Reply to Saari on Approval Voting

[New Democracy]

Dear List members,

Mike wrote:
>The best election method is one that can allow for either outcome - depending
>on the exact feelings of the voters.  Approval Voting is an example of such.
> If the 2/3 vote Yes on both candidates (feeling that either one is
>acceptable) then the 100%-liked choice will win.

Donald writes: This election was won by the voters that only made one
selection - they were having no part of the Approval Voting parlor game -
they went for the meat. Anyone who made two selections could have stayed in
bed - because two selections is the same as not voting. As the people
become more knowledgeable about Approval Voting they will realize that it
is not to their benefit to make more than one selection. When most people
get smart - and they will - most people will only  make one selection and
thereby changing the election into a Plurality election and forcing the
words Approval Voting to become moot.

Mike wrote:
>(I agree with objections that AV doesn't allow one to distinguish a "top"
>choice from a second-best but still acceptable choice.

Donald writes: YES! - people want to be able to prefer one over another. In
the begining you said "Candidate B is liked EVEN MORE by 2/3 of the group
..." This means that these people preferred candidate B over candidate A.
In an Approval Voting election the only way you can express a difference in
what you prefer is to vote for one and not vote for the other - in other
words - only make one selection.

Mike wrote: >The remedy is more
>"resolution", i.e. a gradation of available choices.)

Donald writes: We will get more gradation of the available choices if and
when the people are allowed to make preferences when they vote.
Knowledgeable persons will give their first preference to the candidate
that they feel is the best even if that candidate is low in the polls. When
everyone does this we will have a better gradation of choices - then it is
a question of reducing the field down to one.

Don,

Donald Eric Davison of New Democracy at http://www.mich.com/~donald

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