text: 64 // VARSITY April 17, 2014 West coast trip awaits Wisconsin women UW looks to build on successful performances T he Wisconsin women's track and field squad is coming off a success- ful performance in Georgia last weekend, as many of the Badgers competing in the multi-events and the throw- ing events enjoyed spectacular performances. Deanna Latham, who is redshirting for the Badgers this outdoor season, smashed her personal best in the hep- tathlon with a score of 5,745 and placed second behind the mark of 6,018 by Georgia's Kendell Williams. Latham's previous top mark of 5,606 came at the 2012 NCAA Out- door Championships. Her new score of 5,745 would have ranked second on the school's all-time list if she was compet- ing attached for UW. Georgia Ellenwood, making her col- legiate heptathlon debut, tallied 5,400 points to place sixth in a loaded field. Her score ranks sixth on the Badgers' all- time list. It also ranks 13th in the country and puts the freshman in contention of qualifying for the NCAA outdoor champi- onships in Eugene, Ore., in June. Brianna Bower also had a career day in Georgia, as the sophomore placed fourth in the javelin with a throw of 156 feet, 3 inches, which not only beat her previous personal best throw by over seven feet, but also ranks second in Wisconsin his- tory. Overall, Wisconsin Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne was pleased with the Badgers' performance. "I think we got some good results," By- rne said. I think the throws went reason- ably well, the multis went well. It looks like Georgia qualified for NCAAs, and it looks like Deanna made the U.S. champi- onships." With the Big Ten championships a month away, Byrne knows the next few weeks will be a challenge for the team. "Now the next couple of weeks are crucial, the kids are under a lot of pres- sure with their academics," Byrne said. "Obviously the meets start kicking into another gear, another level, and it's im- portant that our kids have a good bal- ance between what they have to do in the classroom, managing that, and also what we have to do on the track." SCHEDULE COMING UP Friday-Saturday Mt. SAC Relays Friday Bryan Clay Invitational Saturday Beach Invitational INSIDE WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD BY AJ HARRISON @BADGER_TRACK


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Jeep Gladiator 4xe pickup truck teased with plug-in hybrid powertrain
What may look like a fairly normal image of a Jeep Wrangler is actually something much more exciting. First and foremost, the digital screen in the instrument cluster shows we're dealing with the rugged Rubicon trim level, while the "4xe" reveals the vehicle is equipped with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. This is where the story gets more interesting as the interior doesn't actually belong to the Wrangler.
Yes, the adjacent photo shows the Gladiator. The Wrangler's pickup sibling has yet to spawn a PHEV version, meaning this is our very first official look at the electrified truck. How do we know it's the Gladiator and not the Wrangler? Look into the rearview mirror on the driver's side and you will notice a rollbar, which you are not going to find on a four-door Wrangler.
A deeper analysis shows the button to turn on the cargo bed light, which is obviously found only on the Gladiator. We can exclude the possibility of a two-door Wrangler 4xe because the cabin shown here has four visible window switches. Add all these obscure details and there can only be one conclusion – we are indeed looking at the Gladiator 4xe.
See also Polestar Precept prototype revealed ahead of production start before 2025
It shouldn't come as a big surprise seeing as how the electrified truck was originally announced at the end of January. Jeep global president Christian Meunier told Australian magazine GoAuto about the plan to install a PHEV setup in the pickup, complete with the same "4xe" suffix. Technical specifications were not released at that time, but we're expecting the Wrangler 4xe's setup.
In other words, the Gladiator 4xe should combine a four-cylinder, 2.0-liter turbo gasoline engine with two electric motors, a 17-kWh lithium-ion battery, and an eight-speed automatic transmission. In the Wrangler, the plug-in hybrid setup is good for a combined output of 375 hp and 470 lb-ft (637 Nm), with the battery providing enough juice for an electric range of 21 miles. In the combined cycle, the Wrangler 4xe returns MPGe.
We are not expecting the Gladiator 4xe to be as efficient as its SUV counterpart considering a conventionally powered Gladiator Rubicon is about 600 lbs (272 kg) heavier than the equivalent four-door Wrangler.
See also 2023 Mercedes EQE SUV quietly teased for the first time
It's unclear when Jeep plans to unveil the electrified truck, but with a teaser already out, the official premiere is likely around the corner.
Source: Jeep
jeep gladiator 4xe
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Alticus simplicirrus és una espècie de peix de la família dels blènnids i de l'ordre dels perciformes.

Morfologia
 Els mascles poden assolir 3,7 cm de longitud total.

Reproducció
És ovípar.

Hàbitat
És un peix marí de clima tropical.

Distribució geogràfica
Es troba a les Illes Marqueses.

Referències

Bibliografia
 Hardy, J.D. Jr., 2003. Coral reef fish species. NOAA\National Oceanographic Data Center. NODC Coral Reef Data and Information Management System. Estats Units. 537 p.

