The runoff vote, also known as the alternate voting system.

[Belsnickel]

(08-18-2016, 11:04 AM)fredtoast Wrote: Maybe in theory, but I see gerrymandering as one of the biggest problems we have in elections.  So my suggestion kills two birds with one stone.

The big problem I see with my plan is that you could end up giving the same weight (one vote in the House) to a guy who got 60% of the vote and a guy who got 25%.

There are some kinks that need to be worked out in the alternative plans, but I think we both agree that the current system is flawed.

Applying STV on a statewide level could be one solution to what you are talking about. I think one of the big issues with doing statewide is that people perceive someone that lives in their area as being more responsive to their needs. Even though all of us know this is horse shit and that our elected representatives are not responsive to our concerns/needs at all anyway, it's something that the whole idea of the HoR is really rooted upon. That the representatives are there for their little corner of the country and are supposed to be their voice.

We have 11 districts in Virginia. Were we to have statewide elections for the HoR, all of those on the ballot would be from Hampton Roads, Richmond, and NoVA. There would be no one representing the Shenandoah Valley, SW Virginia, or southern Virginia. The cultures, concerns, needs, etc., are much different in our regions than the more metro areas. So while there would be 11 representatives still, they would be concentrated from those metro areas leaving the more rural areas unrepresented.



We only have people in 5, 6, and 9 because they have to be in order to run for office in our districts.