The One Where I Get Slightly Political And Lose Half My Subscribers
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Elections are coming up in the United States, so I thought it was a good opportunity to talk about the best and worst voting systems in the world. Why are US elections so weird? And how can it be fixed?
Make a plan and vote! Here are some resources to get you started:
https://www.vote411.org
https://www.rockthevote.org,
https://www.vote.org
Thanks to Peter Dillinger for providing extra research for this video!
Here are the links to the democracy rankings:
https://freedomhouse.org/explore-the-map?type=fiw&year=2022
https://pages.eiu.com/rs/753-RIQ-438/images/eiu-democracy-index-2021.pdf
https://www.democracymatrix.com/ranking
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LINKS LINKS LINKS –
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/08/countries-are-the-worlds-oldest-democracies
https://freedomhouse.org/explore-the-map?type=fiw&year=2022
https://pages.eiu.com/rs/753-RIQ-438/images/eiu-democracy-index-2021.pdf
https://www.democracymatrix.com/ranking
https://www.iasgyan.in/blogs/types-of-electoral-systems
https://citizen-network.org/library/global-ranking-of-electoral-systems.html
Norway – Proportional representation (PR)
Finland – PR for parliament; First Past The Post for President in the Two Rounds format
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Finland
Denmark – Party-list PR
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Denmark
Sweden – Open List style Party List PR
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Sweden
Switzerland – Mix of PR for the Assembly and direct voting on referendums
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_in_Switzerland
New Zealand – Mixed-Member Proportional (MMP)
(Was FPP until 1993)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_system_of_New_Zealand
Extra Resources:
https://justfacts.votesmart.org/
https://voting.naacpldf.org/
https://voting.naacpldf.org/voting-rights/prepared-to-vote/
https://www.usa.gov/voter-research
TIMESTAMPS –
0:00 – Intro
1:51 – The Oldest Democracy in the World
2:42 – Freedom Ranking
5:06 – Tangent Cam
5:25 – First Past The Post Voting
9:12 – Plurality Majority
10:24 – Proportional Representation
11:26 – Mixed Systems
11:50 – Ranked Choice Voting
12:59 – Countries With Highest Democracy Ranking
13:57 – The Importance of Voting
15:33 – Voting Resources
17:22 – Sponsor – Brilliant
In the UK everyone gets to be PM for a week. I think that’s how the new system works anyway.
There’s a sign in the local coop that says we all take turns being the town drunk in a town our size. I do believe that makes us cousins. Cuz. 😉
For once the UK is following Australia instead of the other way ’round. Except that we appear to have decided that that experiment was, in fact, a failure.
Sounds fun, like a timeshare.
A sci-fi book by Arthur C. Clarke told of a planet that chose its leader at random every year. Even if they didn’t want the job. On the whole, the society’s *forward* progress was greater than backwards. I guess the point was that politics attracts those who are not overly concerned with the well-being of society.
I’m excited for my week! The milky bars are on me!
Excellent content.
You did a good job navigating a difficult issue, Joe.
Hello Joe, in Hungary we had a quite good voting system (mixed, two round) but One had won a big (Viktro Orban in 2010 with 2/3) and he changed it… just saying, once you have a good system you have to keep it 😅
We, in the USA once had, literally, a voter defense act which prevented individual states from creating race based voter suppression laws. But the American right wing felt it could do better without that act. They appear to be right about that.
@katarzynazofia I feel obliged to give a shoutout in the name of Serbia, even there are none on these channels, maybe on a nazi channel. Apparently all that had an empire at some point go nuts and sell their populace a past greatness. If you look in the past, Prussian empire might supported the Make Germany great again of Hitler, Franco grazed on the plains of the past Spain might of their Armada, and so on, Austro-Hungary empire, Russia want the third empire, serbs are nostalgics for the Yugoslavia that counts as an empire with the serbs as the central glue, If Poland would go that road it would be with their history of conquest and their past glory in the region, long before the russians. Back to the voting reform….
Poland here… I hear you brother! Such an important lesson 🙌
Good timing Joe. They are putting rank choice on the ballot in Seattle this November. Thank you for your work
I hope you get it!
Doubt that will fix Seattle
This was honestly such a helpful and informative video. I’ve been meaning to research for midterm elections, but I keep putting it off because I’m not sure where to look sometimes. I’ve never really been a politically-minded person but I’m trying to be more aware of what’s going on as it’s important. Also really cool to hear about alternative voting systems in other countries. I always appreciate to hear your take. Thanks Joe!
Norway, Sweden and Finland also got a parliament for the Sami people. As a Norwegian I can’t really complain much about our voting system, other then it some times gives much more power to smaller parties. But at the same time we have enough parties to hold each other responsible if a party goes to far.
@Mascot Do you think Norway and Co have mostly got that balance correct? Not that Americans will believe you if you do. :/
@QuantumFairing the United States is a good example of what happens when you let capitalism run a mock and don’t legislate the crap outta it.
@boomgoesdynamite That used to be true but not really in the last 25 years (besides maybe Iceland).
Sweden, Finland and Denmark are all members in the EU and follow the Schengen deal, any EU citizen can travel freely to those countries and Sweden and Denmark have many people originally from all over the world living in them. Maybe not as much in Norway and Finland, but still some.
Ya guys are closed off ethno states…
@Mascot It wasn’t Norway, but Sweden. It was from the Harvard Business News, but I’m struggling to find the link. It was mostly due to there high standard of living, no inheritance tax laws, free health care and free universities. I wouldn’t say flocking to but they don’t leave
What I find fascinating is that in the US, you apparently have to register to be a voter…. As a Swiss Citizen this blows my mind. I didn’t have to do anything, yet promptly for the first elections after my 18th birthday, there was an envelope in my mail with the voting slips for the next election (Yes, we can and most do vote by mail, shocker). I mean you pay taxes, the goverment knows your adress, how old you are and also your imigration status so they can just simply send out a slip to everyone who is eligable. Why do I have to tell them to send it to me? Doesnt really sound like a system that want’s people to take part in elections….
Same with taxes!
Well here in the US, the government not only doesnt know where I live, it doesnt know my immigration status, whether I have a drivers license or not, whether I have a job or pay taxes, or if I own a gun. Its great! Makes being homeless really easy.
You’re fascinating from my perspective. My and every other country around mine requires ids.
It’s because certain political parties here don’t actually want people to vote. When they get elected, they actively try to make it harder for people to vote for anyone else in the future.
@DerpsCantFly there goes democracy!
That rank choice table made me laugh. The names were fantastic. 😁
Something that actually trickles down. Made me laugh out loud. Thanks joe
yup, there will be some serious “trickling down” on your heads in November, wear your raincoats folks!! LOL ;D
yes! loved that little jab
Me too 😬
On the contrary, you made me even more glad I’ve been listening to you for three years! Thank you for making these statements. I wish we’d hurry up and switch to ranked choice voting already! If anyone is looking for more details on the different voting systems, CGP Grey is a great channel to watch (scroll way back through his video archive).