Reforms in the voting system [Part 1]
Nathan Slater
After being on erepublik for the last two years I have seen both V1 and V2 pass and throughout this time there hasn’t been much of a change in one key aspect of the game. The politics module or more to the point the voting systems that are used.The current system we use is the 1st past the post model ; the person with the most votes wins. Simples.
Although the system works, it also contains some major flaws which I hope to bring to light in the next few articles.
The voting button.
The button in which we all use to link us to the voting area on our home pages seems to have been disappearing slowly but surely. This creates great inequality or just increases the opportunity to be lazy. Having a massive button to press will encourage any two-clinker to have there say in democracy even if they don’t know what they are voting for in terms of policy.There should always be a button on the front page to vote from.
Voting in secret.
Its not rocket science really is it ?? How are we supposed to call any nation a democratic society with open votes? All this creates is more inequality for people running for CP,PP and congress elections. Not only do we know who is winning which drains the excitement from the whole event but the idea of a fair election. SVU and floating voters are sent in some cases across nations to vote for whom they have been told too by their party.The concept of being able to vote is having power to make a change in society. This is destroyed by parties fighting for congress places and instead of doing the best for their country congress seats are used as a trophies.
Mixing it up.
So you come to vote in the elections which ever it might be, but I’ll be using the CP elections as an example.There before you is say 4 candidates as an informed voter you will have taken your time to read each manifesto respectfully (sureee you have).After your valuable time is taken up you come to vote, but actually you already know who is winning the elections.Since the furthest person to the left has the most votes as you will find out after you’ve voted.So why did you waste your time reading there policies?? Its time to mix it up and put the candidates in a random order, lets face it we have all at one point voted for the person which is already winning because their are already winning.The principle also applies when new players join the Number 1 party as they have more members.
Not representing society as a whole?
I have discussed the main issues with the erepublik’s 1st past the post model. Now the actual system itself. The way in which you win an election is the gain the most votes, but does this actually represent our community? Well in my opinion it does not no.Kronos Q the current CP of Canada only won the elections with 38% of the 750 votes. That doesn’t reflect the view of society in any way at all.
Tomorrow I bring an alternative to this mess we call a voting system.
Comments
I agree with almost everything you said, but mostly the "secret voting" part. Mobile voting will be a lot less useful without knowing the current numbers, which may or may not allow more people who actually deserve seats get seats, rather than trying to have your party strategically vote. That sentence made absolutely no sense.
The voting button should absolutely be placed back on the home page during every election. I have no idea why it is gradually disappearing.
First past the post never satisfies everyone but it is the easiest to undestand.
I wonder how eRepublik would do with a single transferable vote. STV: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_transferable_vote
Probably crash the system, would be my guess 😃
^ @ Plugson, that would be an interesting idea, would love to see how the voting would look.
"Kronos Q the current CP of Canada only won the elections with 38% of the 750 votes. That doesn’t reflect the view of society in any way at all."
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This is the premise for your later arguments I presume.
consider: all the candidates except rolo hold substantially the same views. They took 87% of the vote. Kronos does not reflect the views of rolo -true. Kronos (ariella, alias, fram) does not hold to the same core values as the vast majority of players - ??
consider further: votes aren't a good indicator of whether the candidate holds the same core values as the voter. Votes are a good indicator of which candidate is the prefered decison maker. In ecanada, "candidate" is almost fungible.
There is no strong connection between "represent" and "think/be/act like". Elections and government are not statistical sampling.
Just ideas.
The concept of being able to vote is having power to make a change in society.This is destroyed by parties fighting for congress places and instead of doing the best for there country congress seats are used as a trophies.
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I am no big fan of Strategic voting but am thinking through what you have written. A man alone can hope for nothing, no change. It is precisely by joining a collective - like a party - that sufficient political energy can be mobilized. Political parties that have a concrete legislative agenda can bring change/progress. Political parties that have a concrete legislative agenda should fight hard, very hard, for congress seats. And should be active when elected. The SVU is a way to get your people elected. So, i like it when it gets "my" people electe😛 the active, focussed congressman. Admitedly it doesn't always work that way.
Content aside, you use "there" for too often instead of "their". Yes, nitpicking I am.
Voted.
"will encourage any two-clinker to have there say in democracy even if they don’t know what they are voting for in terms of policy."
Why is that in any way a good thing?
Agree with the idea you shouldn't see ranking before voting. I'd rather see an alphabetical order from name (numbers are last) when you go and vote. You can't make it "random" or it will fall back into current rank by current # of votes. Your party always seeks power, but killing SVTs to create a silent democracy where the results come the day after, would force them to spread out members the day before and force candidates to reach out to voters in the region.
Agreed with the blind voting. However... The fact that the vote button is hidden actually does raise some good points.
I think it allows the vote to be more informed, that could be considered an improvement, However, I have no number to back it up, but on paper, imo it sound good.
All good suggestions.
Yeah... I cannot find the vote button as is...
@ olivermellors : You do indeed raise some interesting points. I see the SVU's to be the wrong way to go about it. What happened to good old mass PM'ing and being active in your community?? it does matter where you run these days if your party can provide the right amount of votes.
"good old mass PM'ing"
Again, this is not a good thing.
No dominik your quite correct it has and never will be effective but as a candidate for being in congress a mass PMings actually show your going to be an active Congressman not just because you get 5 gold for it.
"After being on erepublik for the last two years..."
Nathan Slater - Erepublik Birthday: May 12, 2010.
I'm pretty sure that's not even 1 year.
Is there something you're not telling us, son?
I suggest we use an electoral college system since I have a bunch of leftover hanging chad jokes to use up.
@AlbanianWarrior I quit my old account are started up a new one.
How about this for an idea: in the Congressionals instead of voting for a candidate we vote for a party. the percentage of votes a party recieves = the amount of seats won. The party president of said party then nominates members to take those seats. This way: Newer members have a greater chance of being voted in, The role of the party president is extended and there are no inactive members voted into congress.
That seems to be a lot of power to place into the hands of a PP, Lincoln.
Although, as far as I am aware, the attempts to "PTO" some of the more powerful parties this past PP election were unsuccessful, such a change would make such attempts even more desirable.
At least with candidates running under their own name there is a little more of a safeguard against someone "PTOing" a party and then simply putting their cronies/multis into congress (which would make yet another theft of government money that much easier to orchestrate).
I like the idea of list voting but I would say that the candidate list should be made available ahead of time so that citizens can have a pretty clear idea of who they'd be electing. Plus they always make it open list so that we could choose either a party generally or a specific candidate.
We could use the single transferable vote which is pr without party lists!