May election
Posted by Mattie
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
I've just looked at the May 2004 results you have listed on your recent news on this year's election.
I see there were two Green and Red candidates who averaged around 300 votes. If these had gone to Paul Palmer, the Green Party candidate, he would have been elected.
As there are no Green and Red candidates this time, it does look as if Paul Palmer has a very good chancing of winning the seat.
Is this going to be the year when Calderdale finally gets its first Green Party councillor? If any ward could do it, it has got to be Hebden Bridge.
Posted by John Beacroft-Mitchell
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Extrapolating any meaningful data from the local elections in 2004 is somewhat futile because the elections were "all out" elections with every voter getting three votes in a "first three past the post" system.
The problem created by this is that the three votes all carry the same weight but can be used by the voters in a subjective and preferential manner.
For example:
1. A voter may cast two of his votes for two turquoise party candidates and may cast his third vote for the purple candidate.
2. A second voter may cast two of her votes for two pink party candidates and may cast her third vote for the purple candidate.
In this tiny electorate, the purple candidate would be elected despite the majority of votes being cast for the other two parties.
Scale up to an independently minded electorate of several thousand, twelve candidates, and five parties, and you get the picture. That was 2004.
Mattie: In response to your particular statement. I think it could be said that some green voters may also have cast one or two of their votes for red and green (and vice versa), so their votes could not come across to the greens in a normal election.
But as Benjamin Disraeli said "There are lies, damn lies, and statistics". As a Tory he knew what he was talking about ;-)
Roll-on proportional representation
John Beacroft-Mitchell
(In an apolitical capacity)
Posted by Mattie
Thursday, April 13, 2006
I am not convinced of your logic John but then I may have been blinded by the pink, purple and turquise!
I do agree with you on the need for proportional representation. However, in our ward it might have meant we have Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat councillors representing us. I'd be happy with that, but you may well prefer our current unfair electoral system which gives us three Liberal Democrats!
See news item