[EM] Instant Runoff/Approval

[Bart Ingles]

Is this the functional equivalent of approval with a runoff?  If so it
probably has a vulnerability to pushover strategy.  In other words,
opposing major parties could rank each other second, thereby eliminating
any third-party opposition, and then go head-to-head in the runoff
phase.

-Bart


LAYTON Craig wrote:
> 
> The issues for electoral reform in a country with IRV already in place are a
> bit different from the those with plurality.  For instance, Approval is not
> really a workable proposal (not that I'd be disposed to proposing it,
> anyway).  I'd like to hear what people think about the following possible
> micro-reform (it only just occured to me, so I haven't modelled it or
> anything);
> 
> Instant Runoff/Approval.  Number ONLY those candidates which you approve of,
> starting at 1, and continuing using successive numbers.
> 
> Count up all the candidate's approval totals (every ballot which numbers
> candidate A is worth one).  Eliminate all candidates except the two with the
> most (approval) votes.  Conduct a head to head count based on the
> preferences of all the ballots that number either candidate.
> 
> It is the kind of thing that people might actually go for here, but it might
> be a waste of time - I generally support a straight push to proportional
> representation (probably STV, as we already have it in use), which is more
> achievable than in the US.  What's more, aside from the election of the
> lower house, there are no single winner contests of any kind (save some
> mayoral elections - but a lot of councils don't have directly elected mayors
> anyway).