On Elections

How people elect parliaments

It actually happened: independent surge in Australia as government changes

Representation in Australia’s Parliament has undergone a remarkable sea change after last Saturday’s elections. The previous government has lost around 20 seats in the 151 seat House of Representatives, taking … Continue reading

May 24, 2022 · Leave a comment

Independent prospects in today’s Australian election

It’s Election Day in Australia, and one of the key outcomes to watch is the fate of a historically large number of independent candidates with real chances of getting elected. … Continue reading

May 21, 2022 · Leave a comment

Australia’s growing habit of Independents

One to the key interests in Saturday’s Australian national elections is the sharply rising prospects of independent candidates, running without endorsement from any political party. This situation requires some explanation, … Continue reading

May 20, 2022 · 1 Comment

Will ranked-choice voting spread in the US?

After the historic use of ranked choice (preferential) voting* in the US state of Maine to conduct elections for representatives to the national Congress, social media is alive with the … Continue reading

November 21, 2018 · Leave a comment

Ranked choice voting: the Australian connection

Australians have been watching developments last week regarding ranked choice voting* (RCV) in the state of Maine – and potentially elsewhere in the US – with great interest, because Australia … Continue reading

November 21, 2018 · 2 Comments

As goes Maine … US state uses preferential voting to elect national representatives

After two years of dogged insistence from an independent-minded community, voters in the US state of Maine have become the first in the nation’s history to elect representatives in their … Continue reading

November 21, 2018 · 5 Comments

Australia nears its centenary of ranked choice voting

Five seats in the Australian Parliament have been decided in a weekend of by-elections using preferential (ranked choice) voting. Across the United States and Canada, reform movements are calling for … Continue reading

July 29, 2018 · Leave a comment

Mainers defend preferential voting … for now

Voters in the US state of Maine have today backed an unusual ballot to veto controversial electoral legislation of the state legislature, in doing so protecting a 2016 referendum vote … Continue reading

June 13, 2018 · 1 Comment

Independent reviews of Australian electoral boundaries announced

Electoral boundaries for Australia’s national elections are being changed, and by a process entirely free of the gerrymandering that is afflicting elections in the United States, Malaysia and elsewhere. Australia … Continue reading

April 17, 2018 · 5 Comments

Unusual Australian elections will highlight role of preferential voting

Two elections in Australia today – a by-election for a vacant seat in the national Parliament and the election of the state Parliament of South Australia – will highlight peculiarities … Continue reading

March 17, 2018 · Leave a comment