--- Alex Small <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2003 00:30:26 -0800 (PST)
>Say that a legislator resigns or dies in the middle of his term. ... >Now, suppose we elect the legislators via PR. How to fill the vacancy? The method of the Australian Senate is to have the party, to which the senator belonged, choose a successor. This method has worked well in practice. Certain events in 1975 were a deviation from this method that lead to the unwritten rule being written into the constitution. “Independent” senators can, and do, create a party around themselves. Recounting the ballots of the previous election is not a good idea. Those ballots will likely be years old. The eligible replacements will all be losers of that election. A competent person who was a loosing candidate years ago ought to have moved on in his/her professional and personal life, and very likely will not necessarily want to accept the position. The eligible field is therefore biased toward the losers who have subsequently been wallowing. The party of the deceased legislator can, with flexibility, choose the most suitable replacement. Anthony http://personals.yahoo.com.au - Yahoo! Personals New people, new possibilities. FREE for a limited time. ---- Election-methods mailing list - see http://electorama.com/em for list info
