Voters' Pamphlet
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Are Condorcet and Minimax Voting Systems the Best?1
1 Are Condorcet and Minimax Voting Systems the Best?1 Richard B. Darlington Cornell University Abstract For decades, the minimax voting system was well known to experts on voting systems, but was not widely considered to be one of the best systems. But in recent years, two important experts, Nicolaus Tideman and Andrew Myers, have both recognized minimax as one of the best systems. I agree with that. This paper presents my own reasons for preferring minimax. The paper explicitly discusses about 20 systems. Comments invited. [email protected] Copyright Richard B. Darlington May be distributed free for non-commercial purposes Keywords Voting system Condorcet Minimax 1. Many thanks to Nicolaus Tideman, Andrew Myers, Sharon Weinberg, Eduardo Marchena, my wife Betsy Darlington, and my daughter Lois Darlington, all of whom contributed many valuable suggestions. 2 Table of Contents 1. Introduction and summary 3 2. The variety of voting systems 4 3. Some electoral criteria violated by minimax’s competitors 6 Monotonicity 7 Strategic voting 7 Completeness 7 Simplicity 8 Ease of voting 8 Resistance to vote-splitting and spoiling 8 Straddling 8 Condorcet consistency (CC) 8 4. Dismissing eight criteria violated by minimax 9 4.1 The absolute loser, Condorcet loser, and preference inversion criteria 9 4.2 Three anti-manipulation criteria 10 4.3 SCC/IIA 11 4.4 Multiple districts 12 5. Simulation studies on voting systems 13 5.1. Why our computer simulations use spatial models of voter behavior 13 5.2 Four computer simulations 15 5.2.1 Features and purposes of the studies 15 5.2.2 Further description of the studies 16 5.2.3 Results and discussion 18 6. -
Section 10 Correspondence
SECTION 10 CORRESPONDENCE SECTION 10: CORRESPONDENCE Yvonne Galletta Subject: FW: Expansion of my September 22nd comments to the Santa Clara Charter Review Committee Attachments: Portland-Mayorai-Sample-Ballot.pdf Portland-Mayora !-Sample-Ballot. .. ---- - Original Message----- From: Steve Chessin (mailto:steve.chessin®gmail .com] On Behalf Of Steve Chessin Sent: Friday, September 23, 2011 9:43 PM To: Manager Cc: Cl erk Subject: Expansion of my September 22nd comments to t he Santa Clara Charter Review Committee To the members of the Charter Review Committee and supporting City Staff: I would like to expand on the comments I made at the September 22nd Charter Review Committee (CRC) meeting. I made four points, which I expand on here. 1. The minutes of the September 1st meeting contain this sentenc~ under item 7, \•/here it is reporting on my presentation to the CRC: "He referred to a book, 'To Keep Or Change First Past The Post? The Politics of Electoral Reform ' as a good reference . " That is not the book I referred to . In fact, I am not familiar with that book, and had not heard of it until I read its title in the minutes . I do not know if it will be useful to you or not . The books I did refer to are these: Amy , Doug; "Behind the Ballot Box: A Citizen's Guide t o Voting Systems"; Praeger Publishing; Westport, Connecticut; 2 000. It is available at http: //\·Mw. mtholyoke. edu/acad/polit/damy/OrderDesk/behind_ the_ballot_box . htm Reynolds, Andrew, and Reilly, Ben; "The International IDEA Handbook of Electoral System Design"; International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assis tance; Sweden; 1997. -
Landry, Celeste
HB 5404: Study Ranked-Choice Voting in CT, Committee on Government Administration and Elections March 4, 2020 testimony by Celeste Landry, 745 University Ave, Boulder, CO 80302 Bio: I have been researching voting methods since 2012 and have given a variety of Voting Methods presentations including at the 2018 LWVUS convention, the 2019 Free and Equal Electoral Reform Symposium and the 2020 CO Dept of State Alternative Voting Method Stakeholder Group meeting. Four Proposed Amendments: Amendments #1 and #2 below address language in the current text, but Amendments #3 and #4 provide for better and broader resolutions to the bill’s limitations. Issue #1. The description of ranked-choice voting (RCV) in HB5404 is too limited. For instance, the 2018 Maine Congressional District 2 election would NOT fit the definition below: 6 are defeated and until one candidate receives over fifty per cent of the 7 votes cast, and (3) the candidate receiving over fifty per cent of the votes 8 cast is deemed to have been elected to such office. Such study shall Example: The Maine CD2 winner, Jared Golden, did NOT receive over 50% of the votes cast (144,813 out of 289,624). More people preferred Golden’s opponents to Golden. In the last round, Golden received over 50% of the votes if you only count the non-exhausted ballots. The definition of RCV in the bill effectively claims that more than two thousand cast votes were actually not cast! 2018 Maine CD2 election results: https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/results/results18.html#Nov6 Resolution: The definition should read 6 are defeated and until one candidate receives over fifty per cent of the 7 votes cast on non-exhausted ballots, and (3) the candidate receiving over fifty per cent of the votes 8 cast on non-exhausted ballots is deemed to have been elected to such office. -
