Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 2, 2008 9:59:19 AM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Democracy: 'Hot or Not'?

Posted Feb 12, 08 1:55 PM CST in Politics 

(Newser) – The US voting system has serious problems, as any Gore-loving Floridian can attest. A new book, Gaming the Vote, recounts the failings of plurality voting, which allows spoilers such as Ralph Nader undue influence. Author William Poundstone explores systems from instant runoff voting to "the method used on the bod-rating website Hot or Not," writes Salon's book critic.

The Impossibility Theorem demonstrated that no voting system can ever be completely fair; the challenge is to discover the least unfair. Instant runoff voting reduces the influence of spoilers but doesn't guarantee the most popular candidate victory. Letting voters rank hopefuls on a 10-point scale à la Hot or Not—judging each candidate like a "drunk sorority girl"—may be the fairest system of all.

Source Salon

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Swing States Will Face Voting Glitches: Report

    Sep 19, 08 8:46 AM CDT
    Swing States Will Face Voting Glitches: Report Little has been done to fix voting problems in some key states over the last few years, and voters in those states could have problems at the polls in November, CNN reports. Ten swing states—including Florida and Ohio—are likely to face voting day snarls, including shortages of voting machines, glitches with electronic registration poll books, and not enough provisional ballots on hand for voters who hit snafus.
    More »

  • Blacks Support Gay Marriage as Much as Whites

    Aug 14, 08 4:52 PM CDT
    Blacks Support Gay Marriage as Much as Whites Conventional wisdom hold that African-Americans are overwhelmingly against gay marriage, but recent trends in voting show blacks have more problems with homophobia than any other group, writes gay-issues scholar Timothy Stewart-Winter for the LA Times. In fact, "views on same-sex marriage are a rapidly moving target that's tough to pin down, even for experts."
    More »

  • States Brace for Election's Tech Snarls

    Jul 21, 08 6:46 AM CDT
    States Brace for Election's Tech Snarls As states prepare for millions of voters using new ballot systems in November, many officials are expecting serious logistical headaches across the country. About half of all voters will use different machines than the last presidential election. Most voters—up from 49% in 2006—will be using paper ballots that will be scanned as states drop problematic and controversial touch-screen equipment. More »

  • Pro-West Bloc Claims Win in Serbia

    May 11, 08 7:00 PM CDT
    Pro-West Bloc Claims Win in Serbia Serbia's president declared victory today as voters favored his pro-West bloc by 10 points in early returns, BBC reports. President Boris Tadic called the election a vote for EU integration but maintained his stand against an independent Kosovo. If Tadic's party wins, it still must forge a wider coalition—which rivals say they can beat with a larger nationalist alliance. More »

  • Pakistani Opposition Claims Win

    Feb 18, 08 7:55 PM CST
    Pakistani Opposition Claims Win Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf was trounced in a national election today as opposition leaders declared victory against militant rule and the Bush administration, the New York Times reports. An unofficial tally projected victory and 110 seats for the Pakistan People's Party, and 100 seats for Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N party. Musharraf's party is projected to win 20 or 30 seats in the 272-seat national assembly. More »

Dolores Diamond Wood is seen at a voting booth at a Goodwill store in the Reseda section of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)   (Associated Press)
A voter comes out of a voting booth with his ballot in Manchester, N.H., Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008, during the New Hampshire Presidential Primary. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)   (Associated Press)
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, left, at the voting booth as he casts his presidential primarty vote at Kenter Canyon Charter Elementary School in Los Angeles,l this Super Tuesday morning, Feb.5, 2008.(AP...   (Associated Press)
New Hampshire Voters Go To Polls In Nation's First Primary   (Getty Images (by Event) Individuals)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 2)

Tags

election • voting • Ralph Nader


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other Politics Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »