[EM] Condorcet Criterion for plurality.

DEMOREP1 at aol.com DEMOREP1 at aol.com
Wed Dec 13 00:30:52 PST 2000


The mind somewhat boggles regarding Condorcet and sincere/insincere votes 
(almost as much as the dimpled chads in the Florida punchcards have boggled 
the brains of the the entire Florida government since 7 Nov 2000 but ending 
with a whimper on 12 Dec 2000 in Bush v. Gore in the U.S. Supreme Court).

Condorcet's method came from Mr. Condorcet's observation that there was such 
a thing as a head to head table.

         A      B     C       etc

A       X    A>B   A>C
B     B>A    X      B>C   etc.
C     C>A   C>B    X

etc      etc 

One choice might defeat each other choice (using the net votes involved in 
the head to head pairings).

The head to head table uses the votes cast (whether or not ANY vote is 
sincere or insincere).

Election Math 101
Lesson 1
EVERY election method uses the votes cast (whether or not ANY vote is sincere 
or insincere) (assuming lie detectors are NOT being used when the votes are 
cast) (and noting various types of votes----  X (Plurality), Number voting 
(1, 2, etc.), Approval voting (one or more X's or 1's or YESes (blank or zero 
or NO by default)), ratings, etc (with possible combinations--e.g. YES/NO 
plus Number voting)

Lesson 2  What a method does with the votes cast is a totally separate 
problem.

One can only imagine what might have happened in Bush v. Gore if a *complex* 
voting system had been used.  

KISS *must* apply regarding any reform (due to the low intelligence of a 
*large* percentage of the voters-- due to whatever reason-- rotten schools, 
bad genes, bad environment, whatever.



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