Alan Natapoff, Research Scientist
| Jan/22 | Wed | 04:00PM-05:30PM | 37-212 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
There is currently an unconstitutional (Article I.10.3) movement that is trying to install presidential elections by simple majority vote (SMV) through a compact among states, without an amendment. Nine states have signed it. Calculating voting power under SMV shows that it destroys individual voting power in any large, poorly-contested election. The present imperfect rules provide more power, have the advantages of long success, and are analogous to the successful scoring rules of large-statistics sports. We discuss the lessons offered by the history of presidential elections and examine the simple system that can cure the errors of the current design without destroying its critical strengths.
Contact: Alan Natapoff, 37-147, 617 253-7757, NATAPOFF@MIT.EDU