INTRODUCTION

HR.37

What is Democracy? (Self-governance, majority rule, rights of minorities)

If king wants policy A and the people want B

What if people want B, C, D, E, and even A

All democracies elect a legislature for policy and an executive to carry it out

FIRST ELECTION

clone a president from history

Fillmore vs. Nixon

How could we make it more democratic?

SECOND ELECTION

What color uniforms

Divide Class - Red/Blue

Mark your ballot and keep it secret

Show of hands - results on board

Plurality rule common in the U.S.

THIRD ELECTION - Invent IRV

stand by your color

Go

HISTORY OF IRV

System of giving ballot marching orders - STV 1850s by Thomas Hare & Carl Andrae

Advocated by founder of League of Women Voters Carrie Chapman Catt

Ireland, and Australia - 80 years

Vermont considering IRV - public campaign financing in 2000

FOURTH ELECTION

Pass out and explain ballots

Don’t fold ballots

Five volunteers to count ballots

If there were a majority we’d be done

Same as a runoff - but no need to call voters back

Do transfers

Eliminate problem of spoilers, wasted votes, lesser of two evils

PR - FIFTH ELECTION

Nominees for music styles for school dance

Vote by show of hands

100% of committee are X - is that representative?

President by IRV majority, Legislature by PR

PR impact on voter participation rates?

CONCLUSION

Election systems are not neutral - there are many kinds

Laboratory or Museum of democracy

EVALUATION FORMS

ARTICLE FOR LOCAL PAPER