[LINK] Electronic voting in the ACT

[Tony Barry]

At 7:04 AM +1000 18/10/01, Jan Whitaker wrote:
>-  improved accuracy in counting  ????
>-  speedier counting, particular in close races with preferential 
>assignment  ????
>-  handling table cloth size ballot options  like the Senate????? 
>this one seems less a possibility to attain because the list of 
>people is STILL too large for a reasonable person to make a 
>distinction and hold all the relative placement options in their 
>head.

The ACT has multimember constituencies using the Hare-Clarke voting 
system and Robson rotation on the ballot papers to eliminate the 
"donkey" effect.

It is very complex to count involving distribution of preferences 
from the bottom candidates and distribution of fractional preferences 
from the top for elected candidates what have more than one quota. It 
takes some weeks to decide the election because of this. Counting 
seems to be the prime aim in going to electronic voting.

And yes - we DO get tablecloth sized ballot papers.

As an ACT elector I like the system. The major parties have almost no 
chance of getting an absolute majority and while some of the 
independents have been ratbags others have provided an alternative 
point of view and acted as a brake on the major parties. The ACT has 
the smallest number of politicians per capita, by far, of any 
Australian jurisdiction. Local and State government functions are 
merged, there is no upper house, no Administrator of Governor, and 
the major parties are unable to control the only representative body, 
the Legislative Assembly.

Tony
-- 
phone  +61 2 6241 7659
mailto:me@Tony-Barry.emu.id.au
http://tony-barry.emu.id.au/people/tony/index.html