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for <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com>; Thu, 8 Oct 1998 12:00:33 -0500 (CDT) Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1998 12:00:33 -0500 (CDT) X-Sender: reporter at mail.eden.com Message-Id: <l03010d18b24251158c96@[208.240.161.164]> In-Reply-To: <361CD883.2B89 at gte.net> References: <CMM.0.90.0.907832605.kbevans at panix3.panix.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com From: J Cullen <reporter at eden.com> Subject: Re: Proportional Representation (was Re: Video Victorianism)
There also is a form of proportional representation where voters in multi-member districts may cast all their votes for one candidate. Therefore, if the district elects 3 seats, a group that could mobilize one-third of the electorate could elect a candidate. I believe Illinois used to elect their legislators by a variation of this system and some city councils and school boards in the United States are elected by similar systems.
For more information on proportional representation and its various manifestations, see the Center for Voting and Democracy web site at http://www.fairvote.org
The essay below, taken from the CVD web site, is a pretty good into to proportional representation.
[cvd_lTHE CENTER FOR VOTING & DEMOCRACY
Introduction
[Image]
When Every Vote Counts: A Look at
Proportional Representation
by Professor Douglas Amy, Mount Holyoke
College
Originally printed in "Blueprint for Social
Justice" Volume XLVI, No. 8, April 1993
Americans remain highly disenchanted with US
elections- and for good reasons. We are
frequently confronted with poor quality
candidates who are constantly constrained by
the limited choices offered by a two-party
system. Recent polls reveal that a majority
of Americans now would like to see other
parties emerge to challenge the Democrats
and Republicans. In addition, American
elections still produce legislatures that
fail to reflect the diversity of its
citizens. In particular, our legislatures
continue to underrepresent various
political and racial minorities.
African-Americans, Latinos, and Asians still
do not occupy their fair share of seats in
our legislatures. And despite 1992 being
billed as the "Year of the Woman" in
elections and in spite of the unprecedented
number of women being elected to Congress,
that institution continues to be 90% male.