On Thu, Jun 19, 2008 at 10:20 AM, Levi Pearson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > You're missing the 'push for voting reform bills' play that can take > place in non-election years, if you really want third parties to be > able to have more influence. Congress votes every year, not just > election years.
I understand that I can petition my representative for voting reform. I have actually done so. I have signed petitions and written letters about the need to change the voting system. How successful has that been? When was the last significant voting system reformation bill passed in this country? See, even if I can convince my representative to see the problem and introduce and champion a bill, no one in congress is going to support it because, by and large, they are benefactors of the system that needs reformation. The only rational way that voting system reformation is going to gain traction is for a 3rd party to champion it, enough people to get behind it, that won't sell their vote out of fear, so that election results are effected to show support for that 3rd party. That 3rd party then will have more resources in the next election cycle to try and convince more people. The only way true voting reformation is going to happen is for 3rd parties to start winning congressional seats and senatorial seats. The only way for them to do that is to show repeatedly strong results in general elections. However, as long as people try and make a strategically rational choice within an irrational system, that won't happen and we will be stuck with the irrational system. 3rd party candidate truly has your support may seem rational, but it is actually giving up your only change to truly change the system. /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
