we need some tougher voter identification rules. My voter registration card shows my maiden name, but my id shows my married name - they weren't even interested in looking at my marriage cert as proof of the name change, they just took me at my word. I could have been anyone. Happy voting everyone! May the right man win!

I think you meant to say, "May the left man win!"

Sphy

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[inquisitive40]

Hmmm..I think I prefer my one vote - voting for 2nd, 3rd and 4th choice seems very confusing. Also, in recent history we haven't had more than 2 serious candidates so why even have that ability to vote 1st or 2nd? The guy with the most votes still wins. I don't see a problem with only 1/3rd getting their choice - heck, it won't be 1/3 this year, it's going to be more like 1/2 - this is definitely a country divided. I enjoyed Mr. F's analogy of the electoral college, it helped me to understand it a little better and I'm a native! That being said, I truly hope that we eventually do away with the electoral college and go with a straight popularity vote. I hate living in a state where I'm a democrat, but the electoral votes always go Republican. So essentially my vote doesn't matter squat. At least if it was a popularity vote every vote really would count. I agree that we need some tougher voter identification rules. My voter registration card shows my maiden name, but my id shows my married name - they weren't even interested in looking at my marriage cert as proof of the name change, they just took me at my word. I could have been anyone. Happy voting everyone! May the right man win!

Well the difference for me as a native born Irish person, the voting
system was taught in the schools at a very young age and so pretty much
everybody understands it, a lot of people only vote number one on their
ballot due to civil war divisions which still exist in Ireland BUT
Ireland is a VERY young Republic (as supposedly is America a republic)
and so the right to vote in Ireland actually is a new enough privilege
in relative terms to other countries.

As for the term "Proportional representation" , this is the term which
is used in Ireland and so that is why I use it, also the only ones that
I have ever heard knock this system are parties and groups which know
that they would not get their clear majorities to rule under that voting
system, overall I think it has been recognised as being the most
democratic voting system by non-partisan observors.

Patrick

--
inquisitive40
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[sunflwrgrl13]

I think you meant to say, "May the left man win!" Sphy

Uh...May the correct man win! Hmm..I can't wait for the day I can say
"May the best woman win!" We pride ourselves on being so equal so I
think it's about time we have a woman in there to clean up the mess the
men leave behind! (and I'm not trying to start trouble with that
comment...)

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[SecretGarden]

Hmmm..I think I prefer my one vote - voting for 2nd, 3rd and 4th choice seems very confusing. Also, in recent history we haven't had more than 2 serious candidates so why even have that ability to vote 1st or 2nd? The guy with the most votes still wins. I don't see a problem with only 1/3rd getting their choice - heck, it won't be 1/3 this year, it's going to be more like 1/2 - this is definitely a country divided. I enjoyed Mr. F's analogy of the electoral college, it helped me to understand it a little better and I'm a native! That being said, I truly hope that we eventually do away with the electoral college and go with a straight popularity vote. I hate living in a state where I'm a democrat, but the electoral votes always go Republican. So essentially my vote doesn't matter squat. At least if it was a popularity vote every vote really would count. I agree that we need some tougher voter identification rules. My voter registration card shows my maiden name, but my id shows my married name - they weren't even interested in looking at my marriage cert as proof of the name change, they just took me at my word. I could have been anyone. Happy voting everyone! May the right man win!

Oh no..........*sinks to knees in horror*

Jamie, you mean they let you vote without having the registration card
in your corrected name?? That's the only reason I didn't go to the
polls today---I had neglected to change my voter registration card to
the new last name, and when I checked with the state of Illinois
website, it said the card had to be in the married name, and all changes
to registration were closed 28 days before the election, which was
October 5th.

Someone please tell me this is a state by state thing, because if I
didn't vote today and COULD have, I'm gonna be sick........ I feel
like such an embarassment to the country and to my new husband for not
taking care of this sooner. ****.

~SecretGarden

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[ian-mstm]

CONGRATULATIONS IAN!!, I envy you! Were your hands shaky??

Thanks Tweeky! Fortunately, our district uses electronic (not touch
screen) machines so there were no holes to punch nor chads to
impregnate!

Ian

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[Rete]

Oh no..........*sinks to knees in horror* Jamie, you mean they let you vote without having the registration card in your corrected name?? That's the only reason I didn't go to the polls today---I had neglected to change my voter registration card to the new last name, and when I checked with the state of Illinois website, it said the card had to be in the married name, and all changes to registration were closed 28 days before the election, which was October 5th. Someone please tell me this is a state by state thing, because if I didn't vote today and COULD have, I'm gonna be sick........ I feel like such an embarassment to the country and to my new husband for not taking care of this sooner. ****. ~SecretGarden

Well you still have time. The polls close at 9 p.m. it is only 7:20 on
the east coast.

Rete

--
I'm not an attorney. This disclaimer is valid in NYS!
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[meauxna]

Thanks Tweeky! Fortunately, our district uses electronic (not touch screen) machines so there were no holes to punch nor chads to impregnate! Ian

Congrats on your first vote, Ian!

Go, Secret Garden, go!!
(run Forrest, run!)

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[Andrew DeFaria]

inquisitive40 wrote:

All I can say is there should be NO "Our System", the voting should be the same countrwide, it is nuts that there are different systems in each state. Having said that, the Electoral College makes a joke of democracy in this country regardless.

That's because we're a representative republic not a democracy. A true
democracy is essentially "mob rules".

VERY disenchancted with the US voting system, whatever happened to "one man, one vote",

As far as I can see it's alive and well right here. What do you mean
actually? Doesn't each man (and woman) get one vote?

--
If you can read this I can hit my brakes and sue you.

[Andrew DeFaria]

inquisitive40 wrote:

Hitler was elected under proportional representation. With that system, the second best person is elected...........seems a crazy system to me. Nothing crazy about it, if you don't have a second preference then you don't vote for one. As far as Hitler being voted in by that system, just goes to show that the Germans got who they wanted , I have worked for Germans and many older Germans privately still think Hitler was one of their greatest leaders, genius and mad men are never far apart. The only reason the UK does not have PR is because the government knows they would always have a hung Parliament, UK also is a country where 1/3rd gets their choice and the other 2/3rds have voted for the other guy.

That's all well and good except the truth is not democratic - neither
would the best guy therefore be democratic.

Not very fair in my observation.

Who ever said that life was supposed to be fair!

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As I always say "I never repeat myself"