(10-14-2018, 10:09 AM)Tsunamy Wrote: I've missed the fight over DM campaigning, but I'm more or less with viet here. As I'll add that I think one of the ways to solve this problem is to make the Cabinet more powerful, so that these elections mean something.

Back to the major point, though, why *shouldn't* we have DM campaigning. Simply because only one candidate has used it successfully isn't a reason to drop it. Everyone else has the option of doing it, as well.

Tbh, the fact that a candidate is will to reach out to low activity and/or low info voters is a *good* thing. It promotes activity. If I'm one of those legislators and and someone took the time to *ask for my vote* and other candidates can't be bothered ... of course I'm going to vote for the candidate that took the time.

I know this isn't a perfect comparison, but over the last several election cycles, it's essentially become commonplace to TG every WA nation individually to ask for votes. And, while I can't speak for other candidates, when I do it, I introduce myself and send along my campaign platform. In the last election, Tim vastly beat me when it came to speed (he TG'd everyone within the first day) while it took me several days. I'd like the think the result was at least somewhat due to people actually paying attention to the campaign issues.

The issue for me is not the DM campaigning, but the lack of knowledge, as Viet has said, of those receiving the campaigning and, indeed, the lack of actual campaign information in those DMs.

Basically, a candidate is messaging low involvement or new legislators and simply asking 'would you consider voting for me?' As Tsu has said, it's perfectly understandable why they would choose to do so, especial if they weren't considering voting at all before, but it leaves us in a situation where uninformed voters can majorly skew an election result.

Whilst other candidates choosing to DM campaign as well would potentially balance this effect, I don't particularly want a TSP where everyone has to send personal campaign messages to every eligible voter just to have a chance of winning.