Comments on: Republican Liberty Caucus Celebrates Twenty Years with Successful DC Convention and CPAC Outreach http://www.rlc.org/rlc-twenty-years/ The Conscience of the Republican Party Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:19:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Clay Shentrup http://www.rlc.org/rlc-twenty-years/comment-page-1/#comment-13714 Clay Shentrup Thu, 24 Feb 2011 21:36:20 +0000 http://www.rlc.org/?p=4035#comment-13714 Well, there's no way to guarantee a "majority" in any meaningful way. Both ordinary delayed "top-two runoff" (TTR), and Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) can produce a situation where Y wins, even though X got more first-place votes than Y, and also was preferred to Y by a majority of voters. For example: www.electology.org/irv-support The right metric by which to judge a voting method is "average voter satisfaction", and it can be objectively quantified via a metric called Bayesian Regret. Approval Voting is vastly simpler than IRV, and more democratic as measured by Bayesian Regret. It has numerous other benefits as well. www.electology.org/approval-voting-vs-irv Approval Voting uses ordinary Plurality Voting ballots, but instead of voting for just one candidate, you can vote for as many as you want. Unlike with IRV, a voter can NEVER be punished for supporting his or her sincere favorite candidate with Approval Voting. Well, there’s no way to guarantee a “majority” in any meaningful way. Both ordinary delayed “top-two runoff” (TTR), and Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) can produce a situation where Y wins, even though X got more first-place votes than Y, and also was preferred to Y by a majority of voters. For example:
http://www.electology.org/irv-support

The right metric by which to judge a voting method is “average voter satisfaction”, and it can be objectively quantified via a metric called Bayesian Regret.

Approval Voting is vastly simpler than IRV, and more democratic as measured by Bayesian Regret. It has numerous other benefits as well.
http://www.electology.org/approval-voting-vs-irv

Approval Voting uses ordinary Plurality Voting ballots, but instead of voting for just one candidate, you can vote for as many as you want. Unlike with IRV, a voter can NEVER be punished for supporting his or her sincere favorite candidate with Approval Voting.

]]> By: Louis William Rose http://www.rlc.org/rlc-twenty-years/comment-page-1/#comment-13679 Louis William Rose Thu, 24 Feb 2011 13:53:02 +0000 http://www.rlc.org/?p=4035#comment-13679 As the parliamentarian for the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida, I cannot stress more strongly the need for elections that produce a winner who has received a majority (at least 50% + 1) of the votes. Selection by plurality does not give the elected officer the political capital that he or she needs to effectively lead. Therefore run-off elections or any manifestation of them are insufficient to ensure that the will of the majority will be expressed in its leadership. The Pope is elected by strict majority (ultimately unanimously), the Prime Minister of England is elected by strict majority, John Boehner, the weak-willed, cry-baby, Republican Speaker of the House and all other speakers before him have been elected by strict majority. Election by majority is a basic principle of deliberative democracy and should not be casually abandoned. As the parliamentarian for the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida, I cannot stress more strongly the need for elections that produce a winner who has received a majority (at least 50% + 1) of the votes. Selection by plurality does not give the elected officer the political capital that he or she needs to effectively lead.

Therefore run-off elections or any manifestation of them are insufficient to ensure that the will of the majority will be expressed in its leadership. The Pope is elected by strict majority (ultimately unanimously), the Prime Minister of England is elected by strict majority, John Boehner, the weak-willed, cry-baby, Republican Speaker of the House and all other speakers before him have been elected by strict majority. Election by majority is a basic principle of deliberative democracy and should not be casually abandoned.

]]> By: Frank Atwood http://www.rlc.org/rlc-twenty-years/comment-page-1/#comment-13573 Frank Atwood Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:04:23 +0000 http://www.rlc.org/?p=4035#comment-13573 I'm glad we're discussing alternative voting methods. I believe Approval Voting is more easily attainable than IRV. Approval Voting is: "let the voter vote for more than one candidate, remove the vote for only one restriction, most votes wins." This is as simple as: check off everyone you like. IRV, although sounding simple - select 1st, 2nd..., in the past has perpetuated two party dominance in Australia, and has internal pathologies, batched out low performers. Regardless, our current system has too many spoilers, too much sabotage and not enough civility. Summed up: Third parties sabotage their philosophical allies. I look forward to manning an Approval Voting table at both Liberty Feast and CPAC. I’m glad we’re discussing alternative voting methods. I believe Approval Voting is more easily attainable than IRV. Approval Voting is: “let the voter vote for more than one candidate, remove the vote for only one restriction, most votes wins.” This is as simple as: check off everyone you like. IRV, although sounding simple – select 1st, 2nd…, in the past has perpetuated two party dominance in Australia, and has internal pathologies, batched out low performers. Regardless, our current system has too many spoilers, too much sabotage and not enough civility. Summed up: Third parties sabotage their philosophical allies. I look forward to manning an Approval Voting table at both Liberty Feast and CPAC.

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