Interesting Links for 15-11-2012

[andrewducker]

• Terry Pratchett: My daughter Rhianna will take over the Discworld when I'm gone
  (tags: terrypratchett terry )
• The Oatmeal muses about creativity and the web.
  (tags: internet creativity comics )
• Windows 95 Tips, Tricks, and Tweaks (Direct from the world of HP Lovecraft)
  (tags: funny windows )
• UK and Germany agree crackdown on tax loopholes for

Comments

PCC Elections

[doubtingmichael]

Well, I voted today (er, yesterday). I gave serious thought to spoiling my ballot, but given the ENGLISH DEMOCRATS were fielding a candidate, I felt obliged to oppose him.

I was appalled to find that although the paper said "Vote for your first and second placed candidate", there was no official explanation anywhere of how the voting would be counted. Count both votes? Count the first vote double? I asked the tellers how it worked. They agreed it wasn't obvious. One of them said she thought the second placed vote was only used in a tie (which seemed a bit unlikely). The other said that the second choice vote was used in the second round, if nobody had won in a cound of the first choices. This seemed more likely, but still a little vague (and lots worse than STV).

I politely requested that they pass my concerns about lack of information up to their seniors, and commiserated with them about the long day they'd had. Because they were very nice people, doing their bit to help.

Higher up, though, the whole business has been omnishambolic (sorry, I couldn't resist), as if put together by people who had been told to try democracy, but who had no idea what it meant, what it looked like, or what it was for. I hate them.

Re: PCC Elections

[andrewducker]

Yeah, it's basically two-stage AV, with the winner being whoever has highest in the second round. Rubbish system. But better than FPTP.

Re: PCC Elections

[ipslore]

So the candidate you want to win should be your second-place vote?

Re: PCC Elections

[andrewducker]

Your second vote only gets used if your first choice is knocked out.

[chess]

Everyone was meant to get http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/PDF/PCC-booklet-public-info-FINAL-ENGLAND-English-web.pdf through their door, but Royal Mail's 'deliver to everyone' service that they used to deliver these works by sticking sacks of them in the mailroom and expecting individual postmen to pick up enough and deliver them, which is... patchy in actual service.