[EM] Two alternative voting system suggestions

[MIKE OSSIPOFF]

Let me first repeat Steve Eppley's suggestion: The candidate withdrawal
option. Even IRV could have its worst problem gotten rid of if
, after the count determines a winner, any nonwinning candidate has
the option of withdrawing and calling for a recount with his name
deleted from the rankings. Obviously if he tops a ranking, then the
2nd choice on that ranking becomes its 1st choice.

After the next count, and winner determination, again anyone who
hasn't already withdrawn could do so, calling for a recount without
him on the ballots. This continues till no one wants to withdraw.

This should satisfy the IRV people, if this option is combined with
IRV. Regrettably, though, the IRVies didn't accept the idea when
it was offered to them. They felt that it violated the voter's
control of what happens. What? Your favorite doesn't win, and
he has you vote with which you could have at least helped your
2nd choice, and the IRVies don't want your 1st choice to be able
to withdraw and let you use your vote to accomplish something.

IRVies talk a lot about "wasted votes". What vote could be more
wasted than the one that's on your losing favorite while your
needed 2nd choice compromise gets eliminated?

The other suggestion was made on an organizational web-newsgroup:

Candidate-Proxy:

Someone said: Conduct a 1-vote Plurality balloting, and then let
the candidates vote on which candidate should win. For that vote,
each candidate has a number of votes equal to the number that he
received from his voters.

The candidates could negotiate & logroll before their final vote
to determine the winner.

Well, if the IRVies don't like the candidate withdrawal option,
they would like this 2nd proposal even less. I think they're both
ok.

IRV really would lose its big disadvantage, with the
candidate withdrawal option. Richie could still promote the method
that he insists on promoting, and the voters wouldn't have to suffer
the disadvantages of Richie's proposal. It's regrettable that
Richie & others at CVD & its California affiliate refuse to accept
the candidate withdrawal option.

Candidate withdrawal could be used with with Condorcet too, though
there'd be little need for it. Candidate withdrawal is mainly a
mittigation for IRV, and a very good mitigation. The candidate-proxy
proposal probably wouldn't be accepted by people. My proposals are
still Condorcet & Approval.

Mike Ossipoff





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