Vote No to the Electoral Reform Amendment

[homelycooking]

I think we aren't realizing it in part because many people don't really understand how to vote effectively under STV. This weakness is hardly to their detriment, however, because the electoral system can be maddeningly complex. Under STV, a voter often needs to vote in such a way that both totally disregards his true preferences and aims to ensure both the election of the fifth senator and the defeat of the sixth candidate. However, the electoral calculus that leads a voter to vote in a particular way may completely change in the course of an hour, turning a voter's STV strategy against himself. It has always frustrated me that voters frequently neglect their lower preferences or rush recklessly through voting - they're avoiding the strategic decision-making needed to vote effectively under our current system.

Public ballots in theory make STV a source of complex intrigue and strategy, but the nuances of the STV chess game are often lost on an electorate that prefers to play FPTP checkers. Again, I do not intend to gratuitously insult voters' intelligence. Their expectation is a reasonable one - that expressing one's true preferences will lead to the proper electoral result - and one that is improperly encouraged by STV's fair and proportional reputation. But there is no need for an STV candidate to receive 13 votes in excess of the quota, as Polnut did, or for NC Yankee to keep receiving first preferences long after his election was assured. Surely they were flattered by the overwhelming show of support, but many of those voters would have used their votes far more effectively in determining whether Poirot or Cris would be the fifth Senator.

[homelycooking]

Two regions are now in their third day of voting on the amendment, while there is, as yet, no voting booth for the other two regions. There's no telling how long voters in the Mideast and Midwest will have to wait, but at least we're "giving the Governors something to do" and "keeping them active".

[homelycooking]

Two regions are now in their third day of voting on the amendment, while there is, as yet, no voting booth for the other two regions. There's no telling how long voters in the Mideast and Midwest will have to wait, but at least we're "giving the Governors something to do" and "keeping them active".

I'm glad I live in a region where we are getting time to consider this major reform before voting on it.

And who knows how much time you'll have!