 Moyle, P. i J. Cech.: Fishes: An Introduction to Ichthyology, 4a edició, Upper Saddle River, Nova Jersey, Estats Units: Prentice-Hall. Any 2000.
 Nelson, J.: Fishes of the World, 3a edició. Nova York, Estats Units: John Wiley and Sons. Any 1994.
 Smith-Vaniz, W.F. i V.G. Springer, 1971. Synopsis of the tribe Salariini, with description of five new genera and three new species (Pisces: Blenniidae). Smith. Contrib. Zool. 73:1-72.
 Springer, V.G., 1986. Blenniidae. p. 742-755. A M.M. Smith i P.C. Heemstra (editors) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlín.
 Springer, V.: Blennies. Planes 214-217 a W.N. Eschmeyer, J. R. Paxton, editors. Encyclopedia of Fishes – 2a edició, San Diego, Califòrnia: Academic Press. Any 1994.
 Wheeler, A.: The World Encyclopedia of Fishes, 2a edició, Londres: Macdonald. Any 1985.

Enllaços externs

simplicirrus

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Marika Cabral is currently an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Texas at Austin. Cabral's research interests lie in the areas of health economics and social insurance. Much of her current work focuses on health insurance markets.
Private insurance that fills the gaps in Medicare coverage ends up costing taxpayers, but a proposed tax on these plans could save $13 billion a year.


text:
Csehipuszta (románul Pusta) település Romániában, Szilágy megyében.

Fekvése
Somlyócsehi mellett fekvő település.

Története
Csehipuszta 1956-ig Somlyócsehi (Cehei) része volt.

1956-ban vált külön Somlyócsehitől. Ekkor 483 lakosa volt.

1992-ben 1312 lakosa volt, melyből 366 román, 1 magyar, egyéb (nagyrészt cigányok) 1058 fő volt.

2002-ben 1454 lakosa volt.

A település abszolút cigány többségű, lakosságának kb. 90-95%-a cigány, akiknek külön cigány baptista templomuk van a falu központjában.

Források
 Varga E. Árpád: Erdély etnikai és felekezeti statisztikája.

Jegyzetek

Szilágy megye települései


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Communications fault suspends Metrolink services
Posted: 25 April 2016 | Katie Sadler, Digital Content Producer, Intelligent Transport | No comments yet
Transport for Manchester has advised people to make alternative travel plans following the suspension of Metrolink services caused by a technical fault.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) announced the suspension of Metrolink services following a system failure currently affecting the network.
Communications fault affecting Metrolink services
Reported at 11:30am on 25 April 2016, the communications fault stopped control room staff from monitoring tram movements or accessing information displays.
In a statement issued this afternoon, TfGM said 'engineers are working as fast as possible to identify and rectify the issue, but it is not yet known when Metrolink services will resume and as such commuters travelling during the evening peak may be affected and should consider alternative modes of transport.'
"I'd like to apologise to all customers affected and want to reassure them that getting services up and running is our total priority"
Metrolink Director, Peter Cushing, said: "All hands are to the pump and we are working a quickly as possible to identify and fix this fault.
"At the moment we are not clear on the cause and trams will not be operating until further notice.
"I'd like to apologise to all customers affected and want to reassure them that getting services up and running is our total priority alongside helping to get those currently onboard to their destination."
Onward travel…
Stagecoach, First and Arriva bus services are accepting Metrolink tickets across the network and dedicated replacement bus services are currently being put in place.
In addition, Metrolink tickets are being accepted on Northern rail services across Greater Manchester and on Transpennine rail services between Piccadilly and Manchester Airport.
Details of bus services that operate near to Metrolink lines and which are accepting tickets can be found on the Metrolink website.
Services have now resumed across the network. However, Metrolink is experiencing severe delays on all lines.
Related modes
Metrolink, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM)
By Katie Sadler, Digital Content Producer, Intelligent Transport


text:
* Tech Startups are "Silicon Valley"

