The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-01-14
A Practical Illustration Of the Fairness of
Cumulative Voting. =.

Cumulative Voting. -;
Since we have been asked, "in all serious
; ness" to favor our contemporary (the Green
Vile Neaus) with calculation, we will endeayor
to be obliging, though it has been many days
since mathematics were drubbed into us, and
we. are somewhat rusty in figures -: '~,
4 As we haye no STATISTICS ln, regard to towns
and cities we can give no positive answer as to
the result of cumulative voting as applied to
them, but we feel assured that in every town
there would be minority, representations -
Charleston and Columbia would both be. vastly
benefited by such system. We can give 9
definite answer as to the relative changes that
would result in the different counties; and if
our readers will bear with us, we will insert
some mathematical calculations.
1t is scarcely necessary to explain the system
of cumulative voting. 1t applies when more
than one person is elected to any position
For instance, if three county commissioners
are to be elected, the voter is permitted to cast
three votes, whether for three different persons
or whether he prefers to cast all three for one
candidate. BY the present system only one
vote can be cast for the same candidate, and if
he be "plumped" the ctF 4 two votes are lost.
But by cumulating votes upon one candidate,
the minority, unless very small in proportion
to the majority, can always secure representa-.
ton. 81, q. -
I We shall base our calculation upon the vote
| for Governor at the last election. And In or
der to show the change that would result from
the introduction Of cumulative voting, we
must assume that all the candidates. recently
elected hold the same political tenents as the
party electing them. For "party men" could
have Just as easily been elected in stead of the
few Conservatives who were nominated by the
Regulars as q concession to the. very principle
laid down by us, that the minority should have
"a relative representation. ...,
| Let US take the case of Abbeville County,
where the vote stood, Republicans, 4,H6; In
dependents, 2,512. The Republicans elected
all five of their nominees to the Legislature,
while the large minority of Independents have
no representation. Under the cumulative sys-
tenn, each Abbeville voter would be entitled to
five votes for representatives, making total OF
2O,SSO Republican, and 1850 Independent
votes. Assume that each party nominated an
entire ticket. The result would remain the
same as at present. But the Independents by
consolidating their vote upon two candidates
could have given each {. 1895 votes The Repub-
icans, by dividing their vote among 4 candidates
could have given only 1920 votes to each, and
only three would be elected besides the two
Independents. By consolidating on three Re-
publicans, each would receive $500 votes,
while the two Independents would complete
the delegation of five representatives.. But if
| the Independents nominated three instead OF
two candidates, each would receive but 4, l86
votes and the four Republicans would all be
elected, receiving each 5,220 votes as shown
above. The Independents would thus lose one
representative by striving for too many. Gu
mulative voting, then, teaches moderation.
In Aiken four Republicans were elected by
only go majority. Cumuation would have
given two Regulars and two Independents.
Anderson cast 1854 Independent and l,762
Republican votes, and elected three Indepen-,
dents. But had the former consolidated three
votes each on one candidate, he would have
! received 1886 votes, while two Independents
would have received each 1851 votes, and the
delegation would have stood one Regular to
two Independents, But should the lndepen-
dents have nominated a full ticket, each would
have received but 1857 votes, while the Regu-
lars could have given two candidates 2,643
votes each, and obtained majority Of the DEL
egation. This would be check on the majori-
ty. keeping them in Just limits for fear of CIV
ing greater representation to the minority by
endeavoring to grasp too much for themselves.
Barnwell, which now sends four Regulars,
would have sent one Independent. Beaufort
would have sent FIVE Republicans and two In
dependents.
stood II. l.465 Independents to-: 8,803 Regulars,
Eor multiplying by Is, stood 2O6,37O to l5S, ,454
| Fen independents would have, received each
20 697 votes, Sand eight Bowenites 19;S09 each.
| Had the former nominated twelve candidates,
the latter could have elected enine and the del,
egation would be nine to nine instead OF ten to
eight.
Chester, Fairfield, Georgetown, Kershaw,
Newberryi and Williamsburg would have each
elected two Republicans and one Opposition;
Barnwell, Darlington, Laurens, and Richland,
three Radicals and one Opposition each Col
Teton, Edgefied and Orangeburg, three Regu-
lars and two independents Aiken, Greenvile
Marion and York, two to two; Anderson and
Union one to two; Spartanburg, one to three;
Chesterfield, Lancaster, Lexington and Mari
boro, one to one; Pickens one Conservative:
In Clarendon, Horny, Oconee and Sumter,
the minority would have been too small to Sc
cure any representation. Clarendon cast 737
Regular and 1896 Independent votes 737
multiplied by two (the representation! grves
only / ,474 votes, not equal to the unmnltlpled
vote of the opposition.
In Oconee and Horny the minority were also
too weak to secure representation even by Gu
mutation
Sumter cast 4 ,09l independent, ana 100 NeS
ular votes. Multiplying 75s BY four, lh we nave We
only s,O32 as the greatest possible strengtn oi
the minority, one Thousand less tnan tnas ~
ccived by each of the four opposltloh ca''o'-
dates. ,,,
To rccapitulate, both parties would be repre-
sented in all but four counties, under the pro-
r0 At present in nineteen counties the Indle-
pendcnts are not represented, or only so by
sufcrance, and in - the Republicans are not
represented In the former 33,5O6 lndieepen-
dents and in the latter 23,SlS Republican
voters have no voice in the Legislature.
That every minority should be represented
is sound principle, and for this reason we ask
cumulative voting, whether we lose or gain by
it,
Let US now examine the change that would
be effected. At present the House stands, we
believe, sxty-seven members elected by kePIo-