PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION

In the communication column today appears an addition to the suggested election plan. As the writer points out, to give each member of the class only one vote would result in a monstrosity rather than a class committee. There are two alternative methods: to use the preferential system, or to give each man a larger number of votes, say three. The former suggestion, with a ballot of twenty or more names, would be a nuisance both for voters and for counters. Also, it would not do away with the necessity of men voting for candidates with whom they are not acquainted, which was an underlying idea in proposing the new plan.

But if each member has three votes, the majority will be more adequately represented, without excluding the candidates of smaller groups. If the other provisions of the original plan are kept, such as allowing each member to sign only one petition, and limiting the committee to ten or twelve members, the idea ought to be satisfactory to all.