[EM] To Eliminate or Not to Eliminate, that is the question:

[Instant Runoff Voting supporter]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12/22/00
Edward Schaefer wrote:
"Although I like the idea of the instant-runoff, I must question the
rule of eliminating the person with the fewest first-choice votes."

Dear Edward,
     I can accept the elimination of the lowest candidate, but I would like
to tell you about a runoff method that does not eliminate candidates, I
have such a method.

     But first, allow me to say why I can accept elimination. It is because
an election not only elects a candidate, but it also eliminates the rest of
the candidates. I have no problem if we start eliminating candidates one by
one, and as soon as possible.
     For those who do not like eliminating candidates, consider this point:
What would the voters do if they could repeat the election, after knowing
the results of the first election??   (Voltaire: They would eliminate the
lowest candidate in the repeat election)
     Suppose an election with only one choice per voter that resulted in no
majority, like say: 40 A,  40 B,  20 C.  I claim that in the repeat
election, the voters of the top two candidates would vote the same way, no
change. The A and B voters would not change their votes, they don't need
to. It is not to their advantage. They are members of the top two factions.
They have every reason to believe that they will still be in the top two
factions after the repeat election, it is best for them to stonewall, to
keep their same positions.
     But, it would be different for the C voters, they will have to think
hard about what to do. They will know that the A and B voters will be
stonewalling. I'll say that in the repeat election, most of the C voters
will change their votes to either A or B. (the C voters will eliminate the
C candidate)

     [Time out] What will be happening in this repeat election will be
almost the same as what would happen if IRV were being used as a method in
the first place. What I am saying is that IRV is the natural path that the
voters themselves would follow to solve the problem of no majority.[end of
time out]

     Of course, that is only what I think will happen, what do you think
will happen in the repeat election??
     And, what do you think will happen if the repeat election had the rule
that the winner will be the leading candidate, even if he does not have a
majority??
     Anyway, the following is Choice Runoff, my runoff method with repeat
choices and without elimination.

Regards, Donald

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12/15/00
The Choice Runoff Election Method:  by Donald Davison

        Choice Runoff is the term I use for a single-winner election method
that is the same as Instant Runoff Voting but with the added features of
repeat choices and no elimination.

Choice Runoff works as follows:
         a) The voters have optional ranking of candidates, including the
option to repeat a choice, in any mix.
         b) The voter has as many choices as there are candidates.
         c) Anytime there is a candidate with a majority of the voters,
that candidate is the winner and the election is over.
         d) After the tally of the ballots, the next step is to look for
transferable ballots of the lowest candidate.
            A transferable ballot is a ballot that has a next choice, even
if that next choice is the same candidate.
           Ballots that have a different next choice than the lowest
candidate are transferred to that next choice. These are ballots of voters
that wished to change their vote because their first preferred choice is
now the lowest.
           Ballots that have the same candidate as the next choice, will
stay with the same candidate.
           Ballots that have no next choice will also stay with the same
candidate.
           I will call this routine a Ballot Transfer, so I can refer to it
by a term.
         e) If a candidate that is due for a Ballot Transfer happens to not
have any transferable ballots, we conduct the Ballot Transfer on the next
lowest candidate, except for the top candidate. We never conduct a Ballot
Transfer on a candidate while he is the top candidate.
         f) A candidate may have the Ballot Transfer conducted more than
once but not twice in a row. There must be at least one Ballot Transfer
conducted in between on some other candidate.
         g) We continue to conduct Ballot Transfers on the latest lowest
candidate according to the above rules.
         h) When it becomes impossible to conduct a Ballot Transfer, the
election is over. The top candidate is the winner, even if he does not have
a majority.
     (It is possible for the lowest candidate to win, under the right
conditions, if that is what you are looking for: try 40 A, 30 BC, 5 BB, 20
CCB, 5 CBC)

Advantages of Choice Runoff:
     1) Candidates are not eliminated by the system, but they can be
effectually eliminated by their own voters, if too many of them decide to
switch to some other candidate, it is up to the voters, as it should be.
The voters are free to eliminate their support of a candidate.
     2) When a ballot needs to be transferred, there will always be a
candidate to receive the ballot.
     3) No exhausted ballots: There are no eliminated candidates, so, there
is no cause to exhaust a ballot, the ballot stays with the intended
candidate, which is the intention of the voter.
     4) The total number of votes and/or choices used in the calculations
at any one time will never be greater than the number of voters.