FIRST QUARTER, SY2020-2021 GED 102 WEEK 9

Task List

The lesson for the week is on Apportionment and Voting. Apportionment is

concerned about the equitable distribution of resources (seat/slot representation, in
most cases). Four apportionment schemes are discussed: Hamilton, Jefferson,
Webster and Huntington-Hill Number.

Voting is a tool to make a collective decision. It is described by election system,

wherein a group can choose leaders or approve/disapprove proposals.

Keep track of your progress in this lesson by checking the number corresponding to
each task.

___/__ 1. Read/Watch Module 3 Topic 2 Lesson 1 Apportionment

___/__ 2. Read/Watch Module 3 Topic 2 Lesson 2 Voting Systems

___/__ 3. Read/Watch Module 3 Topic 2 Lesson 3 Weighted Voting System

____/_ 4. Work out HW 9.

___/__ 5. Submit WGN Week 9.

FIRST QUARTER, SY2020-2021 GED 102 WEEK 9

Lesson 1. Apportionment

Highlights

A. What is Apportionment?

Apportionment definitions. distribution according to a plan; the act of allocating

or apportioning. Synonyms: allocation, allotment, apportioning, assignation,
parceling, parcelling of seats in the House of Representatives depending on
population proportions in each state.

B. Describe the 4 methods of apportionment.

Jefferson's method, Hamilton's method, Webster's method and Huntington-Hill's

method are the four apportionment techniques. The Jefferson Method uses a divisor
that will ensure that the right number of seats are allotted, avoiding the issue of an
apportionment that results in a surplus or a deficit of House seats. The divisor in the
Hamilton/Vinton Method is the percentage of the entire population allocated to each
house seat. The whole number of the quotient is preserved, and the fraction is
dropped after the population of each state has been divided by the divisor. The
outcome will be extra seats in the house. The Hamilton/Vinton approach has been
updated by the Webster Method. States with quotients that have fractions of 0.5 or
above are given an additional seat after the state populations are divided by the
divisor. States having quotients that are less than 0.5 percent have their portion
dropped. A seat will be added for a state whose quotient is greater than its geometric
mean. The desired number of seats will nearly always be obtained using this
procedure. The square root of the product of two numbers is their geometric mean.
FIRST QUARTER, SY2020-2021 GED 102 WEEK 9

C. State and explain the Quota Criterion

According to this rule, a party should receive as many seats as fall within either the
upper or lower roundings (known as upper and lower quotas) of their fractional
proportional share (called natural quota).

Lesson 2. Voting Systems

Highlights

A. Enumerate and explain the four basic criteria of Fairness in Voting (see textbook,
pp. 141-142).

Majority system - A candidate has a majority when more than 50% of all voters
support them. The majority method is the one that is most frequently used when
there are just two candidates running for office.

Plurality of Vomiting - The candidate who receives the greatest number of first-place
votes is proclaimed the victor under a plurality system with a preference list.
Alternative options are not taken into account and the victorious candidate may not
receive the majority of the vote.

Borda Count Method - A ranked voting system, the Borda count asks voters to select
a list of candidates in order of preference. So, for instance, the voter assigns a 1 to
their first choice, a 2 to their second choice, and so on.

Plurality with Elimination - is a version of the plurality method that takes into account
the voters' alternate selections First to go is the candidate who received the fewest
first-place votes. If two options have the same number of lowest votes, both must
FIRST QUARTER, SY2020-2021 GED 102 WEEK 9

be eliminated. On the basis of the presumption that voters' preferences remain

constant from round to round, the remaining contenders are reranked.

B. Enumerate the eight (8) voting systems. Give a brief description of each.

1. One Person – One Vote System Each person has only one vote. Thus, a
majority of the votes is required to pass a resolution.
2. Dictatorship - One voter has a weight that is more than their quota and the
total of all the other voters' weights.
3. Null system – is a weighted voting system which cannot pass any resolution
because the sum of all the votes is always less than the quota.
4. The veto power system – This is one type of weighted voting system where
each voter has a veto power meaning if one voter does not vote, no resolution
will be passed.
5. Coalition – is an alliance formed by a group of voters with a common goal
which is either to favor a resolution or vote against it.
6. A winning coalition - A group of voters who cast more ballots than the quota
will be considered to have formed a winning coalition.
7. A losing coalition - is a group of voters whose total number of votes falls short
of the required number.
8. A critical voter is someone who, if he defected to another group, would change
a winning alliance into a losing coalition. A dummy is a voter whose weight has
no bearing on the results of any vote. The other players in a system are viewed
as dummies when there is a tyrant.
FIRST QUARTER, SY2020-2021 GED 102 WEEK 9

Lesson 3. Weighted Voting System

Highlights

A. What is a weighted voting system?

It is a biased voting system where voters have different weights in the outcome
of an election.

B. Enumerate the four (4) types of weighted voting system. Give a brief
description of each.

One Person – One Vote System Each person has only one vote. Thus, a
majority of the votes is required to pass a resolution.
Dictatorship - One voter has a weight that is more than their quota and the
total of all the other voters' weights.
Null system – is a weighted voting system which cannot pass any resolution
because the sum of all the votes is always less than the quota.
The veto power system – This is one type of weighted voting system where
each voter has a veto power meaning if one voter does not vote, no resolution
will be passed.
FIRST QUARTER, SY2020-2021 GED 102 WEEK 9

C. Define the Banzhaf Power Index

The percentage of potential outcomes in which a state could influence the outcome
of an election is known as the Banzhaf power index. The three states in this case all
have the same index, which is 4/12 or 1/3. The picture drastically alters if Georgia,
which only has 16 electoral votes, replaces New York.

Answer HW 9 (thru Blackboard or Cardinal Edge)