
	Where results make sense

Topic: Vote swapping

Related Topics

Range voting

Single transferable vote

Electoral fusion

Overhang seat

Condorcet method

Psephology

Delegated legislation

In the News (Fri 11 Dec 09)

Northern Trust

Marvin Harrison

Peter Chernin

Gary Locke

Match Play

Penelope Cruz

Mickey Rourke

AR Rahman

Danny Boyle

Hugh Jackman

	VotePair \|\| FAQs
		By swapping my Kerry vote with a progressive third-party supporter in one of the battleground states I feel like I will be heard after all while ensuring that their voice in support of third party efforts stays audible too.
		Vote Pairing actually gives progressives a way to vote their conscience by defeating Bush and supporting the critical voice of third parties at the same time.
		There simply is no violation of the spirit of "one person, one vote." When each voter goes into the voting booth, he or she votes his or her conscience, taking into consideration all the facts important to that individual, including whether or not to abide by a vote pairing agreement.
	www.votepair.org /faq.php (4286 words)

	Caucus-night vote-swapping could tilt Iowa - The Boston Globe
		With candidates required to win at least 15 percent of the voters in each precinct to survive, strategists assume a number of candidates will fall short -- freeing their caucus voters to support other campaigns.
		Knowing how Dean is faring statewide would allow the campaign to advise its supporters to throw Dean votes in some precincts to another candidate.
		Dean voters, for instance, could be directed to shift to Senator John F. Kerry as part of a strategy to knock Richard A. Gephardt out of contention and create a more competitive race in New Hampshire.
	www.boston.com /news/nation/articles/2004/01/09/caucus_night_vote_swapping_could_tilt_iowa (1025 words)

	Is Vote-Swapping Legal? - By Jeremy Derfner - Slate Magazine
		Voting is political speech, and vote trading simply improves the quality of a vote, allowing voters to get "what they want with respect to their second choice as well as what they want with a third party," he argues.
		In a society where more than half of the people voting do not even know what the three branches of government are, we now give people the power to play with their votes like a game of "asteroids" or day trading.
		Voting is a privilege, and perhaps should only be granted to those who understand that democracy cannot survive in an environment where stupidity is a cherished freedom.
	www.slate.com /id/92442 (1600 words)

	Newhouse B1
		Miller said the state is pursuing not only Web sites that offer to help people trade votes, but individuals who swap their votes as well, although "local jurisdictions would have to decide whether to prosecute." Vote-buying is a felony that carries a penalty of up to three years in prison, she said.
		He believes that vote swapping among individuals is protected under the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of speech.
		On some sites, Nader supporters and others who think vote swapping is unethical have openly announced their intentions to sabotage operations by flooding the sites with fake voters who promise to vote for Gore in swing states.
	www.newhousenews.com /archive/story1b110100.html (1044 words)

	VotePact.com (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-09-11)
		This is not "vote swapping" -- in which voters in "swing" states who want to vote for third parties "swap" votes with committed Democrats and Republicans in "safe" states.
		The politicians manipulate the voting system all the time for their narrow interests; the people should be able to vote in a manner which maximizes the public interest.
		They would each give their reasons for voting for the candidate at a news conference, which would end with the candidate bringing them together, both shaking hands with the candidate in the middle.
	www.votepact.com (1195 words)

	JOLT: Articles
		The right to vote is a right that both parties might otherwise exercise, as was the right to refrain from voting, or the right to vote for whomever they pleased.
		Arguably, agreeing to exchange a vote for a vote is tantamount to exchanging a vote for a governmental benefit (a vote) to which the voter is already entitled.
		A citizen pledging to swap votes followed her conscience, un-policed and unobserved in the voting booth.
	www.lawtechjournal.com /articles/2001/06_011004_randazza.php (11909 words)