Vote Splitting
Vote Splitting: Who benefits from better The Root of Electoral Evils voting methods? Our current choose-one Plurality Voting method allows voters to express an opinion about only one candidate. This works fine—when there are only two candidates. Add a third, and you get vote splitting: the most similar candidates split their common supporters’ votes, and can lose to another less preferred Major-party supporters candidate—possibly even the least preferred! • Better primaries, without vote The Vote-Splitting Cycle What Makes a Good Voting Method splitting and spoilers A good voting method has several essential Fear of being a “spoiler” deters many candidates • Less negative campaigning, qualities, starting with the fundamental two: from entering the race, denying voters a real choice. more post-primary unity Often enough more candidates run anyway, forcing Accuracy and Simplicity. Over the expected voters to play a game: guessing how other voters range of election scenarios, the voting method • No minor-party spoilers will vote. For this they consider candidates’ “viabilty” must produce results that accurately reflect the — not only their qualifications, but their popularity, will of the electorate, at an acceptable logistical Minor-party supporters funding, and media support. Campaign money cost. To produce such results, we need three more becomes necessary not just to make candidates qualities: Expressiveness, Sincerity, and Equality. • Other parties see minor-party candidates as allies, not spoilers known, but to signal that they are serious. Facing Voters must be able and willing to express a the “wasted-vote dilemma,” many voters abandon reasonably full and sincere opinion, and the • Results reflect a party’s true their favorite candidates for the few who seem to presence of similar candidates should not hurt or support have the best chances — the bandwagon effect. -
Recommendation to Eliminate Overdue Fines Presented to the WCCLS Executive Board July 2020
Recommendation to Eliminate Overdue Fines Presented to the WCCLS Executive Board July 2020 Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1 Equity and WCCLS’ Strategic Plan ................................................................................................................. 2 Literature Review ......................................................................................................................................... 3 Will patrons return library materials on time without fines? ................................................................... 3 Will patrons practice civic responsibility if we eliminate fines? ............................................................... 3 How do fines affect lower-income and historically underserved patrons? .............................................. 3 How do fines affect a library’s relationship with their patrons and staff morale? ................................... 4 Further watching and reading................................................................................................................... 4 Fine-Free Implementation at WCCLS ............................................................................................................ 4 Values for the discussion .......................................................................................................................... 4 Overdue fines ........................................................................................................................................... -
STAR Voting: from Multnomah County to the Nation with Love
STAR Voting: From Multnomah County to the Nation With Love Necessity is the mother of invention and not surprisingly this has been a groundbreaking year for election reform. In Oregon the Equal Vote Coalition is collecting signatures for twin ballot initiatives in two counties to fundamentally change the way we vote. If successful, we will have elections for the first time EVER where the voting system doesn't play favorites, where every vote makes a difference, and where voting your conscience is the best strategy. This is what democracy looks like! “Simply give each candidate a five star rating. Let’s rise above the polarization and allow voters to show their full opinion!” -www.starvoting.us The central idea is that our votes should be equal, no matter how many candidates we like, what parties we affiliate with, or if we’re in a minority faction. Our current “vote for one” system is only accurate if there are only two candidates but if there are more than that it fails the test of equality miserably. It's basic bad design and we can do better. With STAR Voting we would skip the low turnout primary all together. You only need to vote once in November, and those ballots are counted in a two step process. STAR stands for Score-Then-Automatic-Runoff and that’s exactly how it works: The two highest scoring candidates are finalists. In the automatic runoff the finalist preferred by more voters wins. Unlike our current system the star ballot lets us show our full, honest opinions. -
League of Oregon Cities Executive Committee Meeting AGENDA
