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Thomas Hare (March 28, 1806 - May 6, 1891) was an English barrister who was involved in the theory and advocacy of election methods.
Hare lends his name to the following:
An English barrister, political reformer, and close friend of philosopher John Stuart Mill, Hare "invented" the method of elections technically referred to today as STV (the Single Transferable Vote).
This method of elections has since become the favorite of advocates of electoral reform, has been used throughout the world. While continuing to be the method of elections for the Republic of Ireland, it has been widely used in numerous corporations and organizations, and has often been employed in local elections in the United States.
Mill described Hare's system as "the greatest improvement of which the system of representative government is susceptible; an improvement whichÂ…exactly meets and cures the grand, and what before seemed inherent, defect of the representative system".
Yet, despite the impact Hare made on his contemporaries and the continuing influence his ideas have played in modern politics, he is little known, let alone read, today. Hare's system is usually, mistakenly, lumped together with others under the broad heading of "proportional representation." Mistakenly because, rather than proportionality being the underlying principle behind Hare's theory, Hare scientifically designed a method to ensure the principle of "personal representation." Indeed, it was a deliberate -- and first -- attempt, to devise a concept of representation consistent with the principle of democracy.
(In part taken from Charles Grapski's excellent webpages: see http://homepage.mac.com/cgrapski/Representation/Hare/hare.html)
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