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I agree this is far from the primary thing Americans should be focusing on, even forgetting about all the horrific and completely impossible to fix security iss

by mtgx 8y ago

I agree this is far from the primary thing Americans should be focusing on, even forgetting about all the horrific and completely impossible to fix security issues that this will bring. What the US needs to be focusing on is changing the voting system. It's absolutely insane and undemocratic for this to keep happening almost every election: https://preview.redd.it/lyvqks420vw11.jpg?width=949&auto=webp&s=7e1117b10c18d34ab3f9dc5b40049a16af53c244 https://preview.redd.it/lyvqks420vw11.jpg?width=949&auto=web... If this isn't a broken system, I don't know what is. This is not the "voice of the people" being heard. Oh, and what do you think happens when people see how broken this system is? Do you think they'll still "go out and vote"? Many will be turned-off by it and stay home, whether we like it or not. And if you're looking for an alternative solution, the multi-winner ranked-choice voting system (for Congress/state legislatures) looks pretty good to me, and it would eliminate gerrymandering, too (as a simple side effect of allowing candidates from multiple parties to win in the same district, thus removing district monopolization by a single party): https://www.fairvote.org/fair_representation https://www.fairvote.org/fair_representation

jfk13 8y ago
> It's absolutely insane and undemocratic for this to keep happening almost every election: > https://preview.redd.it/lyvqks420vw11.jpg?width=949&auto=web.. https://preview.redd.it/lyvqks420vw11.jpg?width=949&auto=web.... > If this isn't a broken system, I don't know what is. This is not the "voice of the people" being heard. If that graphic were for the House rather than the Senate, it would be more persuasive. The Senate is (by design) not about representation directly in proportion to population. It may be debatable whether the Senate model of equal representation for each state is appropriate, but that's a different issue than changing the FPTP voting system.
- masonic 8y ago
  Beyond that, the data is unsourced, and given that it thinks there are 92 (rather than 100) Senators, is suspect. Also, raw vote counts are meaningless because the most populous states are dual-Democrat states, excluding Texas.
umanwizard 8y ago
The senate will never change. It was an agreed-upon compromise to entice independent states to join a federation. You’re better off hoping for the state where you live to declare independence and do without the federation completely than hoping the federation changes its entire structure.
KerrickStaley 8y ago
One issue with ranked choice is that it's more complicated than some alternatives like approval voting, and certain ranked choice methods (non-Condorcet ones) can encourage strategic voting or produce surprising results.
twtw 8y ago
> if this isn't a broken system, I don't know what is You are either willfully ignoring the structure of the system or need to study it more. If a billion people vote for democrats in New York and California, it has zero impact on the election of the representative from Wyoming (or any other not CA or NY). Thinking that it should fundamentally misses the point of a federation.

by mtgx 8y ago

jfk13 8y ago

> It's absolutely insane and undemocratic for this to keep happening almost every election: > https://preview.redd.it/lyvqks420vw11.jpg?width=949&auto=web.. https://preview.redd.it/lyvqks420vw11.jpg?width=949&auto=web.... > If this isn't a broken system, I don't know what is. This is not the "voice of the people" being heard. If that graphic were for the House rather than the Senate, it would be more persuasive. The Senate is (by design) not about representation directly in proportion to population. It may be debatable whether the Senate model of equal representation for each state is appropriate, but that's a different issue than changing the FPTP voting system.

masonic 8y ago
Beyond that, the data is unsourced, and given that it thinks there are 92 (rather than 100) Senators, is suspect. Also, raw vote counts are meaningless because the most populous states are dual-Democrat states, excluding Texas.

umanwizard 8y ago

The senate will never change. It was an agreed-upon compromise to entice independent states to join a federation. You’re better off hoping for the state where you live to declare independence and do without the federation completely than hoping the federation changes its entire structure.

KerrickStaley 8y ago

One issue with ranked choice is that it's more complicated than some alternatives like approval voting, and certain ranked choice methods (non-Condorcet ones) can encourage strategic voting or produce surprising results.

twtw 8y ago

> if this isn't a broken system, I don't know what is You are either willfully ignoring the structure of the system or need to study it more. If a billion people vote for democrats in New York and California, it has zero impact on the election of the representative from Wyoming (or any other not CA or NY). Thinking that it should fundamentally misses the point of a federation.