Re: 2nd votes
Steve Huss-Lederman (lederman@cs.wisc.edu)
Thu, 12 Sep 1996 08:02:32 -0500
Since the topic of second votes has been explicitly raised, I would
like to raise the issue of voting rules. I and a number of other
people have discussed (offline from the main group) that the current
voting rules can allow items to become part of MPI with minimal
support. Currently a 3-2-20 vote passes. We adopted the HPF rules at
the start of MPI. Since that time, HPF has modified its voting rules
to make it harder for things to pass. (Not active in HPF I can only
report this second hand and do not recall the details.) I think the
MPI Forum should also consider such a change. Some have pointed out
people rightly abstain in MPI-2 because they do not fully understand
the issue. Changing the voting rules might penalize this practice.
However, I think raising the bar would be useful. Any change will
seem arbitrary. However, as a starting point of discussion I propose
the following rule:
On a SECOND vote, a motion only passes if:
- 60% of the yes/no votes are cast yes.
- 40% of all votes are yes (including abstains)
The first rule means more than a simple majority of those expressing
an opinion must be in favor. The second rule means that a motion
cannot pass with lots of apathy. After some thought I decided not to
propose that the second rule be 40% of voting institutions present.
This allows people to bow out if they want.
I am open to thoughts and suggestions. There are certain to be ideas
that I have missed.
Steve