Fellow politically-interested persons... Ive ranted about NC gerrymandering before, and Ive tried to see what sort of way it might be alleviated. Then I ran across an article on the German Bundestag. They have an interesting system whereby the first half of the legislature is voted district-by-district, just like we do. Then the second half of the legislature is elected at-large from lists of each partys delegates, but with the catch that the /total/ makeup of the house matches approximately the proportion of voting for the whole nation. In NC terms, itd be like electing 60 state reps via districts. Lets say 35 Democrats and 25 Republicans won seats that way. But say the actual total proportion of votes was 5% Libertarian, 45% Republican, 50% Democrat. Thus, the additional 60 reps would be allocated as 6 Libertarians, 29 Republicans, and 25 Democrats. The grand total would then be: 6 Libertarians 54 Republicans 60 Democrats This would be a way to nix the one of the most significant problems with political Gerrymandering, whereby the proportions of different parties are divided along lines to weaken one party and strengthen another. However, regardless of how well the districts are drawn, you as a voter would still be able to contact /your/ representative, someone whose seat is still tied to local interests. Moreover, the vote itself could even be hypothetically set up as two different parts of the ballot. If you want a party to run the state legislature, but want a particular individual in your district to win who /isnt/ part of that partys persuasion, itd become an effective way to split your vote.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 21:17:05 +0000
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