* The reality of starting a business isn't as glamorous.
* When you go to make a business, you want to make sure all the pieces are in place.
* Entrepreneurs take risk, not necessarily FAILURE.
* The business has to make money. A lot of businesses startup and figure out how to make money later on. (SnapChat, Instagram, etc.) not many of them.
* Having work ethic is extremely important. Staying up till 3 AM could be the norm.
* People acquire wealth and retire in Utah.
* It's important to understand, simply starting a business and having employees is helping community.
* "PitchEngine was developed to not suck like myspace."
* Digital Platform for Press Releases
* I would just blog. I would just write. Ask questions. Allow people to follow. Because he was blogging, he became an authority on it. I built a reputation from blogging.
* I was applying technology to serve a need and accomplish a task.
* Initial offer for his idea was 16,000 dollars to build.
* I reconnected with my wife via Myspace. We dated in college.
* My wife said "If it's meant to be, it will happen."
* Started saving money.
* Decided to play "Deal or No Deal." -- hits Jackpot! $3,000
* When you win cash in vegas, they hand it to you like a drug dealer.
* I was willing to work at it.
* We grew to 20,000 brands in our first year.
* We got pitched left and right to go to silicon valley, vc's were tossing out money.
* It's your decision at the end of the day.
* You want to use your brain.
* Authenticity: Stay Authentic. People buy into you. People Believe in you.
* Work Ethic: Don't be afraid to work. "Work your face off."
* Don't make assumptions. Assumptions are the biggest obstacle you make.
* You don't have to know how to build a house to live in one. You don't have to know everything about building a website to have one.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Minor League Ball Community Discussions
Nick Melotte's Yankees Top 20 Prospects
Blowing past international bonus pool restrictions is a great way to infuse talent as the Yankees spent over $30M on international free agents to bolster and already deep farm system.
By Nick Melotte Mar 10, 2015, 5:30pm EDT
Share All sharing options for: Nick Melotte's Yankees Top 20 Prospects
Yankees right handed pitcher Luis Severino.
For how I grade prospects and what I like to call my "secret sauce", click here for a more detailed breakdown of the process.
The Grading System
My grading system will be familiar to those who keep up with college football recruiting or played the MLB2K video game series as I use a star rating system from one to five stars with half grades in between. An outline of what each level would represent looks like this, but remember these are examples and not definite.
The cream of the crop. A five star rating is reserved for the elite talents of the minor leagues. These players do not have a glaring weakness and if there is a blemish on their record, it is miniscule. Don't expect to see many of these, as this is reserved for players with the best chance to become super stars or top of the rotation stalwarts. Call this a 75-80 or A rating.
The rest of the elite. A 4.5 star rating encompasses players that are still elite, but not the potential mega stars a five star player would have. Receiving a 4.5 star rating means the player has all-star caliber potential with a good chance of being in a contending team's starting line up and have a long career. A 4.5 star pitcher could be generalized as a future #2 or 3 starter. Equal to 60-70 or A-/B+ type.
Garnering a four star rating means the player has the potential to be a productive major leaguer with an all-star season or two in his career. Four star players should develop into regulars in the lineup, dominant relief arms or a mid-rotation starters. This kind of player may have a true talent level higher but injuries may hold him back from reaching their full potential. Similar to a B/B- or 50-55 rated player.
A player receiving 3.5 stars projects to see time as starters in the majors, but more than likely on a team out of the playoff picture where a below-average season once in awhile won't kill them. Innings eating strike throwers would fall into this category, as would set up men and defensive-oriented starters. This would be a 45 or B-type of player.
Three star players are your 4th outfielders and relievers with live arms and control problems. Hitters who may lack enough tools to hold down a starting gig, futures as a platoon players, and swing men types capable of spot starting would be three star players. Recent IFA's with little or no track record usually are included here as well. A low 45/high 40 grade or C+/C type player would fall here.
Not every one gets to collect MLB paychecks, but some get them every once in awhile. 2.5 star players are your up and down guys who shuttle between the big leagues and AAA. September cups of coffee cielings fall here, as are the injury replacements and players riding the waiver wire. These players aren't expected to make any serious impact. 40 grade players and C type or lower organizational filler.
Anything below 2.5 stars is someone who doesn't project to be a major league player, therefore they are not mentioned.
Now that we have that out of the way, here are the Top 20 Prospects in the New York Yankees organization. All ages are for the upcoming 2015 season and the affiliates mentioned are where I project them to begin the year.
Previous Rankings and #1 Prospect
