OT: This Week In Voting Machine Security 3432

As a matter of interest, if voting machines are used, what does the count consist of (I mean compared to our count of paper ballots which are sorted by candidate)?

But this is my point. You say "this is a common accusation in the US". I haven't heard such accusations here and its this which gives rise to the impression of a flawed system. Whose job is it in the US to investigate such irregularities? Here as I mentioned it becomes a police matter. Also if a party thought the vote had been in any way irregular it could go to the High Court and get the result overturned.

snip

Yes, there are such variations. And the Electoral Commission goes around and makes changes - splitting some seats and merging others. MPs of all parties may gain or suffer in this process. And rural votes are tending to count less, these days, as there is a shift into the countryside away from the urban sprawl. Our rural consbreastuency has some 85,000 voters, much more than many urban ones, and it is due to lose some this time round (down to about 70k I think). This county *just* missed getting another seat created this time around. So the variation is tending to benefit Labour at present.

The Electoral Commission has a mind of its own, too. It receives submissions from the parties but is just as likely to ignore them. The Govt could of course ignore its recommendations but I think even Mr Blair wouldn't dare do that.

Anything other than first-past-the-post is too complicated. Anything other than one-consbreastuency-one-member just entrenches the political elite. In 1997, Michael Portillo, then a senior figure in the Major Government, lost his seat. While that was a shame, it was a sharp reminder to the political clbutt that they have no god-given right to govern. Such a loss, by the way, would be unlikely in continental Europe where PR is more usual. The most egregious form of PR, the list system (such as the Israelis have) is the worst as it entirely decouples the political clbutt from the electorate.

-- tim