[EM] why 0-99 in range voting

[RLSuter at aol.com]

Warren Smith writes:

<< I don't much care what range you use, but
 there was some thought put into the question of what
 range was psychologically best... >>

As with many other issues regarding voting methods,
this one can't be decided entirely through logical
analysis. Empirical studies are needed, using methods
that social scientists have developed but that most
mathematicians aren't very familiar with and haven't
used very much. Furthermore, there is almost certainly
no single "best" answer. It will depend on a number
of factors, including the the system used for recording
and tabulating votes (paper ballots, voting machines,
counting hands in meetings, etc.) and the importance
of the issue being decided.

In meetings, when voting on relatively routine issues,
a range of +1, 0, and -1 may be best in most cases.
There is also the question of whether ranges involving
equal numbers of positive and negative integers are
generally better or worse than ranges with no negative
numbers. Some ranges may turn out to be much better
or worse than others, at least for some purposes.

-Ralph Suter