Smith set vs Circular Tie

[Mike Ossipoff]

I believe it was Steve who once suggested that, when explaining
Smith//Condorcet to the public--and maybe to ER--it's better
to talk about a circular tie than about the Smith set.

As Bruce pointed out, the Smith set isn't always circular,
when there are pairwise ties, but in public elections, the
Smith set is a circular tie.

Steve's suggestion was that, instead of defining the Smith
set, we merely say that when there isn't 1 alternative that
beats each one of the others, it's because of a situation
where, for instance, A beats B beats C beats A, so that
everyone is beaten. A, B & C also all beat everything
else in the election.
 
Smith//Condorcet uses Condorcet's method to choose from
that "circular tie". 

Would that be easier for the public, & the ER list, to
accept as a definition, as compared to the definitions
involving the Smith set & the Smith Criterion?

If so, then that should be the definition used in
our voting report, where we define the winningest
methods.


Mike
 

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