New SW method: Weighting with elimination etc.

Steve Eppley seppley at alumni.caltech.edu
Mon Apr 29 15:05:19 PDT 1996


DEMOREP1 at aol.com wrote:
[snip]
>Any method must guarantee that a candidate with a majority of the
>first choice votes wins
[snip]

This criterion is not universally accepted.  Some people believe
that if the majority's support of their first choice is only lukewarm
(compared to their second choice, etc.), and the minority is strongly
opposed to that choice, then the majority's candidate shouldn't
necessarily win. 

It's not correct to assume that being ranked second is a poor ranking.
(The fallacy in Hare's method.)

Example:
   ,---------------------- A
   |       ,-------------- B
  99      98    (51 votes)
   0      99    (49 votes)
------- -------
  50.49   98.49 = averages

A is the majority winner (51 to 49), but B looks like the best
group choice, assuming the votes were sincere and not strategic. 

--Steve



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