Voting Systems Part Two

Several weeks ago I clicked on to "Voting Systems", Wow, Wow, Wow! The history started in the sixth century BC and systemS certainly deserves the plural, you name it, many basic systems plus ever more complicated variations. In recent years some of these systems have been analysed, supported and added to by brilliant mathematicians aided by the number crunching facilities built into electronic computers.

No doubt persons trying to come up with a "fair" voting system have laid down the foundations by asking voters what they think the system should do. As an example I suggest that one aim should be to try and give all voters the feeling that their vote mattered, that some MP would take notice of what they felt or said. I feel that it is essential for all minds to be able, at least, to acknowledge that democracy itself is being observed in full, even if a particular decision has not gone their way.

Changing the UK system has featured in the minds of members of at least two of the parties in the general election just held here. One of these, the Liberal Democrats, is very much in support of Proportional Representation. In its purest guise this aims to award the seats to parties pro rata to the percentage of the total vote that the parties receive.

Rounding off some of the percentages, and with sincere apologies to the parties shown as "other" for not splitting them up, yields the following data.

Conservatives. Actual seats 306 % of vote 36 Seats under PR= 234
Labour. ----------------------- 258 ----------- 29 ----------------------188
Lib - Dem.--- -------------------57 ------------23 -----------------------149
Others.--- -----------------------28 ------------12 -----------------------78

This blog will be continued in Voting Systems Part Three. Thank you.

Frederick W Gilling. Wednesday 19 May 2010