Based on official election returns in 47 states and D.C., and unofficial returns in California, Ohio, and Tennessee, the combined minor party and independent candidate vote for U.S. House last month amounted to 3.13% of the total vote cast for U.S. House. That is higher than the “other” vote for U.S. House had been in 2006 and 2004, but not as high as it had been in 2002 and 2000.
The “other” vote for U.S. House in 2000 was 4.17%, the highest it had been since 1938. In 2002 it declined to 3.58%, and in 2004 it declined again, to 2.75%. It declined a third time in 2006, to 2.49%.
The November 2008 U.S. House vote is: Democrats 53.90%; Republicans 42.96%; Libertarians .89%; independent candidates .80%; Greens .49%; Working Families .24%; Constitution .15%; other parties .55%. These figures could change slightly by the time all the official returns are known.
Interesting. Looking at these numbers, I do sometimes wonmder if adopting some form of PR would make that much difference in the US.
The “other” percentages are artificially lower because there are no “other” candidates on the ballot for US House in so many districts. If we had tolerant ballot access in every state, the “other” percentage would be much higher.
You can’t blame it all on ballot access. Republicans and Democrats weren’t in every race, either. And given these numbers, even if every nationally organized party was on every ballot, the minors would still get low single digit percentages.
Lots and lots of NON-votes due to NO D or NO R or NO third party / independent candidates in many of the 435 gerrymander districts.
Same for many State legislatures.
i.e. Gerrymander minority rule math in ALL of the above — about half the votes in half the gerrymander areas = about 25-30 percent indirect minority rule in ALL of the above. Much worse due to primary math.
REAL Democracy NOW
Total Votes / Total Seats = EQUAL votes needed for each seat winner.
NO primaries are needed. Ballot access via equal nominating petitions.
P.R. in various *civilized* *modern* nations — Israel, Germany, New Zealand, etc. with multiple parties winning seats.
The U.S.A. continues in the gerrymander DARK AGES — and it shows — the pending bankruptcy of the U.S.A. and State regimes due to accumulated deficits in the $$$ Trillions and irrational unfunded liabilities.