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Monday, May 16, 2011

Wall Street Journal: Rob Richie against disclosing all vote data in instant runoff voting elections

There's an article and also blog post in the Wall Street Journal about instant runoff voting. (There was referendum on IRV in UK that recently failed). Rob Richie of Fair Vote argues against voters having all of the vote data, because seeing it might cause voters to lose confidence in the election results.


MAY 13, 2011, 8:54 PM ET
A Split Vote on Alternative Electoral Systems
....
Richie said he prefers that the full details not be released, in part so that candidates who lose don't parse all the results in search of an argument that they should have won.
"I've come to believe we shouldn't put all the rankings out there for people to mull over and second-guess the outcomes," he said.
An important part of elections, he added, "is for those who have lost to accept they lost and move on."
He also would rather not arm instant runoff's opponents with material for what he calls "post-election `math masturbation' that IRV opponents can do when they have full tallies to work with."
http://blogs.wsj.com/numbersguy/a-split-vote-on-alternative-electoral-systems-1059/  


Because if you looked at the vote data, you might lose confidence in the instant runoff voting election method.  Lack of confidence has caused jurisdictions like Burlington Vermont and Aspen Colorado to ditch IRV.


About 10 days ago, Fair Vote issued a report arguing that recounts rarely made a difference. Why bother, it will only upset you!  Pam Smith, President of Verified Voting argues that recounts DO matter !
http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/report-recounts-rarely-impact-state-elections-10092


Meanwhile, folks in Wakesha County Wisconsin are paying close attention to a recount that may not ever yield true results, because the Election clerk kept election database on her computer that no one else could access.


Colleagues see Nickolaus as insular, hardworking
Waukesha County clerk's error is at center of Supreme Court recount     
http://www.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/121866773.html



See comments to the article, they are very telling.
But the recount WILL expose the gaps and fraud if any in the administration of the election.





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