Danish Election!

[Silent Hunter]

I'm backing the Social Democrats (I have a policy of backing any party in the PSE).

[minionofmidas]

I'm backing Jens, of course.
Good luck with chairing a polling station, I hope to do that myself one day soon.

[Jens]

I'm backing Jens, of course.
Good luck with chairing a polling station, I hope to do that myself one day soon.

Well, thank you. You never know with you German Greens ;-). I'm glad that it's not a German polling station. That first vote, second vote system must take forever to count :-P I tried to explain it to one of my friends, but she just looked bevildered at me;-D

[minionofmidas]

I'm backing Jens, of course.
Good luck with chairing a polling station, I hope to do that myself one day soon.

Well, thank you. You never know with you German Greens ;-). I'm glad that it's not a German polling station. That first vote, second vote system must take forever to count :-P

Actually, no.
First you divide the ticketsplitting ballots from the other ones.
Then you count those.
Then you count the ticket splitters' party votes.
Then you count the ticket splitters' personal votes.

[Jens]

I'm backing Jens, of course.
Good luck with chairing a polling station, I hope to do that myself one day soon.

Well, thank you. You never know with you German Greens ;-). I'm glad that it's not a German polling station. That first vote, second vote system must take forever to count :-P

Actually, no.
First you divide the ticketsplitting ballots from the other ones.
Then you count those.
Then you count the ticket splitters' party votes.
Then you count the ticket splitters' personal votes.

Sounds reasonable, but imagine having about 13.000 votes that you have to do that with (that is the probable situation at "my" polling station. We just split the votes into the 10+ parties and count those. Usually the process is over around 24-01 (personal votes are counted the next day)

What about municipal elections?

[Jens]

Latest poll

A Socialdemokratiet 26,5% 47 mandater (SD)
B Radikale Venstre 6,5% 11 mandater (RL)
C Konservative Folkeparti 8,5% 15 mandater (CPP)
D Centrum-Demokraterne 0,6% 0 mandater (CD)
F Socialistisk Folkeparti 8,3% 15 mandater (SPP)
K Kristendemokraterne 2,6%5 mandater (KD)
M Minoritetspartiet 0,0% 0 mandater (Minority Party)
O Dansk Folkeparti12,0%10,8%19 mandater (DPP)
V Venstre 32,7% 58 mandater (L)
Ø Enhedslisten 2,8%5 mandater (UL)

[minionofmidas]

I'm backing Jens, of course.
Good luck with chairing a polling station, I hope to do that myself one day soon.

Well, thank you. You never know with you German Greens ;-). I'm glad that it's not a German polling station. That first vote, second vote system must take forever to count :-P

Actually, no.
First you divide the ticketsplitting ballots from the other ones.
Then you count those.
Then you count the ticket splitters' party votes.
Then you count the ticket splitters' personal votes.

Sounds reasonable, but imagine having about 13.000 votes that you have to do that with (that is the probable situation at "my" polling station. We just split the votes into the 10+ parties and count those. Usually the process is over around 24-01 (personal votes are counted the next day)

When do your polls close? 13,000 votes in one ballot box sounds unreasonable to me...why are your precincts this big?

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Our new municipal voting system (new in Hessen, long in use in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and perhaps elsewhere, I'm not sure) is a discerning voter's paradise and poll worker's hell. It was worst in Frankfurt because we got 93 seats on the city councíl, not 19 or 29 or 35 or 55 or whatever as on district and township councils elsewhere in the state - and every voter had as many votes as there's seats.
Last time around, only the total no of ballots and the partisan breakdown of the unaltered, straight-party votes were counted on election night, and these preliminary results released.
The others were counted by city employees over the next week or so, with help of a computer program. So basically you had two people scrutinizing every ballot (sized over one square meter) and shouting the location of crosses to a third person sitting at the computer.
They could have just as well done that election by computer from start to finish (okay, so the program would have to have been a little more user friendly...I've watched a count of these altered ballots, I've seen how that PC program worked.)

[Jens]

When do your polls close? 13,000 votes in one ballot box sounds unreasonable to me...why are your precincts this big?

We have several ballot boxes ;-). The precincts are even bigger around 30.000 - 60.000 voters with several polling stations. The system is working quite well and with lots of ordnung ;-) Each polling station has several voting table, where you hand over your voting notification (on which the number of you voting table is stated), identify yourself and is handed a ballot to use in one of the voting booths. After casting your vote you put the ballot in one of the ballot boxes.

