Smallest Change for Greatest Improvement

[DEMOREP1 at aol.com]

Mr. Eppley wrote in part-

It's easy for voters to miscalculate with Approval systems.  
Suppose there are three alternatives, and alternative C is 
the *last* choice of a majority.  But the majority is split 
on its first choice:

   30%:  A > B >> C
   25%:  B > A >> C
   45%:  C >> B > A

   I've used the symbol '>>' to indicate where voters might 
   be predisposed to draw the line between "approving" or
   "disapproving."  This doesn't consider strategic voting.

Unless they have enough pre-election polling data and 
organization to strategize, some of the majority may fail to 
select a second choice for fear of unnecessarily defeating 
their favorite.  When that happens, both A and B can lose.

Also, even when the majority succeeds in defeating C, it's 
clear from the above that though B has more support than A, 
B may have a slim chance of being elected, unless the C voters 
have the ability and polling data to strategize (select B).
----
D- This too is deja vu.

The A, B, C example is the standard divided majority example.

There obviously will be polling before an election using any method whatever. 
  I mention again, a method operates on the votes cast (not an infinite 
replays of an election- especially with voters dying, moving, getting 
disinterested, etc.).

Only A and B are approved by a majority (55%) (using the >>).  Thus, some of 
the C voters might choose to approve A or B using the polling info.

It has been repeatedly mentioned on this list that simple Approval Voting is 
defective (especially if a first choice had a majority (if number votes were 
used)).

51 K M
49 M

M gets 100 using simple Approval.

However, AV does produce choices that have majority approval (to get rid of 
minority rule pluralities) (especially in emergency elections and in 
elections with illiterate voters).

Since number votes will be used in almost all p.r. systems for legislative 
bodies, there will be immediate pressure to have number votes for single 
choice elections (i.e. executive and judicial offices and issue elections).   
I note that Wales and Scotland in the U.K. just had p.r. elections and 
continue to survive.