methods proposed to sw Committee

[Mike Ossipoff]

I had to send my previous letter before finishing it, because 
garbage strings were beginning to appear, caused by phoneline
noise that sometimes locks the kekyboard, and makes it impossible
to send what I've written. So I had to send it immediately.

What I didn't include was the list of methods proposed to the
Single-Winner Committee so far.

Obviously anyone can add to this list, either by posting
additional proposals, or by including them in their rankig.
Better to post them too, in case others would vote for them
too.

[This is just a list, and _not_ a ranking]

1. MPV
2. plain Condorcet
3. Smith Condorcet
4. Saumur's random solution of circular ties
5. Shugart's modification of Runoff
6. Approval
7. Regular Champion
8. Any 1 or 2 methods that Demorep wants to pick from the
   ones that he's mentioned, to define them precisely and
   add them to this list


Of course a disapproval count could be used with any method,
and maybe people would like to vote also among the possibilities
for that:

1. Not use any version of it
2. Let "Status Quo" or NOTA be one of the alternatives
   to be treated as any other alternative
3. Anything beaten by NOTA is disqualified
4. Separate option to "disapprove" any alternatives that
   a voter wants to. Anything disapproved by a majority is
   disqualified.


We've heard discussion about these possibilities, and about
whether there's need for them, and about whether it's ok to
propose to the public a system that sometimes won't elect
anyone, and whether it would complicate the public proposal.

***

As for applying these to our count, for the election on sw methods,
that won't add much difficulty. Obviously if more people disapprove
a recommendation than approve it, then I doubt that we'd want
to recommend it. As for alternatives beaten by NOTA, we
can state that fact with our recommendation: We list the winner,
and if it's beaten by NOTA, and list the winner when the NOTA-
beaten alternatives are removed from the count.
And if NOTA wins as the final winner, then, again, I doubt that
we'd want to recommend anything.

Obviously no one has to inlcude NOTA in their ranking, or
cast a disapproval vote against a method, but I'm just
saying that these options are easily accomodated in this
count, and in our report to ER.

Mike




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