Atlanta Braves - 2B Jose Peraza
Miami Marlins - RHP Tyler Kolek
New York Mets - RHP Noah Syndergaard
Philadelphia Phillies - SS JP Crawford
Washington Nationals - RHP Lucas Giolito
Boston Red Sox - IF Yoan Moncada
Baltimore Orioles - RHP Dylan Bundy
1. RHSP Luis Severino - 21 years old, AA Trenton
Photo courtesy of Flickr user slgckgc
2014 stats -
W L SV G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO
6 5 0 24 24 113.1 93 36 31 3 27 127
ERA FIP WHIP BB% K% K/BB H/9 BAA OBP SLG OPS BABIP LOB%
2.46 2.40 1.06 5.9 27.8 4.70 7.4 0.220 0.272 0.296 0.567 0.303 73.2
Signed out of the Dominican Republic as a 17 year old, Luis Severino garnered a $225,000 bonus during the 2011-12 international signing period. The 6 foot, 185 pound right hander has only put on 10 pounds since signing out of the San Pedro de Macoris area, but professional instruction has gotten the most out of his smallish frame. He spent 2012 dominating the Dominican Summer League before making his stateside debut in 2013 which was split between the GCL Yankees and Low A Charleston RiverDogs. He showed signs of a break out holding his own as a 19 year old in full season ball while dramatically improving his strike out rate, slightly lowering his walk rate, and only giving up one long ball.
The 2014 season was a boon to Severino's value as he blew through three levels, culminating in a six start stint with AA Trenton. It all started with 14 excellent starts with Charleston where he threw 67.2 innings of 2.79 ERA ball with a 2.70 FIP, 70 strike outs (25.3%), just 15 walks (5.4%), 62 hits (8.25 H/9), and only two home runs allowed. A .321 BABIP was a bit on the unlucky side, but a 72.5% strand rate mitigates that. Severino was able to induce ground balls 48.7% of the time, over four points better than the South Atlantic League average, and he posted a 1.54 ground out to air out ratio. The organization bumped him up to A+ Tampa in mid-June where he proceeded to chuck 20.1 frames over four starts. He whiffed 28 batters (35%) while issuing six free passes (7.5%) and just 11 hits (4.79 H/9) with a 1.33 ERA and 1.55 FIP. The average on balls in play was unreasonably low at .239, and the strand rate was a bit elevated as well at 76.5%. His GO/AO ratio was 2.50 while balls were put on the ground 56.5% of the time, almost 12 points over the Florida State League average. Another promotion to AA Trenton in mid-July brought even more encouraging results. Severino made six starts spanning 25 innings with a 2.52 ERA, a 2.27 FIP, 29 strike outs (29%), six walks (6%), and 20 hits (7.2 H/9) with one home run. His BABIP and strand rate were near league average with a .297 average on balls in play and 73.2% strand rate. He also continued to post ground ball rates better than league average with a 44.6% ground ball rate, besting the Eastern League average by three percentage points.
The scouting report on Luis Severino consists of a three pitch mix of a fastball, change up, and slider. The heat is already a double plus offering and the change up has the potential to be that good as well. His fastball sits around 94-97 mph and falls just shy of triple digits when he maxes out. It's not Yordano Ventura cheese, but he generates excellent movement on the pitch with sink low in the zone and arm-side run. He can spot it to both sides of the plate, and also knows when to elevate it. It really is everything you want in a fastball. His change up isn't quite double plus just yet as it still has some projection remaining, but it's already a plus pitch. It generates excellent deception as it comes from the exact same arm slot as his terrific fastball, but with 10-15 mph of separation from his heater and late fade. He took to the pitch very well after signing and it has come a long way in just three years 221.1 professional innings and 130.2 innings in full season ball. The slide piece shows excellent movement when he gets it right, but is severely lack in the consistency department. It can range from 82 to 91 mph, sometimes looking like a cutter while other times bearing a striking resemblance to a cement mixer. This inconsistency is the crux of his issues with his breaking ball, and could be the determining factor in him moving to the pen or staying in the rotation. It's a below average pitch right now, but I believe he can improve upon it with more repetitions to get it to an at least average grade. On the bump he's shows a bulldog mentality with a competitive streak and a good feel for pitching. A proponent of the "drop and drive" delivery, Severino has shown great command and control and has drawn ridiculously lofty comparisons to Pedro Martinez for his size and excellent FB/CH combo. If the slider takes a step forward, we could be looking at a legitimate #2 starter in the AL East.
2015 Outlook -
While the six start stint to cap of the year with Trenton was impressive, I think the organization sends him back there to start the year, but will be the first of the starter in AA to get promoted. Seeing him in pinstripes by season's end is absolutely a possibility where he could make an impact in the bullpen down the stretch, a la Brandon Finnegan last year.
2. RF Aaron Judge - 23 years old, AA Trenton
Photo courtesy of Tracy Proffitt
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO
563 467 80 144 24 4 17 78 1 0 89 131
G BB% SO% XBH BA OBP SLG OPS wRC+ wOBA ISO BABIP
131 15.8 23.3 45 0.308 0.419 0.486 0.905 158 0.414 0.178 0.393