	.: Corvallis Gazette-Times :. Archives
		The concept, first tried in 2000, is to get supporters of Nader to vote for Kerry in battleground states in exchange for votes by Kerry supporters for Nader in states where the outcome — and critical electoral votes — is not expected to be close.
		Internet vote trading made its debut in the 2000 election as a means to protect Democrat Al Gore from Nader.
		Proponents of vote swapping insist their arrangement is legal.
	www.gazettetimes.com /articles/2004/09/22/news/nation/wednat02.txt (622 words)

	Voters empowered by internet swap shop - opinion - 30 April 2005 - New Scientist (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-09-11)
		He plans to vote for his second-choice party the Lib Dems, instead of Labour, his true preference, because he hopes that the Lib Dems will beat the Conservatives, his least favourite party.
		Votes cast for a losing candidate have no further influence once the winner in a state or constituency is announced.
		"Vote swapping is a form of do-it-yourself proportional representation," says Stephen Coleman, an expert on e-democracy at the Oxford Internet Institute.
	www.newscientist.com /channel/opinion/dn7330 (870 words)

	Eugene Weekly : Views : 06.03.04
		Vote swapping doesn't involve arguing, yelling, or shaming Nader voters into holding their nose when they vote.
		As Oregon voters in a key swing state, I gotta tell you that we are pretty hot property on the vote swapping scene.
		All kidding aside, vote swapping is an interesting mechanism worth considering in some cases (and some places) to ensure that Democrats and Greens do vote, and vote strategically.
	www.eugeneweekly.com /2004/06/03/views.html (1905 words)

	Unspun: Selling Votes?
		Try the new vote swapping system at www.DefeatBushAgain.com, which has been set up to provide Nader voters in key battleground states with the means to "swap votes" with Kerry voters in non-battleground states.
		Those who vote are seldom much better; as much (or, should I say, "as little") thought goes into choosing for whom and for what to cast a vote as goes into deciding what to have for dinner, or which movie to see.
		Vote trading, it seems to me, risks enhancing the effects of this at the federal level, bypassing the checks and balances built into the system, and allowing an emergent mob rule that may be somewhat subdued by the fracturing of power under the current system.
	www.unspun.us /2004/07/selling_votes.htm (1763 words)

	Vote pairing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		Tactical voting has been used since 2000 as a strategy for the U.S. presidential election, with voters from "safe" states voting for third-party candidates, and voters from states with contested races voting for the second-preference candidate of the voters from the third-party.
		Through the 2000 election, the concept was known in the US as "vote swapping," while "vote pairing" originally had a somewhat different meaning--where people of opposing parties would agree to together vote for a third-party candidate instead of for their own candidates.
		Also, vote pairing is a routine practice in legislative bodies, city councils, etc. See the next section on the issue of legality in the United States presidential election, 2000.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Vote_pairing (2208 words)

	Vote Swapping (aka vote fraud)
		Vote pairing facilitates strategic voting by allowing John Kerry voters in Bush and Kerry strongholds to pledge to vote for Ralph Nader (Independent/Reform Party) or David Cobb (Green Party).
		Vote pairing is analogous to coalitions and agreements that are pervasive in U.S. government.
		Strategic voting is common practice in the US Senate (instead of two Senators agreeing to switch their votes, two Senators both arrange to be absent at the same time, so the votes they would have cast--which would have cancelled out--are not)
	www.freerepublic.com /focus/f-news/1220930/posts (1857 words)

	NBC11.com - Decision 2006 - Vote Swapping Is New Way For Voters To Get Involved (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-09-11)
		Supporters say vote swapping provides a way for people in California to get involved in the election, but not everyone is convinced it's the right thing to do, NBC11's Susan Siravo reported.
		The Californian would agree to vote for Ralph Nader or Green Party candidate David Cobb, and the Nevadan would agree to vote for Kerry.
		The theory is a vote for Nader or Cobb would actually help President Bush in swing states, which is what the group wants to prevent.
	www.nbc11.com /politics/3753832/detail.html (355 words)

	Tactical Voter \| MetaFilter (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-09-11)
		Other vote swapping sites want to sack Blair, while musicians Billy Bragg and Brian Eno (the latter previously posted) are waging tactical voting campaigns of their own.
		We all have a vote and are free to use it as we chose.
		Vote for the party of imperialism, of crony capitalism, of attacks on civil liberties.
	www.metafilter.com /comments.mefi/41456 (1892 words)

