PAGE FOUR
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1934
New Voting Plan Designed to Aid Minority Parties
Hare System Provides for More Equitable Representation in Council
What is proportional representation?
What is this new Hare system of voting that has been adopted by the Men's Student Council?
Proportional representation is a system of voting under which each party or faction in the electorate is represented by a single candidate to allocate to his numerical strength.
Assume that there are six offices to be filled, and an electorate of 600 people to vote. Under the bi-party system used commonly in this country, each party would nominate six men for the office to be filled. The electors would vote for this group of six men and the party controlling the greatest number of votes would win, thereby placing six men in the top four. If the electors might actually represent only 301 people, leaving a minority of 290 people without representation.
Now suppose that instead of voting for a group of men, each individual would cast his vote for only one man, making it necessary for a candidate to receive 100 votes to be elected. In this case a voter might be wishing his vote by casting his vote more than the necessary 100, or by voting for a man who received less.
To avoid this the Hate proportional voting system makes the vote transferable by allowing the voter to indicate his choice. That is, each voter indicates his first, second, fourth, fifth, and sixth choice for the office in question.
Now if the man for whom the voter cush his first choice does not need the second choice, his second choice vote is added to the total first choice votes of the other nominees. If the second choice man can not use the third choice, he must use the third choice, and so on down the line.
In this way, by counting as many second to sixth choice votes as is necessary to secure the election of six men, each group in the electorate receives approximately its proportion of representation. In other words, 400 of the possible 600 candidates will receive four choices, cluet four of the six men, giving, according to supporters of the plan, a much more fair representation to all the people concerned.
SYSTEM DEVELOPED IN ENGLAND
Nationalization Was Original Object of Representative Assemblies
History shows that the original object producing representative assembles was nationalization. Our representative institutions of today are an inheritance from the English, who discovered the principle of representation to maintain the unity of the nation without sacrificing freedom of the localities.
The primitive idea of lawmaking was a primary assembly of all the warriors in the tribe. After the Norman conquest, laws were established in theory but abandoned in practice. Gradually, only wealthy land owners, tenants in chief, and members of the clergy appeared at the assemblies. The first set of laws became the supreme law of the land.
Two factors were influential in bringing about the dissolution of this order. The king giving away his private estates and other means of livelihood, was forced to look elsewhere for means of support, and, at the same time, the hereof unprepresented classes were acquiring wealth, Merchant and craft goods, and the king could no longer wring money from his subjects by coercion he invited them to send two accredited delegates for a national gathering of guilds.
But proportional representation as known then has been misused to the point where now, with our party system of politics, the minority is again left out in the cold when election returns, the results of which are majority, or rather plurality, rule, the successful party nominees are declared the successful candidates, seeing that each one receives more votes than any candidate of the losing party. But with proportional representation, parties, rather than individuals, must receive their just deserts.
Under this system, every party should be entitled to one representative for every 'fractional part which it receives of the total vote for all parties. It remains only to select the individual candidates on the several tickets. This is the best way to avoid numbers from each party who show the highest number of individual votes.
This is the simplest modification possible of the existing general ticket with which Americans are familiar. With proportional representation, justice between parties is secured, the write-off of the party's votes to the dominant party is broken, and the most popular and representative candidate in each party is elected.
Welcome Parents
Annual NIGHT SHIRT Parade TONIGHT 7:00 p.m.
Parents Day Program
2:00 P.M. FOOTBALL GAME. K.U. VERSUS OKLAHOMA UNI-
VERSITY.
6:00 P. M. PARENTS DAY DINNER.
GUEST SPEAKER: Mr. EWING HERBERT, Sr.,
HIWATHIA.
Football: KANSAS vs. OKLAHOMA SATURDAY 2:00 p.m.
The following Business Men hope you will enjoy your brief stay in Lawrence and welcome you to their places of business.
"The College Jeweler"
Sparton Radios. Electrolux Refrigerators.
M. R. Gill Insurance - Real Estate Rentals, Sales and Insurance of all kinds.
Mallin's Market
Mallin's Market
We went a winning football team.
1109 Mass. Phone 991
Winter Chevrolet Co.
Come in and drive a New Chevrolet
738 N.H. Phone 77
The Blue Mill
1009 Mass.
Drop in after the game.
Lawrence Iron Works
Welding. Automotive and Machine Work
611 N. H. Phone 106
Stutes Confectionery 1033 Mass. Phone 708
Hanna Radio Shop
Philo, Westinghouse, and Gruno
904 Mass. Phone 303
Independent Laundry
740 Vt. Phone 432
Lawrence Sanitary Milk and Ice Cream Co.
6th & Vt. Phone 697
Burgert's Shoe Shop
"Service to the Public for 22 Years"
1113 Mass. Phone 141
August J. Pierson & Son
CIGAR STORE
902 Mass. Phone 1792
Brinkman's Bakery
for "Jayhawk" Bread
816 Mass. Phone 501
Lawrence Steam Laundry We clean everything you wear but your shoes 10th & N.H. Phone 383
Corner Grocery
"Quality plus Service and Economy"
303 W. 13th Phone 618
The New Jayhawk Cafe
Welcomes you Parents and Grads
1340 Ohio Phone 509
Drake & Holmes Bakery
"Beat Oklahoma"
907 Mass. Phone 635
S. J. Hunter
Owner and Developer of West Hills
Phones 626 - 560 Office, 720 Mass.
Green Brothers
"Lawrence's Largest Hardware Store"
633 Mass. Phone 631
The De Luxe Cafe
Welcomes you Parents and Grads
711 Mass. Phone 561
Hixon Studio
By appointment: — Photographer to their Royal Majesties the Beauty Queens of K. U.
705 Mass. Phone 41
Hillside Pharmacy
Dinner 25c
9th & Ind.
Phone 1487
Paxton's Shoe Shop
"Beat Those Sooners"
410 W. 9th
Lawrence Paint and Paper Co.
Cook's Paint and Wall Paper
121 W. 9th Phone 1473
Lawrence
Typewriter Exchange
Typewriters for Rent or Sale
737 Mass. Phone 548
Moore Studio Hold that line tomorrow, Jayhawks 721 Mass. Phone 964
Lawrence Studio
"Official Jayhawker Photographer"
727 Mass. Phone 451
Auto Wrecking Co.
For Radiator Repair or Glass Repair call
Phone 954 712 E. 9th
Bullene-Skinner Motor
Company
Dodge and Plymouth Sales and Service
622 Mass. Phone 1142
"BEAT THE SOONERS"