Is preferential voting a scam?
Of course, what else could it be called ?

Indi, optional preferential voting is not a scam. It is the best voting system. Better than a tick-one-box-only no-preferences first-past-the-post system.

And at least a million times better than compulsory-mark-every-box-sequentially-or-else-your-vote-won’t-count disgusting compulsory preferential voting!

It is the best voting system.
Ludwig,
What do you base that assumption on ? Windsor & Oakeshott ? Or how they sacrificed Hanson ? Or how we came to have Gillard as PM ?

http://www.vec.vic.gov.au/Results/StateBy2012resultMelbourneDistrict.html
The link will show figures at close of counting for yesterdays election.
Scam? no I do not see a scam, but questions need considering.
Was it 15 candidates? all got a chance to stand,maybe as it should be, one so far has 60 odd votes.
The number one candidate,who may be a very good person, has clearly got the Donkey vote.
That is those who, not wanting to care/vote for Marjory's just votes one.
At the end what have we got.
Was there ever a Chance one of the majors would not win.
It comes down, with preferences,to two party's.
My thoughts are , in every election, we should have the right to just vote once.
The upper house, if we must have them, should let voters, not party's use preferences.
As in another thread, I think very few mark up to 100 spots, so let us preference across the top line.
By party candidate not vote unknowingly for the unwanted.
Remember, in protecting the right to stand for election, we should, we also should restore understanding for most in to just how needlessly complicated our system is.

<< What do you base that assumption on ? >>

Indi, I base it on the principle of democracy.

OPV is simply the voting system that gives the best representation of the voter’s wishes.

CPV is simply an absolutely disgusting rort!

And FPTP is too simplistic. It doesn’t give the voter enough opportunity to express their wishes.

In a country where all pollies are universally despised on an ALMOST equal basis, preferential voting is the only way to go.
I would submit only a minority of voters are unreservedly fans of a party. Most of us vote on the basis of least worst; ie "I hate Gillard, but I despise Abbott even more" and vice versa.
First past the post can only work for a 2 party system. With a number of parties, FPTP could produce a winner with as little as 10% of the vote; or a party 90% of the population didn't want.
With OPV, no winner can be recorded unless they get at least 50% plus one vote, counting preferences.
Thus the party the majority of people dislike least wins.
It is (or should be, as Ludwig points out) up to individual voters to ensure they direct their preferences to the least undesirable party.
What we do desperately need in this country is an extra option on every ballot paper:
"No Candidate is worthy of my vote".