The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1914-03-19


posite the name of the first. second and
other choices for q director but shall
not vote for more than one choice for
any candidate
ANY candidate having a majority of
al votes cast in the column of first
choice shall be declared elected II no
candidate have a majority OF all the
votes in the first column, Their there
snail be added together the votes cast
by the electors for such candidates In
the second column and the votes cast
for the several candidates in the first
column"
IL Is further provided that a majority
attained by adding the first and second
cholce elects; but If no one receives
thus majority, then the candidate
having the highest number of votes"
found on adding the third choices to the
preceding sums of first and second
choices shall be declared elected
l recall that. last year the City Club
Of Los Angeles in a debate upon this
method of eliminating low candidates
and adding together different preference
es to produce 'the highest number of
votes, announced with satisfaction that
the order in rank in the count of first
choice votes was not materially changed.
And this is the method now sanctioned
by congress.
Quite different in aim Is the Hare
Spence method.
The first point brought out 20 years
ago, or so, in the discussions upon pref
erential voting is: That representatives
elected on ticket by majority vote as
usually cast and counted do not repre-
sent the minority. Majority rule is prop
err; but discussion by members of a
majority only is improper. How can
the position of the minority be stated
by partisan elected by the majority?
Does all wisdom reside in the minds of
those who happen to unite in electng
the majority candidate?
The second point is that a voter
should not have more than one repre-
sentative upon board of directors or
in a legislative body. that is to say, a
voter is properly represented when any
one candidate for director is elected by
means of his preferences shown upon
his ballot. Voting for a ticket of five
directors prevents representation from
minority. The cumulative ballot used
in Idaho corporations Is a bunglesome
method Of giving a minority a voice.
l myself by pre-arrangement Of friend
ly cumulations have helped to elect 8
out of directors in corporation fight,
causing two bothersome minority men to
stay at home. The mass of stockhold-
ers voted for nine: we folks voted for
only five in sets of five, and we won
out.
To do away with the abuses of Ameri
can rule by majority, the Hare Spence
method requires:
1. The election of at least three
legislators from large districts.
2. A limiting of voting to one first
choice vote for only one candidate of
those running. with the privilege of
marking other preferences or plump
ing" for the first choice.
8. The making up of the required
vote for the successful candidates by
eliminating the lowest candidates shown
on count of first choice votes, and tally
ing the second choice votes on their bal
lots as marked. Note that where in
eliminating law candidates one after an
choices have once been counted and
later such candidate himself has been
eliminated, then the third or other
choices are used in further examinations
L. As soon as the highest candidate
1 is credited with enough votes to elect
the surplus votes are then distributed
= among the remaining candidates proper
tionally in a manner simple, yet not
easy to describe in this article.
). The number of votes necessary to
elect is called che quota. The quota is
calculated by dividing the total number
of ballots cast by the number of Of
fees to be filled plus one, and adding
one more vote. For example, where one
office is to be filled, the quota is what
we call a majority, one vote more than
one-half of all cast. Where two are tc
be elected, the quota is one vote more
than one-third of all ballots cast. Fol-
three offices. the quota Is one vote
more than one-fourth of the votes cast.
But we Americans delight in "improv-
ing'' old world methods. This bank
method above mentioned is in my opin-
ion, a travesty like our so-called Aus
tralian ballot.
ROBT. e. BUSH.