League of Oregon Cities Executive Committee Meeting March 03, 2021 │ 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm Via Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87911716672?pwd=Q0FXSWtmWTJjU0xzQk9ma0toUXRXQT09 Meeting ID: 879 1171 6672 Passcode: 265650 One tap mobile +12532158782,,87911716672#,,,,,,0#,,265650# US (Tacoma) +13462487799,,87911716672#,,,,,,0#,,265650# US (Houston) AGENDA A. Welcome (President Keith Mays)........................................................................................ B. Minutes 1.13.2021 & 2.3.021 Executive Committee Meeting* (Pres. Keith Mays)........... C. Financial Overview (Jamie Johnson-Davis) ......................................................................... D. Advocacy: Tiered Voting (J McCauley/S Winkles)............................................................... E. Member Services/Admin Update (Workload) (Christy Wurster)........................................ F. LOC Goals for 2021 (Non-Legislative) (Pres. Mays/M. Cully)............................................... G. LOC Board, Committee and Caucus Processes (Pres. Mays/M. Cully)................................. H. Ongoing LOC Board and Executive Committee Forecasting (Pres. Mays/M. Cully)............ I. Other Business J. Adjournment * Agenda items denoted with an asterisk indicate a motion is recommended. The sample motion will appear in the agenda item’s associated materials. Final LOC Executive Committee Meeting January 13, 2021 │ 3:35 pm – 4:02 pm │ Meeting by Zoom MINUTES Present: Executive Committee Members: Keith Mays, Jake Boone, Taneea Browning, Steve Callaway, and Scott Derickson. Staff: Mike Cully, Christy Wurster, Patty Mulvihill and Kelly Richardson. Other: N/A Absent: Welcome and Roll Call 3:35 pm Keith Mays called the meeting to order at 3:35 pm. A. To Formulate Recommended Goals & Performance Metrics for the Executive Director for Calendar Year 2021 3:36 pm General Counsel Mulvihill presented a memo surrounding the history of this item to the Committee, which can be found on page 2 of the packet. -
Agenda Public Meeting: Policy Group Committee Location: Cornelius
Agenda Public Meeting: Policy Group Committee Location: Cornelius Public Library | 1370 N Adair St, Cornelius, OR 97113 Time & date: Thursday, January 30, 2020, 9:30 am – 12:00 pm 9:30 1. Call to order & introductions Doman Calkins 9:35 2. Consent agenda [motion/vote] Doman Calkins 2a. Policy Group minutes from December 2019 2b. WCCLS monthly report for November 2019 2c. WCCLS monthly report for December 2019 9:40 3. Update: Committee Pause team work so far Trice & Van Deman 10:10 4. Update: Levy work so far, and what’s next Tattersall 10:25 5. Break 10:35 6. Discussion: Circulation Transaction Policy Doman Calkins 11:30 7. Discussion: recent issues with thefts Doman Calkins 11:45 8. Announcements and sharing Doman Calkins 12:00 9. Adjourn Doman Calkins Agenda Public Meeting: Policy Group Committee Location: Cornelius Public Library | 1370 N Adair St, Cornelius, OR 97113 Time & date: Thursday, January 30, 2020, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm WCCLS Policy Group Guiding Principles (adopted in August 2016) • We care about providing quality customer service • We define quality customer service as reliable, consistent, friendly, and competent service at local and countywide levels both for internal and external customers • We care about being good stewards of public resources • We care about building community and relationships • We care that Washington County libraries are vital and relevant 2020 Meeting Dates and Locations Policy Group February 20 Hillsboro Brookwood Library – Board Room March 19 WCCLS April 23 Tigard Public Library May 28 Garden Home Community Library June 25 Jessie Mays Community Center (North Plains) July 30 WCCLS August 27 Banks Public Library Sept. -
STAR Voting FAQ
STAR Voting FAQ: What is STAR Voting? ● STAR Voting is a more expressive voting method using a 5 star ballot. ● Give each candidate a score from 0 - 5. ● If you don’t have a preference you can give candidates the same scores. ● Those you leave blank get a zero. What’s wrong with our current system? ● “Choose One” Plurality Voting is only accurate when there are two candidates in the race. That’s why we have a two party system. ● When there are more than 2 candidates, vote splitting can cause a majority coalition to end up divided and conquered. (The Spoiler Effect is one kind of vote splitting.) ● Voters in our current system often have to be strategic and vote lesser-evil. Are you talking about the electoral college? ● The voting system itself and the electoral college are different, but vote splitting, which STAR eliminates, was a major factor every time the electoral college has failed to elect the winner of the popular vote. Is this the “Jungle Primary” California Top 2 system? ● No! That’s the system we already use for Oregon nonpartisan elections in places like Eugene, Multnomah County, Lane County, and more. What happens in the runoff if I gave both finalists the same scores? ● All your scores still make a difference and help your favorites advance. ● If you gave both finalists the same scores, that is a vote of no-preference between those two. You like or dislike them equally. ● The ability to give candidates a tie is critical for maintaining accurate elections when there are many candidates in a race. -
