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Member opinion

Member opinion: abstention is an underused tool

One member's argument that explained abstention deserves more respect than it currently gets. This is a personal view.

Ada Okonkwo8/1/20267 min read
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One member's argument that explained abstention deserves more respect than it currently gets. This is a personal view.

The case for saying 'not on this evidence'

Abstention is often read as absence. Written well, it is the opposite: a statement that the evidence presented did not meet the bar the representative set in advance.

Where I might be wrong

If abstention becomes a default, it shifts decisions to whoever is willing to vote on thin evidence. That is a real risk and I do not have a clean answer to it.

Sources and references

  1. [1]Author's published rationales - Source link placeholder
AO

Author

Ada Okonkwo

Member, demo profile

Writing in a personal capacity. Views are their own.