At www.kmdvalg.dk you can se the sizes of the different precincts ( http://www.kmdvalg.dk/042101003.htm is the place where I will be polling official)

Edit: The page only works with iexplorer, because KMD is a crappy firm

[Jens]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Our new municipal voting system (new in Hessen, long in use in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and perhaps elsewhere, I'm not sure) is a discerning voter's paradise and poll worker's hell. It was worst in Frankfurt because we got 93 seats on the city councíl, not 19 or 29 or 35 or 55 or whatever as on district and township councils elsewhere in the state - and every voter had as many votes as there's seats.
Last time around, only the total no of ballots and the partisan breakdown of the unaltered, straight-party votes were counted on election night, and these preliminary results released.
The others were counted by city employees over the next week or so, with help of a computer program. So basically you had two people scrutinizing every ballot (sized over one square meter) and shouting the location of crosses to a third person sitting at the computer.
They could have just as well done that election by computer from start to finish (okay, so the program would have to have been a little more user friendly...I've watched a count of these altered ballots, I've seen how that PC program worked.)

That sounds like a lot of fun, and a very hard job. I'm not sure that such a metode will change a lot, but different it is ;-)

[minionofmidas]

When do your polls close? 13,000 votes in one ballot box sounds unreasonable to me...why are your precincts this big?

We have several ballot boxes ;-). The precincts are even bigger around 30.000 - 60.000 voters with several polling stations. The system is working quite well and with lots of ordnung ;-) Each polling station has several voting table, where you hand over your voting notification (on which the number of you voting table is stated), identify yourself and is handed a ballot to use in one of the voting booths. After casting your vote you put the ballot in one of the ballot boxes.

At www.kmdvalg.dk you can se the sizes of the different precincts ( http://www.kmdvalg.dk/042101003.htm is the place where I will be polling official)

Edit: The page only works with iexplorer, because KMD is a crappy firm

And do they count ballot boxes individually?

[Jens]

When do your polls close? 13,000 votes in one ballot box sounds unreasonable to me...why are your precincts this big?

We have several ballot boxes ;-). The precincts are even bigger around 30.000 - 60.000 voters with several polling stations. The system is working quite well and with lots of ordnung ;-) Each polling station has several voting table, where you hand over your voting notification (on which the number of you voting table is stated), identify yourself and is handed a ballot to use in one of the voting booths. After casting your vote you put the ballot in one of the ballot boxes.

At www.kmdvalg.dk you can se the sizes of the different precincts ( http://www.kmdvalg.dk/042101003.htm is the place where I will be polling official)

Edit: The page only works with iexplorer, because KMD is a crappy firm

And do they count ballot boxes individually?

Yes, each polling station count the votes on location and report to the ministry of internal affairs. Still 13.000 votes take some time. The election closes at 20.00 and the bigger places are done around 01.00

[Michael Z]

This thread has turned out to be a very useful guide to Danish politics.

[Jens]

This thread has turned out to be a very useful guide to Danish politics.

Darn, my secret evil agenda is revealed! ;-)

[ilikeverin]

B Radikale Venstre 6,5% 11 mandater (RL)
F Socialistisk Folkeparti 8,3% 15 mandater (SPP)

WØØØØØØØØØ!

GØ radical left and sØcialist peØple's party!

[Jens]

About time I give you all an update on the election.

Latest polls:
A 27,0% 48
B 9,8% 18
C 9,9% 18
D 1,3% 0
F 5,8% 10
K 0,9% 0
O 10,5% 19
V 31,8% 57
Ø 2,7%45

The Goverment Ventre (V) and Conservative (C) and support Danish People's Party (O) is still in the lead, but the difference are with in the statistic uncertainty

The Last Week
The last week has been uterly silly. Ventre, the major government party has promised 28 billion kroner to families with children, old people, education ect. When asked how to finance it they claimed that it could be financed by the natural growth in the national economy. The Conservative then claimed that they also would cut taxes. The Socialdemocrats presented a plan where they would use 10 billion on mush the same things as Venstre.
Both sides hasn't got a clue how to finance their promises and are behaving like a bunch of kinds competing over who has the strongest Dad!!

Another topic that is gaining momentom is Iraq where Denmark has soldiers in the southern part af the country. The engagement in Iraq only recieved the smallest majority in the Diet (Any Danish engagement abroad before has been heavily supported in the Diet) and is unpopular among the population.

Finally has Danish People's Party presented 42 changes to the immigration policy, because they are xenophobic bastards (DK already has one of the most restrictive immigration policies in EU). The most memorable sugestion was cancellation of the Nordic pasport union, because they do not what Denmark to be flooded with Swedes when the Swedish welfare state collaps [silly people]

I would support that suggestion but only if it was the first stage of the reconquering of the occupied Danish provinces [Remember the Roskilde Peace!!!]

