| Looks like this implements multi-member districts elected via STV, similar to the system used in Republic of Ireland to elect members of the Dáil. Overall I think this is better than single member districts with plurality voting, but IMHO there are simpler reforms that offer better mathematical properties. MMP [1] (used in Germany, New Zealand) ensures proportional representation and still allows for small geographic-based districts. The overhang allocation mitigates the incentive for gerrymandering. A minor but significant enhancement would be to use approval voting instance of plurality to elect the single winner district MPs. RRV [2] (not implemented anywhere I'm aware of) is similar to STV in that it uses multi-member districts, but uses a simpler range ballot (think amazon 1-5 'star' ratings for candidates) rather than a ranked ballot. The Center for Election Science [3] has some very good resources on this general topic. Electoral reform is a terribly important issue that is very difficult to make progress on. My hope is that we start to see some reforms at the state and local levels that can provide indication that these reforms are legitimate and are not being done to game the vote. Speaking of, "Gaming the Vote" [4] is a really good book on this subject. I think reforms like HR 3057 are well intended but I think it's too early to attempt this at the federal level. Voters in the US have very little context for electoral reform and it's an issue that tends to (perhaps legitimately) cause people to be suspicious. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed-member_proportional_repr...
[2] http://rangevoting.org/RRV.html
[3] https://www.electology.org/
[4] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003K154R0/ |