Voting methods

“Exports, scholars, deep thinkers could make errors on electoral reform,” Natapoff decided, “but nine-year-olds could explain to a Martian why the Yankees lost in 1960, and why it was right. And both have teh same underlying abstract principle.”

Math Against Tyranny [1]

Why the electoral college is A Good Thing.

For example, if all Democrats rank Gore first and Bush last, and all Republicans rank Bush first and Gore last, voters might wake up the next morning with a surprise winner—Ralph Nader, say, or Pat Buchanan—thanks to all the second-place votes. The system would clearly take some getting used to. (The problem of insincere voting was pointed out to Borda himself. His response was characteristic of a more optimistic age: “My system is only for honest men.”)

May the Best Man Lose [2]

Alternative methods of voting than simple majority or plurality.

[1] http://208.245.156.153/archive/output.cfm?ID=907

[2] http://discover.com/nov_00/gthere.html?article=featbestman.html

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