Usually when you look at the vitals for a player and it says he's 6'7 and 255 pounds, nine times out of ten we're talking about a pitcher. The monstrous right handed outfielder was the Yankees first round selection in 2013 out of Fresno State. The 32nd overall pick and second of three first round picks for the Yanks, Aaron Judge earned a $1.8M signing bonus but did not appear in his draft year due to a torn right quadriceps. The 2014 campaign marked his debut as a professional and he showed himself to be far too advanced for the lower levels of the minor leagues.
Judge started the year for Low A Charleston, making 278 trips to the dish over 65 games with a .333/.428/.530 triple slash, a 167 wRC+ and a .432 wOBA. He hit nine home runs to go with 15 doubles, two triples and a stolen base with 39 walks (14%) to 59 strike outs (21.2%). There's no doubt he was buoyed by a hefty .408 BABIP, but he also roped line drives seven and half points better than South Atlantic League average. A mid-June promotion to A+ Tampa was certainly deserved as he finished out the year there. In Tampa he took 285 more plate appearances over 66 games with a .283/.411/.442 line, a 149 wRC+, and a .397 wOBA. Judge drew 50 walks (17.5%) with 72 strike outs (25.3%), eight home runs, nine doubles, and two more triples. His BABIP was well over league average again at .377, but so was his line drive rate at 20.4%, six points better than the Florida State League average. His composite numbers between both levels are listed above. After the regular season, the Yankees sent him to the Arizona Fall League where he hit .278/.377/.467 over 106 plate appearances. He launched four more home runs, five doubles, and 13 walks (12.3%) to 22 strike outs (20.8%).
Raw, unadulterated power is The Judge's calling card. With a frame more associated with power forwards and linebackers, he generates incredible power and shows it off in BP by launching balls into the stratosphere. Come game time though, he alters his approach by toning down his swing and looking to make solid contact rather than hit balls 500 feet. His approach at the plate is excellent with a willingness to work the count and take his walks. On the bases he's an average runner with decent range in the outfield that plays up due to his quick first step and great reads. That's all fine and dandy, but his arm strength is his best asset in the field, grading out as an easy plus tool. He gunned down six runners from right field this past year, including two double plays. Looking at the total package here, and you get a guy with at least average tools across the board and the prototypical right field profile with a big arm and thump. He's a hulking figure that will intimidate the hell out of pitchers as he climbs the ladder, and will make them pay for any mistakes over the plate where he can extend his arms.
My line of thinking with Judge is that until he shows some serious struggles, I would keep him at the same pace as last year by having him spend half the year at each stop. That would mean breaking camp with AA Trenton and finishing the year in AAA with an outside shot at a cup of joe in September.
3. 1B Greg Bird - 22 years old, AA Trenton
4. LHSP Ian Clarkin - 20 years old, A+ Tampa
5. RHSP Domingo German - 22 years old, A+ Tampa
6. LHP Jacob Lindgren - 22 years old, AAA Scranton/WB
7. SS Jorge Mateo - 20 years old, A- Staten Island
8. 2B Rob Refsnyder - 24 years old, AAA Scranton/WB
9. 3B Eric Jagielo - 23 years old, AA Trenton
10. C Gary Sanchez - 22 years old, AAA Scranton/WB
11. RHSP Jaron Long - 23 years old, AAA Scranton/WB
12. C Luis Torrens - 19 years old, Low A Charleston
[Editors Note - Torrens is out for 2015 with labrum surgery, rankings were done prior to injury]
13. CF Jake Cave - 22 years old, AA Trenton
14. RHSP Brady Lail - 21 years old, A+ Tampa
15. LHSP Miguel Sulbaran - 21 years old, AA Trenton
16. LHP Chasen Shreve - 24 years old, MLB New York
17. LF Michael O'Neill - 23 years old, A+ Tampa
18. 3B Miguel Andujar - 20 years old, A+ Tampa
19. SS Tyler Wade - 20 years old, A+ Tampa
20. OF Juan De Leon - 17 years old, Rookie GCL
Honorable Mentions (three star players, in no particular order) - 2B Jose Pirela, SS Angel Aguilar, RF Ramon Flores, RF Alex Palma, RF/1B Tyler Austin, CF Dustin Fowler, 3B Dante Bichette, C John Ryan Murphy, 2B Gosuke Katoh, SS Abiatal Avelino, CF Mason Williams, CF Mark Payton, 3B Dermis Garcia, 3B Nelson Gomez, RHSP Bryan Mitchell, RHSP Rookie Davis, LHSP Caleb Smith, RHP Eric Ruth, LHP Tyler Webb, RHP Nick Rumbelow, LHSP Justin Kamplain, RHSP Ty Hensley, RHSP Austin DeCarr, and RHP Johnny Barbato.
New York Yankees Age Pos Team Stars
1 Luis Severino 21 RHSP AA 4.5
2 Aaron Judge 23 RF A+ 4.5
3 Greg Bird 22 1B AA 4
4 Ian Clarkin 20 LHSP A+ 4
5 Domingo German 22 RHSP A 4
6 Jacob Lindgren 22 LHP AA 4
7 Jorge Mateo 20 SS R 4
8 Rob Refsnyder 24 2B AAA 4
9 Eric Jagielo 23 3B A+ 4
10 Gary Sanchez 22 C AA 3.5
11 Jaron Long 23 RHSP AA 3.5
12 Luis Torrens 19 C A 3.5
13 Jake Cave 22 CF AA 3.5
14 Brady Lail 21 RHSP A+ 3.5
15 Miguel Sulbaran 21 LHSP A+ 3.5
16 Chasen Shreve 24 LHP MLB 3.5
17 Michael O'Neill 23 LF A 3.5
18 Miguel Andujar 20 3B A 3.5
19 Tyler Wade 20 SS A 3.5
20 Juan DeLeon 17 OF DNP 3.5
Team Codes: AAA - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, AA - Trenton Thunder, A+ - Tampa Yankees, A - Charleston RiverDogs, A- - Staten Island Yankees, R - Gulf Coast League Yankees 1 and 2, DSL - Dominican Summer League Yankees 1 and 2, DNP - Did Not Play


