[EM] Adding or Removing Choices

Bart Ingles bartman at netgate.net
Tue Jul 18 20:18:52 PDT 2000


This sort of misses the point.  Most examples which add ballots to an
initial example are concerned with showing how adding votes causes D to
lose, or some such anomaly.  Sort of "man bites dog."  The examples
below are "dog bites man."



DEMOREP1 at aol.com wrote:
> 
> Various test standards for various methods involve what happens when a choice
> is added or removed.  I say again - such standards are irrelevant.  An
> election is based on the votes cast.
> 
> Elementary examples---
> 
> 35 ABC
> 34 BCA
> 31 CAB
> 100
> 
> A>B>C>A
> 
> D is added in various places
> 
> 35 DABC
> 34 DBCA
> 31 DCAB
> 100
> 
> Wow. D gets 100 first place votes.  Does D win ???
> 
> 35 ADBC
> 34 BDCA
> 31 CDAB
> 100
> 
> Wow again. D beats each candidate head to head (even with zero first choice
> votes).  Does D win ???
> 
> 35 ABDC
> 34 BCDA
> 31 CADB
> 100
> 
> Wow again.  D is beat by each candidate head to head.  Does D lose ???
> 
> 35 ABCD
> 34 BCAD
> 31 CABD
> 100
> 
> Wow again. D is last on all ballots. Does D lose ???
> 
> If there were 4 choices at the beginning and D was removed, then some other
> choice would win (where D won).   Amazing.
> 
> Thus, it is no big surprise that adding (or removing) choices causes
> different results.   Namely -- ALL of the standards involving the adding or
> removing of choices are totally useless.
> 
> It would also seem that removing choices one or more at a time (such as head
> to head worst defeated choices) is improper (unless the choice is a Condorcet
> loser).



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