	CNN.com - Sci-Tech - Vote swapping hits the U.K. - May 4, 2001
		By itself, tactical voting to avoid splitting is not new to U.K. politics.
		That is a tactical vote, but it's still a step away from vote swapping.
		Vote swapping is perhaps the ultimate peer-to-peer application, in which two voters from separate districts agree to vote for each other's candidate.
	archives.cnn.com /2001/TECH/internet/05/04/uk.vote.swapping.idg (622 words)

	'Vote swapping' questioned (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-09-11)
		Vote swapping across state lines via the Internet is illegal in California and "dumb" in Colorado, according to state elections officials.
		Vote swapping is "arguably a criminal violation" of Colorado election law as well, according to Ken Lane, a spokesman for the Colorado Attorney General's office.
		Because most election law is left to individual states, Compton said vote swapping is not likely a violation of federal law either.
	www.thedailycamera.com /extra/campaign/local/01lswap.html (662 words)

	Tactical voter
		In fact, every vote at the general election is cast in one of 659 separate elections.
		After that, all votes for the other candidates are "thrown away" – they don't carry across to any other election.
		Vote swapping offers a new option: use the Internet to find a Labour supporter stranded somewhere Labour can't win, and make a pact to "swap" votes, support each other's parties and have the best chance of beating the Conservatives in both seats.
	www.tacticalvoter.net /?show=voting (242 words)

	Salt Lake Tribune - Feeling disenfranchised? Swap your vote, some say
		Baldwin will "swap" her Kerry/Edwards vote in the popular battleground swing states with another voter casting a vote for the Green Party's David Cobb or unaffiliated Ralph Nadar in an effort to sway the popular vote.
		While the practice is technically legal because votes are being "paired," not sold, Utah Elections Office Director Amy Naccarato said vote swapping is generally frowned upon.
		And with vote swapping there is no guarantee, said Aaron Thompson, past president of the College Democrats at Westminster College.
	www.sltrib.com /ci_2428205 (1033 words)

	DarbySite Blog: Vote Swapping
		With that in mind, there are those who are going to vote for John Kerry, who feel their vote won't be counted.
		Although, I am voting for President Bush, if the shoe were on the other foot, I still think (or at least I hope I would still think) that practice is wrong.
		In short, there's just something fishy about vote swapping, and I urge all three of you, my readers, to not participate, so we can have a fair election (as fair as it can be with the Electoral College still in place).
	home.comcast.net /~darbus1/darbysiteblog/2004/10/vote-swapping.htm (427 words)

	(V) Vote Swapping! Attn: Bush, Buchanan, Browne, Phillips Voters! [Free Republic]
		You see, I vote in every election and, while my heart actually leans toward Alan Keyes, I've accepted and plan to support the Republican nominee, George W. Bush, in spite of some misgivings about how effective or commtted he is to conservative causes.
		I grant that the number of votes swapped may have no effect on the total outcome but you never know where a few votes might make a difference.
		The appeal to vote for Bush or Gore is to at least show their preference between the two and have it possibly matter.
	www.freerepublic.com /forum/a39d85fb603a8.htm (1796 words)

	Vote-swapping site aims to defeat Tories - ZDNet UK News
		Users wishing to vote tactically are registered on the site -- www.tacticalvoter.net -- and paired up via email with someone who is returning the favour by voting tactically in their area.
		Users pledge to vote tactically for the candidate most likely to defeat the Conservative candidate in their constituency and the site will keep a running total of how many people are voting for which party.
		Online voting has long been touted as a way of increasing democracy but to date all governments have shied away from implementing it, claiming the security risks are too high.
	news.zdnet.co.uk /business/0,39020645,2085706,00.htm (575 words)

