Quote from: Françal I. Lux on September 24, 2026, 07:39:26 PMI'm gonna take it you're not a fan of STV lol

Nah, she is, but those are still relevant questions that need answering.

Quote from: Françal I. Lux on September 24, 2026, 07:39:26 PMWhat I am advocating for is a candidate-oriented election system where those running are encouraged, even pressed, to speak for themselves about the issues instead of having the party as a fall back.

That is my goal as well, and I hope we can get there sooner rather than later.

Quote from: Miestră Schivă, UrN-GC on September 24, 2026, 04:24:13 PM

Quote from: Françal I. Lux on September 24, 2026, 03:02:13 PMI'm personally biased towards STV myself.

Cool! So what do you think about the questions I mention above:

- should we have a number of compulsory rankings (Australia-style) or should a [1] vote be enough (Ireland-style)?
- number of constituencies? 1, 2, 4?
- and here's the big one; how does that work with our current compromise where candidates can get multiple seats? I'm not sure how STV could work effectively without one-MC-one-seat, for which we don't have the numbers without doing something your own party would start violent revolution against (i.e. abolishing the Senäts)

I'm gonna take it you're not a fan of STV lol


I'm very open to all possible systems as I'm not invested in a particular one. What I am advocating for is a candidate-oriented election system where those running are encouraged, even pressed, to speak for themselves about the issues instead of having the party as a fall back.

Thank you Baron Seneschal!

It's never easy to conduct a General Election - it truly is the closest thing Talossa has to a sacred tradition that simply cannot go wrong. And, to be clear, this election did throw us some unexpected, nerve-wracking curveballs (most obviously the Google AI tampering), alongside some things that, while minor or subjective, might still call for future improvements (such as the Database IRV ballot design).

But I'm glad that those curveballs were successfully managed, and I'm equally glad to have felt that all major party leaders had my back all throughout the process. I hope that remains the case for many more elections and Clarks to come; I may be an impartial arbiter, but I'd rather everyone be equally happy than equally angry!

Again, I do feel there's room for improvement. The Chancery will implement in due time stronger ballot tampering protections, improve the design of the Database ballot, as well as finish the already started work to adapt the Database to the new provisions of the electoral system.

But still, even though I think we all feel Talossa is in a bit of a lull lately, and even though some might be additionally disappointed by the high number of PRESENT ballots, turnout was still strong and this election saw a good number of improvements to the voting process (to name the first three that come to mind: the new paper ballot, "Are you sure?" modals when voting on the Database, and the reintroduction of email receipts).

I am again thankful for the Seneschal's kind words and support, and I wish everyone a successful term ahead.

Lüc

Quote from: Miestră Schivă, UrN-GC on September 24, 2026, 04:24:13 PMand here's the big one; how does that work with our current compromise where candidates can get multiple seats?

Yeah, out of the four systems I outlined, all except STV can be easily modified to allow for more than one seat per MC. Since I assume we're gonna be stuck with this quirk for quite a while longer, extending STV in a similar fashion would need to be prioritised.

BTW,  here are the above numbers run for a 15-seat Cosa (the smallest possible under the OrgLaw) which lessens the warm-body problem at the costs of increasing quotas for election from 4-5 to 5-6 votes



Incidentally, on a strictly proportional basis (which would not apply under STV), a 15 seat Cosa from the last election would be: Prog 7, URL 6, Green 1, IG-AS 1. So there's one obvious benefit.

Quote from: Françal I. Lux on September 24, 2026, 03:02:13 PMI'm personally biased towards STV myself.

Cool! So what do you think about the questions I mention above:

- should we have a number of compulsory rankings (Australia-style) or should a [1] vote be enough (Ireland-style)?
- number of constituencies? 1, 2, 4?
- and here's the big one; how does that work with our current compromise where candidates can get multiple seats? I'm not sure how STV could work effectively without one-MC-one-seat, for which we don't have the numbers without doing something your own party would start violent revolution against (i.e. abolishing the Senäts)

I have been thinking for some time of efforts to build subcultures as a way to generate unique activity in provinces. This has been inspired particularly by the work of the Cjovani pioneers @Iason Taiwos and @Vitxalmour in Belacosta.

So after consulting with @Crement Itravilatx we have created the seed for a subculture here in Florencia to be known as the Talaviac'hi. Within Japanese culture the Crane or Tsuru symbolizes longevity, peace, and happiness. These seemed like valuable attributes to represent our subculture and our hopes for the province.

We are currently developing our backstory with an eye for Florencian history. Our first project will be a new cultural recipe to be submitted to the Book of Cuisine.

Here is the Talaviac'hi flag thematically based on Japan's flag with colors from the Florencian flag:

Congratulations to our newest citizen!

Quote from: Marcel Eðo Pairescu Tafial, UrGP on September 22, 2026, 08:23:54 PM

Quote from: Françal I. Lux on September 22, 2026, 08:03:38 PMHow committed are we to nation-wide, at-large elections for the Cosa?

It's just an idea but have we seriously considered creating provincial constituencies based on population and elect MCs through the provinces? I understand this would drastically reorient how elections are run and won, but it would inject much needed activity in our provinces and with a smaller electorate, candidates can be better vetted by the people they're asking for votes.

Two of the methods I listed at the top of this thread require constituencies (MMP by necessity, STV for feasibility), and the main issue I have with province-based constituencies boils down to lack of competitiveness. With MMP for instance, there would be 8 single-winner constituencies, so we would need at least 16 candidates (2 per) to make all of these races competitive, ideally more than that. With the way things look currently, I really can't see this happen.

I also highly doubt that local elections would revitalise the provinces, considering that Senate elections have been local since the beginning and it has accomplished nothing. If anything, moving the Senate away from provincial representation might actually be the way to go, but that's a separate issue that I may or may not write another post about.

I'd argue that senate elections are different in the sense that the elections for them are staggered on a rotating basis so there's not much opportunity for us to see how a nation-wide election would look like if everyone votes through their provinces.

That said I do agree with your point on competitiveness. Now that I really think about it some provinces have much more active citizens than others.

I'm personally biased towards STV myself.

I'm happy to hear the good news!