[EM] RE: Let's found an organization to oppose IRV

[Blake Cretney]

donald at mich.com (Donald E. Davison) said:
>Greetings List,
>
>Craig Layton wrote:
>>I continue to be perturbed by arguments that this voting system or
that
>>voting system elects centrist candidates, compromise candidates, etc.
>>Voting systems should be judged on how well they reflect the will of
the
>>people.  It is quite often the case that centrist candidates represent
no
>>one.
>
>Donald: They, centrist candidates, make fair `Caretaker' officials.

It depends what you mean.  Some people would argue that centrist
candidates are bad, because more extreme candidates will change things,
and that change is desirable.  If one extreme takes over, they can
change things one way.  When the other extreme takes over, they get to
change things back.  It's certainly more exciting to have polarized
politics than stable central government.

My opinion, however, is that if an ideology wants to win out, they
should be required to move the centre of public opinion towards them. 
They shouldn't just get power because of the caprice of the method.

>Donald: Craig is correct. Smart voters will only make one choice when
faced
>with a method like Approval or Borda  or that other guy, what's him
name.
>       That will result in turning these weird methods into
Plurality(FPTP).
>       `The more things change the more they remain the the same.'
>       T.J. Max Depo-rep-man should take another look at Instant
Run-Off - Ha Ha
>       Now there is a good single winner method, right under your
nose.

A voter who decides in one of those methods that he is going to vote as
in plurality will, on average, reduce the desirability of the outcome
from his or her point of view.  I don't consider that smart.  You seem
to have some influence with at least a small number of people.  Are you
at all worried that if they participate in an election under one of
these methods, your advice will hurt them?

49 B G N
48 G B N
3 N G B

For example, in Tideman (a Condorcet criterion method), if the "N"
people vote only for N, then B wins instead of G.  Won't these people be
angry with you if they did this because they followed your advice?

---
Blake Cretney