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Senate Electoral Reform
BY MICHAEL MALEY
'Yet each man kills the thing he loves.' The new Special Minister of State, Mal Brough, would appear at this point to have confirmed Oscar Wilde's observation by his early musings on the need for reform of the Senate electoral system, which led to a predictably fierce response from several cross-bench senators, and some rapid back-pedalling from the Prime Minister, who clearly believes that now is not the time for making new enemies. Paradoxically, however, these exchanges have served to highlight the power that the cross-benchers enjoy, and to provide a further justification for careful thinking about the electoral sources of that power.
It would be most unfortunate if the Minister's intervention proves fatal to Senate electoral reform, as the current system continues to face a crisis of legitimacy. This post outlines some of the different ways illegitimacy undermines the current system before looking at whether the proposed reform would address these. I will also discuss briefly the related but often overlooked concerns arising from the current system of filling Senate casual vacancies.
Genesis of the current reform proposals
Major Senate electoral system reforms have been seen only rarely: in 1948, when 'single transferable vote' proportional representation (PR) was introduced (replacing the majoritarian system which had been used in various forms since federation), and in 1984, when the 'ticket voting' system still in use was tacked onto the underlying PR system.
In 2014, the Parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (JSCEM), in its report on Senate voting practices, unanimously recommended that there be another major change to the system – replacing ticket voting with the 'above the line preferential' system now used for New South Wales Legislative Council elections. The recommendation highlights the extent to which recent events have been perceived as putting the current model under strain. Of particular significance was the 2013 election, which as I have noted elsewhere, was remarkable in a number of ways.
The 40 vacancies were contested by a record number of candidates, 529.
The percentage of votes polled by parties already represented in the Parliament dropped significantly from 2010.
In five out of the six States, a candidate was elected from a party which had never previously been represented in the federal Parliament.
For the first time ever, the seats in one State, South Australia, were divided between five different parties.
In Victoria, a minor party candidate was elected after having polled only 0.5 per cent of the first preference votes cast in the State.
In Western Australia, the Senate election was declared void by the High Court sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns (Australian Electoral Commission v Johnston) and had to be re-run in early 2014, after it had been found at a recount of the votes cast in 2013 that a number of them had been lost, on a scale sufficient to have had the potential to affect the result.
Allegations were reported in the media that some of the parties listed on the ballots had only a formal existence, and had been created for the purposes of exploiting opportunities for strategic manipulation of the ticket voting system.
For some commentators, this confluence of unusual developments sufficed to prove that a crisis was at hand; but a consensus on that point does not necessarily imply that causes and appropriate solutions will be obvious. To its credit, the JSCEM put considerable effort into analysing these, and came up with proposals which, if implemented, will produce the best electoral system ever used at Senate elections.
A deeply rooted problem
To see how this 'perfect storm' developed, it is necessary to go right back to the introduction of PR for the Senate in 1948. The single critical decision taken then, which looks like a point of minor detail but in fact has fundamentally influenced all later developments, was that voters would be required to indicate preferences for all the candidates on a Senate ballot paper in order to cast a formal vote.
Prior to the introduction of PR, it was virtually impossible for a candidate to be elected to the Senate from outside the ranks of the major parties. With PR, however, the Senate was transformed into a feasible battleground for minor parties as well, as became apparent with the ALP split in the mid-50s, and the rise of the DLP. Successful minor party forays encouraged further candidacies from outside the mainstream, the number of candidates per vacancy trended upwards, ballot papers became larger, and the task faced by voters in numbering them all became more onerous. With the passage of time, voters came to be ever more dependent on 'how-to-vote' cards issued by the parties to get their numbering right (especially since party affiliations of candidates were not printed on ballot papers until 1984), but the informal vote percentage nevertheless grew inexorably, topping 9 per cent nationwide at every Senate election from 1970 to 1983. The phenomenon reached its nadir at the 1974 Senate election in New South Wales, where 73 candidates stood for ten seats, and every voter had to number every candidate on the ballot paper: the informal vote reached 12.31 per cent.
The Hawke government, when it came to power in 1983, perceived the paramount need to address the problem of informal voting at Senate elections, but was constrained (by lacking a majority in the Senate) from being able to introduce its proclaimed policy of optional preferential voting, which would have relieved voters of the obligation to number every candidate. It accordingly opted for the current ticket voting scheme, which in effect enables a voter, by the marking of a single square on the ballot paper, to adopt in total the how-to-vote card of his or her party (as formally lodged with the Australian Electoral Commission).
A further quaint feature of the system, included to meet the particular political needs of the Australian Democrats, is that a group of candidates may choose to lodge two or three tickets in lieu of one, in which case the votes cast with the intention of adopting the group's ticket are divided evenly between the two or three options, so if there are three tickets lodged by a group and 30,000 votes are cast for that group, the law deems 10,000 votes to follow each of the tickets. Finally, voters retain the option of indicating their own preferences for candidates, but those who do so are still instructed by the ballot paper to number every square. As there are two fundamentally different modalities for marking a vote, the ballot paper is divided in two by a large horizontal line, with squares for ticket voting appearing 'above the line', and individual candidates listed 'below the line'.
Because it was apparent from previous election statistics that the vast bulk of voters had been following how-to-vote cards anyway, the change was not seen as being a particularly momentous one. But one important point was overlooked, and this was the issue which came to a head in 2013. Up until 1984, the only parties which were able to issue how-to-vote cards were those which had the membership base, field structure and resources to enable them to distribute cards physically at polling places. With ticket voting, on the other hand, every group of candidates on the ballot paper could provide voters with, in effect, a 'virtual' how-to-vote card. This ultimately led directly to the phenomenon of 'preference harvesting', which enables a host of 'micro-parties' to exchange preferences with each other for their mutual benefit.