	TechElections: 2000 Voters
		Trading votes could be considered a violation of the principles attached to the right to vote in the USA.
		People have a right to vote for as they please, and merely making a tacit agreement to vote for different people is hardly criminal.
		Electronic voting is an example of how instantaneous voting can be done from the comfort of one's own home or office without having to worry about the ballot box, making it easier for the voter to do his or her civic duty.
	www.umich.edu /~techpoli/2000voters.html (740 words)

	Nader Traders vs. State Regulators
		The intent of the Vote Exchange Program is to provide an alternative for those who want a viable Green Party but wish to avoid the disastrous effects of electing George Bush.
		In an election in which several states’ close results baffled voting experts for first hours and then days, the number of swapped votes pledged nationwide numbered in the thousands.
		Vote swapping cannot be permitted and will not be allowed in the State of Minnesota.”
	www.jolt.unc.edu /vol2/worleyweb.htm (6089 words)

	Metroactive News & Issues \| Vote Pairing
		It really did seem ludicrous when one of Jones' aides explained to me that California law is so strict that spouses who pair votes—I'll vote for the school bond, honey, if you vote against the transit tax—are, essentially, outlaws conspiring to commit election fraud.
		Besides, the terms "vote trading" or the sexier "vote swapping" are misnomers; what are exchanged are promises, not ballots.
		Vote trading advocates make a plausible case that, without their efforts, Gore would not have recorded his 366-vote victory in New Mexico.
	www.metroactive.com /papers/metro/11.24.04/votepairing-0448.html (1738 words)

	Everything about Billy Bragg (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-09-11)
		In West Dorset, the Conservative majority was 1,860 votes, in South Dorset, Labour was a tiny 77 votes behind the Conservatives.
		Would more people vote tactically for their second choice party if their actions were matched by a reciprocal vote for the party of their choice in the neighbouring constituency?
		Interestingly, and possibly not coincidentally, the LibDem vote in South Dorset was down from the last election in 1997 by 3,405 votes.
	www.billybragg.co.uk /words/words16.html (673 words)

	vote swapping, anyone? - @forums (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-09-11)
		OK, I've heard of this vote-swapping thing where people living in "swing states" will swap their nader vote for a gore vote from someone in a bush "blow-out state".
		So, I live in Minnesota and want to vote for nader, and what happens is I hook up with someone in, say, texas who wants to vote for gore (which would be useless because bush is gonna get the electoral votes in that state anyway).
		Then, I vote for gore, and they vote for nader-- nader getting popular votes and gore getting electoral votes.
	www.atforumz.com /showthread.php?t=19155 (240 words)

	WorkingForChange-Nader traders may have made Florida close
		The idea was to raise the Green Party's share of the popular vote to 5 percent, the threshold required for federal matching campaign funds in 2004.
		But voting their conscience is precisely what Nader traders did, according to Cardille.
		The vote swappers argue their approach was a "win win" for the environment, abortion rights and other causes.
	www.workingforchange.com /news/article.cfm?ItemId=9426 (593 words)

	WJACTV.com - News - Vote Swapping
		They feel their vote won't count in Novembers election, so they're using a web site, called vote pair, to swap their vote with someone in another state where they think their vote will have an impact.
		By trading votes with someone in another state where the race is close, many feel their vote for their candidate will have more meaning and impact...and this is happening all over the country, but is this legal?
		Wrabley says, People have voted strategically for a long time and the people who are doing this are some of the most attentive sophisticated voters.
	www.wjactv.com /news/3825562/detail.html (400 words)

	CNN Transcript - Burden of Proof: Is Vote-Swapping Over the Internet Legal? - November 2, 2000
		CASE: No, you didn't swap, if you did anything you pledged, you pledged in Wisconsin, a swing state, to support Al Gore, in order the get him those Electoral votes, and what you did was to pledge support for the idea, the idea that together as voters we can think strategically and support both candidacies.
		The very clear difference is that it is not in fact a swap or a trade or any kind of exchange of the vote.
		In California, we have a history of the manipulation of the vote and corruption in the 19th century.
	edition.cnn.com /TRANSCRIPTS/0011/02/bp.00.html (2635 words)

Try your search on: Qwika (all wikis)