Re: Wyndham poll results make voters spit the dummy (Weekly, November 7): It is important to consider the methods used for our local government elections in Victoria. The problems of “dummy” candidates can only be reduced through a more democratic and effective system. There are several options that have been proposed in the past (but not taken seriously). The first is to abolish compulsory voting, which would immediately reduce some of the ignorant voters and possibly ensure that the elected candidates are the result of more aware and concerned voters. The suggestion that we have a first past the post system has some advantages but can have its own problems and often discriminates against minorities. If we had a simple preferential system, instead of the exhaustive preferential system (where all boxes must be numbered), it would significantly reduce the value of “dummy” candidates because many people would only vote and preference candidates they had some knowledge of. It is time we were consulted on the system we believe will most fairly and effectively elect our local government representatives. Harry van Moorst
Re: Angry Wyndham voters take to Facebook on election result (Weekly, November 7): It took the US 1½ days to elect a president. How long did it take to sort out the mess of voting for our local government? Lori McLean