Affordable Housing
Stay home, Stay safe, Vote by Mail! Using the return envelope (free postage), and mailed back by May 14, 2020. Or, any Official Ballot Drop site in Oregon by 8:00 p.m., May 19, 2020. Multnomah County Voters’ Pamphlet May 19, 2020 Primary Election Dear Multnomah County Voter: This Voters’ Pamphlet for the May 19, 2020 Primary Election is being mailed to residential households in Multnomah County. Here are a few things you should know: • You can view your registration status at oregonvotes.gov/myvote. There you can update your voter registration or track your ballot. The Voter Registration/Party Change Deadline is April 28, 2020. • If you wish to vote for the Democratic or Republican Party candidates in the May Primary you must register with one of those parties by the Voter Registration/Party Change deadline, April 28, 2020. • You can choose or change your party by updating your voter registration information online (with Oregon DMV ID) oregonvotes.gov/myvote or filling out an Oregon Voter Registration Card. The Voter Registration/Party Choice Deadline is April 28, 2020. • If you are registered with the Democratic or Republican party you will also receive a precinct committeeperson ballot, however precinct committee candidates do not appear in this Voters’ Pamphlet. • If you change your party affiliation near the April 28, 2020 deadline you may receive two ballots Vote only the second ballot with your new party. • Ballots will be mailed beginning on Wednesday, April 29. If you don’t receive your ballot by Thursday, May 7, 2020, please call 503-988-VOTE (8683) or email [email protected]. -
Agenda Public Meeting: WCCLS Executive Board Location: TVF&R
Agenda Public Meeting: WCCLS Executive Board Location: TVF&R Fire Station 17 | 31370 NW Commercial St., North Plains, OR 97133 Time & date: Wednesday, January 22, 2020, 1:15 pm – 2:15 pm 1:15 1. Call to order & introductions Varner 1:20 2. Consent agenda [motion/vote] Varner 2a. Minutes from the November 2019 Executive Board meeting 2b. WCCLS Monthly Reports: October - December 2019 1:25 3. New meeting schedule for 2020 Tattersall 1:30 4. WCCLS re-organization and recruitment updates Tattersall 1:35 5. Review of FY22 – FY26 draft levy proposal Tattersall Draft proposal is included in this agenda packet 2:00 6. Review of next steps and upcoming activities for levy Tattersall 2:15 7. Adjourn Varner Future WCCLS Executive Board meeting dates and locations 2020 March 25, 2020 Location TBD May 27, 2020 Forest Grove City Library July 22, 2020 City of Tualatin September 23, 2020 City of Hillsboro November 18, 2020 Washington County, Public Services Building Starting with the January 2020 meeting, the WCCLS Executive Board will meet every other month, rather than the 5 meeting/year schedule we kept previously. 2019 meeting agendas and minutes Online at wccls.org/about/governance WCCLS strategic plan Online at wccls.org/stratplan Intentionally left blank Minutes Public Meeting: WCCLS Executive Board DRAFT Location: Clean Water Services | 2550 SW Hillsboro Hwy, Hillsboro, OR 97123 Time & date: Wednesday, November 20, 2019, 1:15 pm – 2:15 pm Attendance Aloha: Jean Doane Banks: Jolynn Becker Beaverton: Abigail Elder, Chair Cedar Mill: absent Cornelius: -
Evaluating Voting Methods
Evaluating Voting Methods 1. Comparison Tables People can and do debate what are the most important criteria for evaluating voting methods. Several tables are available with various analyses of how well each voting method works for each criterion. We included three in the 2017 LWVBC Voting Methods Report. *See page 18 for our table. *See page 19 for a FairVote table. *See page 20 for a Center for Range Voting table. If we were to update our table today, we would include “auditable under a risk-limiting audit (RLA)” since Colorado now conducts RLAs for coordinated elections. The LWVCO Voting Methods Position does refer to “post-election analysis” and “transparency.” Remember that these tables address single winner voting methods. They do not include criteria such as “promote proportional representation” which is relevant for multi-member bodies, although the LWVCO Voting Methods Position also mentions proportional representation. The list of various alternative voting methods is a moving target. New ones are being created from scratch or tweaked from old voting methods every year. For example, in 2018 Lane County, Oregon, voters had a ballot measure on STAR voting, a brand-new voting method. The tables referenced above address only the best-known methods. 2. Weighting Criteria The most important factors to consider when proposing adoption of a particular voting method may be: 1) What criteria are most important to the electorate? 2) What criteria enable and facilitate election administrators to conduct elections? See below for some examples of these two considerations in real life. When considering criteria for evaluating voting methods, different people or communities may assign different weights to the criteria depending on their personal philosophy so that even if two people fill in a table’s fields identically, one person might determine that Voting Method V is better and another might determine that Voting Method M is better.