Larry Levine wrote:

There is the "factual basis" of practical politics and the "factual basis" of the classroom. In the classroom, the center is comprised of people who don't identify with any traditional ideology. In the practical world of electoral politics, the center is a euphemism for an absence of ideology, an ideological oleo. The various electoral schemes being advanced are designed to force candidates to the center. It recalls the Southern politician who announced: "Them's my positions and if you don't like 'em, I'll change 'em. Please, Please, Please, Please, Please - vote for me, or if you can't, make me your second choice. I promise not to say anything to offend you or even make you think. The center, in politics, is viable only as an alternative to the extremes. By eliminating the extremes, we cut the center adrift.Larry  ----- Original Message -----

From: Rick Hasen

To: election-law@majordomo.lls.edu

Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2002 2:37 PM

Subject: Response to Larry Levine's comment on preferential voting from jjohnsto <jjohnsto@ualberta.ca>]

 

jjohnsto wrote:

Preferential voting, either as used in the Alternate Vote [now called IRV] or 
in the Single Transferable Vote, surely never "dulled political debate" nor 
"drained" the electoral process of ideological discourse during the 30 years 
it was used at the provincial level for choosing the legislative assemblies in 
Alberta and Manitoba, nor in Winnipeg where it was used to fill a a range of 
municipal offices where it was used for 49 years [1920-69] or in Calgary where 
was similarly used for 59 years [1916-1974] or many of the 19 other Canadian 
cities that used it for briefer periods of time. Nor, does it presently seem 
to have that effect in Australia, Ireland, or Malta, which currently use it. 
Sounds like there's more "ideological discourse" to Larry's response to Bob 
Bernstein than factual basis.   

--
Roy A. Schotland
Professor
Georgetown U. Law Ctr.
600 New Jersey Ave. N.W.
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phone 202/662-9098
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