Preference harvesting as a technique was first refined at New South Wales Legislative Council elections in the 1990s. But as the percentage of the vote required to elect a candidate there (the 'quota') was much lower than at Senate elections, it took longer for the micro-party vote to build to levels at Senate elections at which preference harvesting would be feasible. The 2013 Senate election was the first at which such a strategy demonstrably succeeded.
While preference harvesting may ensure that at least one candidate from the parties sharing preferences will get elected, which candidate from which party will ultimately be successful is very much a matter of luck, being greatly influenced by the order of exclusion of candidates during the count, which in turn is heavily dependent on the (all relatively small) numbers of first preference votes they poll. It follows that a slight change in the first preference tally of one candidate can have major flow-on effects. Elsewhere I have described this as follows: 'in effect, … [micro-party] candidates buy a lottery ticket, the price of which is the cost of the deposit, with first prize being six years in the Senate'.
Legitimacy Problem Mark I – True and false preferences
All of this having been said, it is by no means clear that the election of candidates with small first preference vote percentages on the strengths of preference flows to them constitutes a problem: indeed, the possibility of such a thing happening is an essential feature of single transferable vote PR. The problem rather lies in the fact that it is most unlikely that the 'preferences' processed by the system are in fact held by the voters.
This is so because ballot papers these days are largely clogged up with obscure candidates, sometimes running for parties whose beliefs, as professed in their names, cannot necessarily be taken at face value. Many of these candidates scarcely campaign, leaving voters with no basis for assessing their relative merits. Faced with such ballot papers, voters who wish to specify their own preferences rather than adopting a ticket as their vote have no option but to lie, writing random or otherwise meaningless numbers against candidates once they have run out of genuine preferences to express. For voters who wish to use the ticket voting option, the proposition that they have consciously adopted as their own personal preferences for each candidate those contained in a ticket is little more than a legal fiction.
It follows that it is entirely possible that a majority of the preferences which the Australian Electoral Commission enters into its computer system for the counting of Senate votes are spurious, in the sense that they do not correspond to a genuinely held belief on the part of the voters. This, more than any other factor, is the source of the crisis in the legitimacy of Senate elections.
Legitimacy Problem Mark II – Discrimination against some voters
The second fundamental problem with the current system is that it discriminates against some voters, by making the act of voting comparatively difficult for them. This is so, at least, for any voter who wishes to cast a first preference vote for a candidate who does not appear in the first position on a ticket; such voters are required to number every square on the ballot paper.
One can give as an example here the case of a voter who wishes to vote for all the female candidates before all the male ones. This issue of discrimination was litigated early in the life of ticket voting (McKenzie v Commonwealth). While a single judge of the High Court declined on that occasion to issue an injunction restraining the conduct of the 1984 Queensland Senate election, it might be noted that there were only 29 candidates for that election, in contrast to the 110 who contested the 2013 Senate election in New South Wales.
It would seem at least arguable that there must come a point at which the number of preferences required to be expressed by a non-ticket voter would be such as to compromise the genuineness of the 'choice' which Senate voters make under section 7 of the Constitution.
Legitimacy Problem Mark III – Unmanageable ballot papers
At the 2013 election, the Senate ballot paper in New South Wales met a particular benchmark of absurdity: magnifying sheets had to be provided at polling places to enable voters to read the print, which had been reduced in size to enable all the candidates and groups to be shown. This highlights that mechanisms for imposing reasonable controls on ballot access – which are a feature of virtually all democratic elections – are fundamentally failing.
Antony Green has noted that:
The tactic of the micro-party alliance is to nominate candidates in every state to create giant ballot papers that encourage people to just vote one, to increase the pool of votes in the 'other' category, and to then toss them around from party to party using group ticket votes. The current electoral system encourages parties to enter the lottery for the final seat and encourages the fractionalisation of parties that might otherwise coalesce.
The JSCEM's proposed system change
Under the 'above the line preferential' system proposed by the JSCEM, the voter can place not just a mark in one square above the line, but further preference marks as well in other above the line squares. Where a person so votes 'above the line', he or she is deemed to have expressed preferences for candidates as follows.
In relation to the group in whose square the number '1' is placed, the voter is deemed to have expressed a first preference for the first candidate in the group, and subsequent preferences for the other candidates in the group in the order in which they appear on the ballot paper.
Numbers written in other squares above the line are deemed to imply subsequent preferences for candidates of additional groups, again in the order which the candidates appeared within the group on the ballot paper.
The outstanding feature of the JSCEM's main proposal for reform is that it addresses (to a greater or lesser extent) every one of these fundamental sources of illegitimacy. The Committee's proposed optional preferential voting scheme would eliminate tickets to be adopted in toto by voters, and instead would require preferences to be ones determined and expressed by the voters themselves. With the requirement for full preferential numbering abolished, voters would no longer have to fill their ballots with meaningless numbers purely to ensure that their genuine first preference would be counted; they would, in other words, be able to vote truthfully. While there would still be some disparity between the ease with which different voters could vote, depending on the preferences which they wished to express, it would be vastly less than is currently the case. Finally, the possibility of preference harvesting strategies would be eliminated, and this could be expected to lead to a reduction in the number of groups and candidates, particularly if more rigorous ballot access mechanisms (such as increased deposits) or a changed ballot paper design were introduced.
In addition, while there are some points of detail yet to be resolved, it is highly likely that any marking of a ballot paper which is currently formal would continue to be formal under the reformed system, which would substantially reduce the risk of voter disenfranchisement.