[minionofmidas]

LOL! Don't let Gustaf hear you.
What's that downturn in SFP and upswing in RV?

Also, maybe you could arrange your parties light-to-reft next time? Makes it much easier to read, I should think.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Good stuff Jens :-)

[Jens]

LOL! Don't let Gustaf hear you.
What's that downturn in SFP and upswing in RV?

Also, maybe you could arrange your parties light-to-reft next time? Makes it much easier to read, I should think.

Sure. The way I put it is the traditional way the parties are placed, because that is the way they are put on the ballot. We use party letters, so if you walk around in the Danish cities you wount see posters saying "VOTE SD" but "VOTE A" because A is Socialdemocrats party letter. It's from those days where most people where illiterate

From left to right (So that the poor Hessian knows what's going on ;-D )

Ø 2,7% 5
F 5,8% 10
A 27,0% 48
B 9,8% 18
D 1,3% 0
K 0,9% 0
C 9,9% 18
V 31,8% 57
O 10,5% 19

ABFØ = 81
VCO = 94

About SF and RV
I think that RV is slightly overreprecented (It's from Politiken, a newspaper founded by that same people that later founded RV), but they have a strong leader Marianne Jelved who has done well the last week. On the other hand is the Iraqi war becomming a topic in the campaign and SF has the strongest opposer to the war and that could give them (us ;-) ) some votes.
Tomorrow I'll be on the streets handing out flyers. Let's see peoples reaction

[poor Guzzy, he should be afraid, very afraid, 'cause he is old enough to be drafted!!]

[minionofmidas]

A poor Hessian is much delighted.

[Jens]

A poor Hessian is much delighted.

You should be. By the way, do they ever teach you in school about the Danish-Hessian connection or do it drown in the massive amount of German principates (Long live Reuss, the younger line)

[minionofmidas]

A poor Hessian is much delighted.

You should be. By the way, do they ever teach you in school about the Danish-Hessian connection or do it drown in the massive amount of German principates (Long live Reuss, the younger line)

Danish-Hessian connection? No, I don't know what you're talking about.
Anyways, I'm from the Imperial Free City of Frankfurt, not from anywhere in the Landgrafschaft / Grand Duchy / Electorate Hessen.

[Jens]

A poor Hessian is much delighted.

You should be. By the way, do they ever teach you in school about the Danish-Hessian connection or do it drown in the massive amount of German principates (Long live Reuss, the younger line)

Danish-Hessian connection? No, I don't know what you're talking about.
Anyways, I'm from the Imperial Free City of Frankfurt, not from anywhere in the Landgrafschaft / Grand Duchy / Electorate Hessen.

Those bloody city dwellers, they are nothing but trouble. Useless in the field and how can they live in a decease infected hell hole! ;-)
Anyway Kurhessen and Denmark have had close connections in the past. Nomerous Hessian princesses has been maried to Danish kings and Danish princess to Hessian prinses.
That was todays history lesson, my friend. Now go and shout it to the world :-D

[Platypus]

That German voting system sounds like pure evil. We've a pretty simple system-All votes by first preference/Candidate, then the lowest amount eliminated and those votes redistricuted to second preference, then the new smallest pile eliminated, etc. until one candidate gets 50%+1. The result is usually known within the night, because once you get 50%+1 you win, although the final numbers can take a bit longer. Close seats often take a whle, because every stage has to be gone through at a snail's pace. One thing that assists the count is that most polling booths are under 1000 votes, which'd be a lot easier to count then in Denmark. Also, our seats are all about 100,000 voters strong, although this varies a bit state-by state.

[Notre Dame rules!]

Lewis,

How does it look for Schroeder in the fall election?  I heard the new unemployment figures for Germany today.  It can't be good for the SPD.  From what I've seen over the last year, the CDU/CSU has been on an electoral roll.  Hopefully they will unseat Shroeder and his Red/Green alliance, but maybe that's just the optimistic conservative in me.   

[minionofmidas]

Lewis,

How does it look for Schroeder in the fall election?  I heard the new unemployment figures for Germany today.  It can't be good for the SPD.  From what I've seen over the last year, the CDU/CSU has been on an electoral roll.  Hopefully they will unseat Shroeder and his Red/Green alliance, but maybe that's just the optimistic conservative in me.   

Must be the year before last you're talking about. Nothing's gone right for the CDU for about 9 months or so now.
Anyways election is fall 2006. As for the unemployment figures, that's due to a change in reckoning standards...and people know that.