Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83 (MC840302); site erix.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!hao!seismo!mcvax!enea!erix!mike From: mike@erix.UUCP (Mike Williams) Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: A vote for "nobody" this November Message-ID: <583@erix.UUCP> Date: Mon, 24-Sep-84 13:14:52 EDT Article-I.D.: erix.583 Posted: Mon Sep 24 13:14:52 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 27-Sep-84 04:37:10 EDT References: <4297@fortune.UUCP> Organization: L M Ericsson, Stockholm, Sweden Lines: 34 > P.S. Anyone outside of the USA got any comments on this? All (Western) European electoral systems that I know anything about seem to have this fault, one lands up voting for the the lesser of several evils. One thing that I don't understand about the American presidential elections, is why must the president be elected by all the people in the country? Why couldn't he (she?) be elected by congress or the senate? In most European countries the prime minister is simply elected (chosen) by the political parties which forn the government. This means that the prime minister must have the support of the government, and conversely will get thrown out if he/she does not cooperate with the ruling parties. The system by which the elections to the "parliament" are done, does have some effect on the "lesser of several evils" senario. I think that proportional represenation does help a lot (ie the system ensures that a party which gets X% of the total vote also gets X% of the total representation in pariament). This means that the lesser of the evils may not be too bad. Ie a small party whose views one can accept. However the Big Ones in power don't like small parties being founded (the small party might become BIG). So they make rules which stop small small paries from being able to get off the ground. Here in Sweden, the rule is that if a party gets less than 4% they don't get any representation at all! There is an exception that if they get more than 12% in one district, they will get some reprentation, but that hardly helps. One thing that can be done is that for issues which become really heated, then hold a referendum. This is done in several European countries. For example the last referendum in Sweden was about the future of nuclear power. In Wales (from whence I came) they have a referendum every 7 years about if the pubs are to be open on Sundays! --Mike Williams (mike@erix.UUCP or ...{philabs,decvax}!mcvax!enea!erix!mike PS Since the Election of the American President effects us in Europe nearly as much as it effect you in the USA maybe we should be able to vote too. :-) PPS For "Mr/Ms Nobody" of course!