Of course, in any major electoral reform, there will be winners and losers, and few will be surprised that governments tend to avoid system changes under which they will be losers. This, by itself, is not an argument against modifications which can be justified on legitimate democratic grounds. Certainly the JSCEM's proposal will make it harder for micro-parties to win seats through preference harvesting, but except from the perspective of those micro-parties' candidates, that would arguably be a good thing. It has also been suggested that this change might tend to prevent new minor parties from emerging and consolidating. This argument is rather more problematic: the major element of luck involved in preference harvesting could well have the effect of seeing candidates from different micro-parties elected at each poll, which would limit the extent to which each such party might be able to consolidate its position.
It should be noted also that the JSCEM's recommendations flowed from consideration of a wide range of reform options, some of which are discussed in detail in its report. For example, it considered, but decided against recommending, the deceptively simple proposal that a party should have to receive a specified minimum percentage of first preference votes in order to be eligible to win seats. (My own submission to the Committee dealt mainly with that suggestion.)
The elephant in the room – Senate casual vacancies
Finally, it is worth mentioning that for all the questioning since 2013 of the election of certain senators through preference harvesting, at least those senators appeared on a ballot paper and received some votes. Increasingly, however, the Senate has been graced by the presence of senators who, having been appointed by State Parliaments to fill casual vacancies, have not necessarily even appeared on a ballot paper.
Antony Green has explored this issue in some detail, and cites the case of Senator Santo Santoro from Queensland, who, having been appointed to fill a casual vacancy, 'served as a Commonwealth Minister without ever facing election'. Green documents how the 1977 amendments to the Constitution have contributed to the 'revolving door' of Senate casual vacancy appointments, and one might add to his examples the case of Senator Bob Carr, who was elected in 2013 from the first place on the ALP ticket for a term due to begin on 1 July 2014, but resigned his seat on 24 October 2013, barely weeks after the declaration of the poll. He was replaced by (now) Senator Deborah O'Neill, who had not been a candidate for the Senate at all, but was rather a defeated ALP House of Representatives candidate, and whose term in the Upper House is now due to expire on 30 June 2020. One could hardly hope for a better example of 'bait and switch' in electoral processes.
While the filling of casual vacancies is governed by section 15 of the Constitution, one step within the power of the Parliament would be to insert a provision in the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 requiring the Australian Electoral Commission, when a casual vacancy occurs, to conduct a recount similar to those used to fill casual vacancies in the Tasmanian House of Assembly and the ACT Legislative Assembly. The outcome of the recount would then be advised to the relevant State Parliament.
Since all of the ballot details are captured electronically as part of the current Senate election process, the costs (with the possible exception of those associated with writing the computer programs needed to do the recount) would be trivial.
While the result could not legally bind the State Parliament in the exercise of its constitutional discretion, and could be subverted by a party if it so chose, at least the Parliament or the party would be put under some pressure to justify a decision to ignore the recount result. (There might be cases in which the winner of the recount was not from the party of the departed senator, in which case someone else would have to be appointed; but they would probably be relatively rare.)
There is a precedent for a process along these lines in section 282 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, which requires the Australian Electoral Commission to conduct a recount after a double dissolution election to obtain information which is provided to the Senate to assist it in the exercise of its discretion under the Constitution to identify which senators will have long and short terms.
The need for action
Some 16 months have now passed since the JSCEM made its recommendations for change, but we appear to be no closer to seeing any serious attempt on the part of the government to deal with the systemic problems which have been clearly identified. However, the matter should be treated as urgent for two reasons.
First, it needs to be borne in mind that the unprecedented candidate numbers and ballot paper sizes seen in 2013 arose even before the results of that election proved that preference harvesting could work at Senate elections. Now that the genie is out of the bottle, there is simply no knowing how many more candidates might decide at the next election to 'buy a lottery ticket' in the hope of winning a life-changing prize.
Secondly, any system changes need to be able to be implemented, and since Senate counting has been computerised since the 1990s, this means that the Australian Electoral Commission will need time after any reform legislation has been passed to reprogram and thoroughly test the software which it uses. (The alternative, of trying to revert to the sort of hand counting which applied previously, would give rise to a host of other difficulties too complex to discuss in detail here.) That having been said, the system changes associated with the JSCEM recommendations do not appear to be overwhelmingly daunting, and a computerised counting system which embodies the proposed system already exists for use at New South Wales Legislative Council elections.
Finally, it needs to be emphasised that both of these challenges will be greatly magnified if the next Senate election follows a double dissolution. In such a case there would be twice as many vacancies in the States as at a normal half-Senate election, and a lower quota for election, both of which factors would tend to encourage more candidates to run. And the newly elected senators would have to be ready to take their seats not later than thirty days after the day appointed for the return of the writs, rather than on 1 July 2017.
Michael Maley is one of the ACT Co-Convenors of the Electoral Regulation Research Network, and a member of the Editorial Board of the Election Law Journal.
Suggested citation: Michael Maley, 'Senate Electoral Reform' on AUSPUBLAW (29 September 2015) <https://auspublaw.org/2015/09/senate-electoral-reform/>.
Australian Electoral Commissioncasual vacanciescross-benchersmal broughmicro-partiespreference harvestingproportional votingsenate electoral reform
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A couple months ago I shared a new rockin' tune from recent Hardly Art Acquisition Unnatural Helpers called "Hate Your Teachers". Well today I have another new song for you going by the name "Toil" and it rocks just as hard as that last tune. Don't forget that the band have a new album coming out on September 25th entitled Land Grab. It's sure to be a hot one.
This new rocker from Unnatural Helpers goes against my better judgement to post since it's called "Hate Your Teachers", but it still kind of rules. The track appears on a new album by the indie rockers called Land Grab due out September 25th via Hardly Art. While the song may be a jam, please don't hate your teachers kids. We have feelings too.