[net.tv] The ultimate Nielson sample

msc (03/29/83)

	The recent discussion of sample sizes for the Nielson rating
	(dis)service reminds me of a science fiction short story I
	once read.  I don't remember the author or the title, but
	the premise was that the science (??) of statistics had
	reached such a stage that in order to have a democratically
	elected government only one person had to cast a vote.

	The story was about one man who was chosen to be that
	the voter, how it affected him etc.

			Mark Callow
			...{decvax,ucbvax}!decwrl!qubix!msc
			...ittvax!qubix!msc
			decwrl!qubix!msc@Berkeley.ARPA

leichter (03/31/83)

The one-person-vote story is by Isaac Asimov; it's one of his Multivac stories.
I'm afraid I don't remember the title, nor can I point you to where you might
find it; but it's in one of his collections (maybe Earth Is Room Enough).

Good story, BTW.
							-- Jerry
						decvax!yale-comix!leichter
							leichter@yale

colbert (04/04/83)

The name of the story is 'Franchise' by Issac Asimov and it appears in the
book 'Earth is Room Enough'.