Top 10k strings from Electoral Suite Documentation (1992)(Radical Alternative Software).tap in <root> / bin / z80 / software / Sinclair Spectrum Collection TOSEC.exe / Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Games / [TAP] /
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1 {L9882}by G. Rowland
1 {L9882}The Simulation provides you with a scaled down model of the UK. The size of each constitueny is 2% of the UK average (60,000). There are just three political parties (RED, BLUE and YELLOW) and 12 seats (just under 2% of the UK's 651) to be won. Data on each of the 12 seats can be called up by pressing keys "A" to "L".
1 {L9882}Only 3-5 are proportional voting systems. Proportional representation evolved when suffrage was extended to the working people in Europe.
1 {L9882}Encyclopedia Brittanica
1 {L9882}1. VOTING PREFERENCE - Initially party support is set to 33% for each party. This option is used to change Voting preference. This also randomizes the distribution of the votes across the constituencies.
1 {L9881}USING "SUFFRAGE?"
1 {L9881}SUFFRAGE?
1 {L9881}References:
1 {L9881}Proportional Representation
1 {L9881}MENU OPTIONS:
1 x;"UP - TO THIS PAGE";
1 x;"Radical Alternative Software"'
1 x;"RIGHT - NEXT PAGE";
1 x;"Press key S now to SAVE ""READ_ME"""'
1 x;"Press key P now to PRINT-OUT to #3";#1
1 x;"OR ENTER PAGE NUMBER"''
1 You might like to try the program using results from previous General Elections. You can enter the percentage of vote from statistics available at your local library. To compare the results you'll need to scale down the number of seats won to the model's size.
1 World Encyclopedia of Political Systems & Parties (Edited by George E. Delury Published by Facts on File).
1 Uses list of candidates again, but the initial seats are won by parties that meet a quota. The number of times their vote can be divided by the quota is the number of seats they are awarded. Seats not won by quota are awarded to parties in the order of the largest remainder first, smallest remainder last.
1 This simulation is only a simple model, nonetheless the correct equations have been used for calculating the seats won in each voting system. Of course a simulation with this coarseness of resolution does give an over simplified view. With just 12 seats, each seat represents 8% of the electorate, but in the UK each seat represents around .16% of the electorate.
1 These "second choice" values are also used by the MAJORITY model, but here the second choice votes are taken from the weakest candidate when no candidate can obtain more than 50% of the vote. The Majority model uses single member constituencies.
1 There are many variations of PR, but only the "text book" variants are used in the simulation. As all these PR systems require multi-seat districts, there is the small problem of how many seats are available. Either Parliament would need an extension, or constituencies combined to form larger districts along the lines of those for Euro MPs.
1 The values are initially set at 50% for each of the "opposing" parties. But note that the simplicity of the model can cause problems with some parameters.
1 The outcome of the 1992 election has prompted more talk about proportional representation, but what is PR? "Suffrage?" is a simulation that allows you to compare the general principles of different voting systems and judge which is the most democratic and which wastes the right to vote.
1 The electorate vote for a party's list of candidates rather than individuals. The Party with the most votes is awarded a seat then their votes are divided by two. The votes for each Party list is then compared again and the Party with the most votes is awarded a seat. The divisor for each party is incremented after that party has been awarded a seat. This continues untill all the seats have been awarded. Seats are alotted to candidates in the order that they appear on the Party's list.
1 The Party List systems here treat all constituencies as one large multi-seat district with a list of 12 candidates from each of the three parties competing for 12 seats.
1 Support for each opposition candidate/party is given as a percentage of the support for the first choice. This doesn't need to add-up to 100% as missing votes can be taken as votes for either candidates allied to the main party, or "no chance" independents.
1 Some of the voting systems are:
1 STV puts more emphasis on individual candidates than parties. There are usually three to five seats according to the size of the constituency.
1 Print-outs are made through LPRINT. Any printer initialization required must be added yourself.
1 Population can be redistributed for a new election by using this option without changing preference.
1 Placed in the public domain April 1992
1 PR systems have become increasingly complex, presumably to favour strong or weaker parties according to the demands of demography!
1 PFN-PRINT3
1 For the STV model constituencies A-F are merged with G-L to form six larger two seat districts. The support for each candidate/party is split in two by the two opposition candidates/parties.
1 Extension of suffrage, to a large population that tended to vote for socialist candidates, left the "ruling class" without any effective say in legislation. PR was introduced to prevent this happening. Denmark was first to do this - in 1855.
1 Elect.doc
1 Economist World Atlas of Elections
1 Candidates must poll more than any other single candidate.
1 Candidates must poll a quota of 50% of the votes or more than the combined votes for other candidates. If no candidate wins a seat, the weakest candidate is eliminated and their ballots distributed to the voter's second choice. This is repeated until one candidate meets the quota.
1 Candidates must meet a quota in multi-member districts. Voters place candidates according to their preference. Ballots in excess of the quota have the voters second preference alloted to the "runner-up" candidate's first preference votes.
1 Both STV and the Majority systems use the second choice vote.
1 An accurate STV election is more complex to model. One of the reasons is because systems using a second choice require statistics indicating likely second choice. However, second candidates sometimes recommend a second preference. So in reality the second preference would not go to an opposition candidate, but to a candidate with a similar manifesto.
1 All the same it is an interesting exercise to play around with this simulation. You'll need to display or print-out the results of several elections using the same parameters, but with different distributions. Then compare another run with new parameters.
1 A three/five seat constituency causes problems in a three party model where the candidates are only present implicitly. I've only worked from simple formal descriptions of political systems without any practical knowledge of them, so I hope the following compromise works.
1 ;"|P R I N T I N G|"
1 ;"{L9881}";
1 ;"LEFT - TURN BACK"'
1 ;"Enter print width (32-80)";
1 ;"DOWN - TO LAST PAGE"'
1 ;"24 Parsloes Avenue, Dagenham RM9 5NX"
1 6. SAVE PROGRAM - Saves the current simulation/program.
1 5. PRINT DATA - Prints out the parameters for each seat A-L and the results from each of the voting systems along with details of vote wasted and effective suffrage. Note that "effective suffrage" indicates representation obtained by voting.
1 5. PARTY LIST greatest remainder (eg. Italy)
1 4. PARTY LIST largest average (eg.Belgium)
1 4. ELECTION - Calculates election result for the five different voting systems using the parameters set-up with options 1-3. Change parameters to see how different voting systems behave. A simple random POLL of voters intentions is also presented. More comprehensive details are available using option five.
1 3. SINGLE TRANSFERABLE VOTE
1 3. MOVE VOTERS - Moves votes to a different constituency/seat. Of course this only has any effect when using the Plurality, Majority or STV system.
1 23638-82":
1 23637+256*
1 2. SECOND PREFERENCE - Sets second choice for each voter. Votes are split as % for each of the opposing parties.
1 2. MAJORITY VOTE (eg. Australia)
1 1993, Garry Rowland (Public Domain)
1 1. PLURALITY VOTE (eg. Britain)
1 1 seat on the model is equal to all the seats gained by the three main parties divided 12. Eg. Scale = 651/12. So seats won by each party must be divided by scale to compare result with model's result.
1 ,x;"|R ~E A ~D M E|";
1 ,x;"{L9882}Documentation for Electoral Suite (PD)";
1 ,x;"Principle publisher:"'
1 ,x;"Cursor controls:"'
1 (eg. Republic of Ireland)
1 Any printer init. to go on this line. CR only control code sent to #3