CDC looking at ways to make every vote count

[webfact]

CDC looking at ways to make every vote count
KASAMAKORN CHANWANPEN
THE NATION



BANGKOK: -- THE Constitution Drafting Commission yesterday explored the idea of including votes of a defeated constituency candidate in the new formula for allotting party-list seats.

"Every vote cast by the people in an election must count and not go in vain," the CDC said.

A CDC member said people would be more convinced to cast a ballot, as their support would still be significant no matter if their favourite candidate won or lost in the election.

Besides, it would discourage vote-buying, he said.

The idea was tossed up after the presentation on the comparison of electoral systems by its committee studying legislative systems. It was part of the four approaches the CDC has come up with to help guide its consideration on the most suitable electoral system for the country.

The other principles are that members of the House of Representatives must be elected directly by the people, elections must be simple and easy for people to understand and people should be encouraged to turn out and vote, Prapan Naikovit, chairman of the committee studying legislative systems, told the meeting.

The point concerning how every vote must matter was the biggest subject of the CDC discussion.

Several members were concerned and suggested that the word "every" could make it impractical, so it should be altered to "most votes".

Some CDC members questioned how some votes could matter in a situation where candidates received as few as 10 votes when the turnout ran into the millions.

However, their chief Meechai Ruchupan insisted that it should be possible and that the 21 members should brainstorm some kind of solution.

The responsible committee chairman Prapan also presented the three main electoral systems as well as their pros and cons in the meeting. They were simple majority, proportional and hybrid.

The pros of a simple majority, which is widely used in the West, are that it was simple and easy to understand while the major con is that votes received by MPs who didn't win would be discarded. And that makes it unfair when votes received by the winner and the losers were close.

The new proportional system was more just than the previous one. However, it did not allow room for constituency MPs and that was a downside because those MPs were closest to the people.

The hybrid system put together the pros of the other two. However, it still did not really reflect the real vote as it allows more party-list MPs than the votes political parties received, he added. The CDC did not jump to a conclusion immediately.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/CDC-looking-at-ways-to-make-every-vote-count-30271663.html


-- The Nation 2015-10-27

[Strangebrew]

Want to stop vote buying? simple if caught vote buying life time ban for running for any office which would include all members of vote buyers family for life plus 10 year prison term and enforce it.

[tbthailand]

THE Constitution Drafting Commission yesterday explored the idea of including votes of a defeated constituency candidate in the new formula for allotting party-list seats.

sounds like they are trying to find ways to help the feeble Dems get more seats...

The Dems should try developing a modern platform that appeals to more people and then learn how to run a political party properly... They might start to get better results at the polls.

Although with the most-likely outcome of the next CDC, it probably won't matter who wins the elections... which is the whole point.

BTW, this little gem comes up from the Royalists every time...

Besides, it would discourage vote-buying, he said.

Let's put aside the complete and total lack of logic behind his assertion and focus on the fact that vote-buying had no impact on the results of the last election.... This is the elites' red herring ... part of their justification to deny people self-governance

[Vandadavid]

You all to slow do your job and stop delaying

You can't keep Prayith in forever buddy

Other counter owe will counter eventually

[waldroj]

Politicians and their parties the world over have always “bought” votes in democratic elections (not necessarily as overtly as cash in hand, more often with promises of policies that appeal to the voter).

As far as the rhetoric about making every vote count – well, (without wanting to incur censure from the moderator) let’s just say that’s just pie-in-the-sky! The reality in this country, is that the junta has been deliberately working to destroy the influence of the major political parties (including the Democrat Party), a classic divide and conquer tactic if you will.

So, given the junta’s cunning manipulation, how could it be possible to ensure that “every vote” or “most votes” counts?

Regardless of any model that CDC Mark II may brainstorm, the result (after the next election) will almost certainly be that no single party will have sufficient votes to allow it to form government in its own right.

Because of the junta’s political interference, Thailand is destined to endure ineffective minority governments dominated by overwhelming opposition for the foreseeable future. The legacy of this will be that most voters will be disenfranchised, and their votes will have been in vain.

The only possible outcome will be a weak alliance of minor parties (that only come together after the election) with no common policies, and with no affiliation with their voters (so, many of these votes will have also been in vain).

The added sting in the tail will be the “crisis panel” clause that allows the military to step in (when required) and then, no one’s vote counts! Shakespeare expressed it perfectly when he had Trinculo say, "misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows".

[toybits]

To uphold the sanctity of the vote - the government must prevent outside forces from usurping power illegally. It must guarantee that people are allowed to vote freely and without intimidation. It must be color blind. The constitution cannot have clauses that subvert the will of the people. If the CDC can make that happen, then they can give themselves a pat in the back.

[bangon04]

""Every vote cast by the people in an election must count and not go in vain," the CDC said."

On a scale of ridiculous statements from Thai authorities, this one is probably the winner today.

followed closely by

"Besides, it would discourage vote-buying, he said."

[phoenixdoglover]

This is a nice way of distracting from a non-elected Senate, and other provisions that weaken the Parliament.

In the proper spirit, I am proposing the following system: The Hours-In-a-Week Representation Proportionate System.

Under this system, each MP position is divided into 188 parts corresponding to each hour of each day of the week. The hours in a week are allocated to the candidates based on the proportion of votes they receive. If a candidate receives 64% of the vote, that candidate gets to represent the constituency for 64/100 * 188 = 120 hours each week. Any candidate that receives at least 0.53% of the vote will be allocated at least 1 hour of representational time.

This system will reflect the will of the people and will encourage a wide range of grandstanding bozos to participate in politics. Nobody will feel like a loser. Even marginal nut-jobs will save face. Each parliamentary session will be dominated by a continuous shuffle of MPs in and out of office. The ensuing chaos will truly reflect the state of Thai politics. The Parliament will be wholly ineffective; this will leave room for an unelected Senate and PM to run the show. I encourage the CDC to consider my uniquely Thai proposal.

[FangFerang]

Title missing some words again:

CDC looking at ways to make every vote that we like count...

[FangFerang]

More obfuscation from the most obtuse coup since the first of eighteen many decades ago. Smoke and mirrors, more smoke and mirrors, and more smoke and mirrors--the government also announced today that the lese majesty suspect who 'hung himself' would not be autopsied. And then they issued a ban on reporting anything but official government releases on the topic. From Khaosodenglsih: "Note: A blanket ban has been issued on reporting this issue, apart from official announcements. Due to this, portions of this story have been self-censored."

Finally, it is literal. "We will tell you what the truth is."

This will bring happiness back to the people (the people who are important, anyway).

[tbthailand]

looks like the CDC is counting on the Dems losing...

I'll be ROFL if the PTP loses and this CDC ends up helping them out.

[Thai at Heart]

This will simply act to make small parties more powerful again. And stymie the govt from getting anything done.