Worldcon Site Selection -- Unofficial Results

[kevin_standlee]

When you watch a horse race, you may see the horse named "Montreal" cross the finish line first, but you're not allowed to cash your ticket until the OFFICIAL sign lights up. With Worldcons, the OFFICIAL sign is when the WSFS Site Selection Business Meeting formally receives the results, and that will be shortly after 1000 local time in Yokohama today, Sunday, September 2.

However, I understand that Montreal did win, by around 100 votes. I'll post the detailed results when I get a chance.

Comments

[redneckotaku.livejournal.com]

I have thoughts on the Montreal (soon to be official) win, but I will hold my analysis for tomorrow morning. I am not going to be up until midnight, tonight unless I watch Adult Swim.

[debgeisler.livejournal.com]

My understanding (second-hand, from one of the bidders) is that the final vote count was 341 KC and 507 Montreal, with a total of 901 votes cast. A total of 53 others, if those numbers are correct, had no preference, voted none of the above, or voted for Minneapolis in '73 (or wherever).

This is a pretty high no preference vote for a contested race. By contrast, there were 46 no preference votes in the 2004 race (in 2001), with 2,094 votes cast; 32 no preference votes in the 2006 race (in 2003), with 1,481 votes cast; 38 voters had no preference of the 1,686 votes cast in the 2007 race (in 2004); and of 1,481 votes cast last year for the 2009 site selection, only 32 were no preference.

Uncontested races often have both low voter turnout and high no preference number. The 2006 race (in 2002) yielded 1,034 votes, 53 of which were no preference. It is unfortunate that the 2009 race has a lower voter turnout than that, but the same number of no preference votes.

For once, No Preference may just mean that?

[ceemage.livejournal.com]

I would guess that the high number of No Preference votes is a consequence of it being a non-North American Worldcon. Some of the Japanese eligible voters may have felt that they *should* vote, but had no real preference between the bids, since they would be attending neither, whatever the result. Even more will have just not voted, of course.

Re: For once, No Preference may just mean that?

[totient]

Also note that improperly filled out ballots are counted as no preference.

Re: For once, No Preference may just mean that?

[debgeisler.livejournal.com]

Well, we'll probably know what the actual totals look like this evening, U.S. time. It will be interesting to see how many were of which type.

Re: For once, No Preference may just mean that?

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

Actually, that's not true. Spoiled or invalidly-prepared ballots count as ballots cast, not as No Preference. No Preference votes are equivalent to blanks or abstentions, and that makes a difference when calculating the total cast for the purposes of determining a majority.

I haven't seen the detailed numbers myself, but it seems to me that people are forgetting the concept of "joke write-ins." I voted for Monster Island as my first choice, after all, and I'm sure many right-thinking fans joined me in doing so.

I promise to get the results posted not too long after I get them. However, I'm not going to be quite as fanatical about it as I was with the Hugo Awards results.

Re: For once, No Preference may just mean that?

[sethb.livejournal.com]

Spoiled and No Preference ballots equally don't affect the requirement for a majority.

73 for Minneapolis, 50 for Chico, and 500 each spoiled and No Preference is a win for Minneapolis.

Re: For once, No Preference may just mean that?

[profgeek.livejournal.com]

73 votes for Minneapolis sounds just right.

Re: For once, No Preference may just mean that?

[timill]

I'd guess "plague on both your houses" would explain many of the No Preference votes. I was tempted myself, since I wasn't impressed by either committee, but the War on Tourism swayed me.

Re: For once, No Preference may just mean that?

[redneckotaku.livejournal.com]

The War on Terrorism swayed me to vote with KC. Understand, I am also an American. It will be easier for me to go to KC (with non-stop flights from BWI) than to go to DC or Philly for a Non-stop flight for Montreal. Also, alot of Americans don't know you need a passport to get back from Canada (the temporary no-Passport thing ends this week). That is going to dissuade people from going. Also, the hotels are going to be at best in the $120-$180 a night (US dollars). It could be parity on the US dollar vs. Canadian dollar for 2009 or closer to Pound vs. Dollar rates.

While for the rest of the World ...

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

... like where Tim and I live, the war on tourism means that it is far more hassle flying into the US than it is flying into many other countries (such as Canada) ... and direct flights to Montreal from London, I don't think KC can match that ...

... if the US makes it difficult for their own citizens to get a passport, then there's nothing we can really do about that (the UK is certainly making things harder over there (I'd say "over here" but I'm in Japan at the moment!) except encourage fans to get a passport and experience that "sense of wonder" that comes with encountering a foreign culture (especially a city with more than one major language, not counting Miami, New York or similar!)

Seriously, I'm sure KC would have run a fine convention, but I'm glad to be going to Montreal, and if it turns out that there is a filtering of US fandom which stops those who won't get a passport (or can't afford one) from attending, then I'll just have to be happy partying with those that do want to step outside of their own country, I think I can just about live with that ... (sorry if this annoys/offends anyone) ... plus it means those of my friends that refuse to travel to the US because of the hyper-sensitive security restrictions (that some consider will do little to prevent terrorism but everyday inconvenience tens of thousands of people to provide a false sense of security) will be able to come to Canada (assuming restrictions don't get more stringent there too)

Re: For once, No Preference may just mean that?

[tkunsman.livejournal.com]

Wow. I can not believe that there are no non-stop flights from BWI to Montreal. Cleveland has at least two or three daily non-stop flights to Montreal.

Tough to say what is going to happen to the US$ CAN$ exchange in the near future-I'm sure hotels might be in the low $100 range - but my crystal ball is broken right now.

IMO, i think too many Americans are painfully aware that one needs to have a passport to travel to Canada (which is stupid to me, but what do I know). Maybe if you apply now, one might get your passport before the 2009 Worldcon :-)

Re: For once, No Preference may just mean that?

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

Some of the Japanese eligible voters may have felt that they *should* vote,...

Based on the turnout for the Hugo Awards voting and for the Business Meeting, I find this rather unlikely. I have no insider information on this; I'm just speculating myself.

Re: For once, No Preference may just mean that?

[ceemage.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. Although I'm sure Japanese fen are pleased to be hosting a Worldcon, there's no real reason why the average Japanese Jophan should find the ongoing administrivia of WSFS (whether Hugos or site selection) of interest - no matter how much it fascinates us! I suppose the real comparison would be with the other two Worldcons held in non-English-speaking venues (1990 and 1970) - although I suspect that Japanese fandom probably feels even less connection with mainstream English-speaking fandom than the Germans or the Dutch.

[sethb.livejournal.com]

I think the large No Preference vote may have actually been Other; with STV (the way votes are counted), there's no harm in putting your joke first followed by your preference among the real bids. (There could be if so many people did that that a real bid was eliminated, but that's unlikely and has never come close to happening in Site Selection.)

How many of the 53 had Montreal or KC listed, just not first? Those aren't No Preference.