Geoff Powell 🔰🗳

Play Redistricting Roulette using my Gerrymander Wheel @FairVote archive3.fairvote.org/research-and-a… Single-member districts doomed to distort

For all the insane and totally clueless nonsense that has been talked about preferences in the SA election it is now looking like the primary vote leaders will win every seat except for Kavel (IND overtakes Labor) and Finniss (IND overtakes Liberal from fourth). #savotes

The electoral version of "doing a Bradbury". Independent Lou Nicholson wins the South Australian seat of Finniss from fourth place after the distribution of preferences. #auspol antonygreen.com.au/sa2026-finniss…

The Victorian Electoral Commission has responded to the Electoral Matters report on the upper house electoral system. They say they can implement removing Group Ticket Voting if removing GTV is passed by August. #springst

@gavinbena @Maggie_Perry6 Particularly if it's preferential voting in 5-winner districts with candidates Robson rotated and needing a quota to be elected. represent.org.au

@Maggie_Perry6 but you should start discourse about preferential voting and how this proves preferential voting is really great and super awesome

Not intending to start discourse about preferential voting here, but it looks like we'll get (I believe?) for the first time in history, a seat winner from 4th place in primary votes - with the independent in Finniss.

Future generations will judge you based on your opinion of this man.

Undervalued and Underappreciated - The Value of a Vacant Lot The importance of Land Value Return (LVR) is not only that it encourages economic activity, makes cities more vibrant, and addresses urban blight, but also that it can be an important source of much needed public revenue. In a recent webinar hosted by the Henry George School of Social Science, Greg Miller and Lars Doucet discussed findings from a study of vacant residential land in Baltimore. The report found that, on average, vacant lots were assessed at just one-eighth of their true value. Citywide, this resulted in an estimated $427 million in undervalued land, costing over $8 million annually in lost tax revenue while also discouraging development. In one neighborhood, a vacant lot was assessed at $1 per sq ft, while neighboring developed parcels were assessed at $8 per sq ft. That same vacant lot later sold for $8 per sq ft. In another area, vacant land was assessed at $1 per sq ft versus $11 per sq ft for developed lots. (This study focused only on residential land.) LVR is a powerful tool to encourage productive land use, reduce speculation, and strengthen local economies. Watch the video: bit.ly/4bOmLkm

@krazykitkatm @kevinbonham I’m all for preferential voting, just not happy with single gender districts. Low magnitude @PR_STV is the sweet spot between choice constraining single seats and overwhelming state wide PR.

@GeoffreyHPowell @kevinbonham As Kevin said, advocate for another system if you want, but enough of the anti-preferencer bullshit talking points.

Sadly this line (from John West) is another example of a left source arguing for PR but in the process being captured by right-wing anti-preferencer talking points. The idea that anyone not voting 1 for a party is "against" it is divisive nonsense from the far right.

@krazykitkatm @kevinbonham More than 62% voted 'against' the Libs and ON. We need to replace majority-preferential voting with quota-preferential voting in 5-winner districts. represent.org.au/legislative-as…

@GeoffreyHPowell @kevinbonham And? That's how preferential voting works. What percentage voted 'against' the Libs? Or ON?

"If there was actually #ProportionalRepresentation, Malinauskas would not be talked about as a ‘Labor hero’, he would be looking for a coalition partner. 38% of the primary vote means 62% of people voted against Labor." open.substack.com/pub/newpolitic…

The New Politics Monday Brief – 23 March |@EddyJokovich David West: "The SA election remains an another example of why single member districts are bad for representation. The ALP may have 75% of the seats after this election, despite receiving fewer votes than in 2022. .../1

land value tax. LAND VALUE TAX. you tax the land not the building so there’s no penalty for building up and empty lot downtown stops being a free ride and suddenly everyone wants to build and the city funds itself and it’s elegant and it’s BEAUTIFUL and no one will do it. no one

Me: “Grumbling about the mismatch is like complaining that the caesar salad you ordered tastes nothing like ice cream…If you want to eat ice cream, that’s what you need to order: if you want proportional outcomes, you should use a proportional system.” inside.org.au/not-what-the-v…

Social media is naturally awash right now with calls for the abolition of preferential voting, which would do precisely nothing to address the issue being raised. Yet to be see in the wild (by me at least): a call for what would, namely proportional representation.

@DrCameronMurray It would be much better if we moved to Hare-Clark or similar systems. It would means much more representation of minor parties. tec.tas.gov.au/info/Publicati…

“In Great Britain we do not have Elections any more; we have Rejections..” H.G. Wells, 1912

I don't like talking about the cost of universal basic income, not because it's some high number, but because it assumes not doing it is FREE. We spend $1.5 TRILLION a year on the costs of child poverty alone. We cut child poverty by 40% for a cost of $100B in 2021. That would have been a $500B GAIN, but Congress decided that saving that much money cost too much. It's as dumb as saying that buying $100 for $20 is too expensive. What are we doing? We are 💯% fine spending any amount of money on wars and tax cuts for the rich, but I'm the one who has to defend spending public money in a way that reduces overall costs? I shouldn't have to convince anyone that investing $100 to get far more than $100 in return is a good deal. There are so many ways of going about UBI, and thus so many different price tags. It's not a simple answer. But what is simple is understanding that poverty, mass chronic insecurity, and extreme inequality all impose huge costs on our society. The cost of UBI is lower than the cost of not doing it.

we need land value tax #LVT

An underappreciated aspect to modern universalist welfare states is how incredibly efficient they are. Allocating resources to those who need them with minimal admin cost. The reason is simple: social programs "scale" well. This occurs on both the expenditure and revenue sides.

@PierrePoilievre Capitalists should favour a land value tax shift, replacing income or property taxes.