[EM] Approval- Cumulative Votes p.r. methods

[LAYTON Craig]

I think this applies to your subsequent posting as well;

Why a quota?  Isn't the point of these proxy systems that the whole quota
thing is unneccessary (ie, keep eliminating & distributing 'till N
candidates left)?

To make the ballot papers simpler, could you not have limited (optional)
preferences instead of YES/NO, with some kind of instruction 'Write "1" next
to your preferred candidate, continue numbering candidates (2,3,4), but
number ONLY those candidates whom you consider appropriate for election' ?

-----Original Message-----
From: DEMOREP1 at aol.com [mailto:DEMOREP1 at aol.com]
Sent: Sunday, 15 October 2000 12:26
To: election-methods-list at eskimo.com
Subject: [EM] Approval- Cumulative Votes p.r. methods


An Approval-Cumulative Votes variant for p.r. elections (to speed up getting

winners) -----

Each voter indicates his/her YES choices and numbers his/her choices.

Each voter has P points.

The voter's first choice automatically has P minus Y points (where Y is the 
number of YES choices).

Example-  P = 10 points
1 A    7
2 B    1
3 C    1
4 D    1

The points are summed for all choices.  If a choice gets points equal to a 
Hare Quota multiplied by P, then he/she is elected.   

Option 1- All points go to a winner on a given ballot.  A winner has a
voting 
power in the legislative body equal to his/her final votes received.

Option 2- A winner has a voting power in the legislative body equal to 
his/her final points received. The points of the other choices on the
ballots 
having a winner continue.

The choice with the lowest points is eliminated.  Any point(s) for him/her
go 
to the earliest ranked choice, if any (including an already elected choice).

Example C is eliminated, A then has 8 points.

If the earliest choice is eliminated, then the point(s) for him/her go to
the 
next ranked choice, if any.

A is eliminated, B gets 7 points from A- total 8.

Fractions would not be used, if the number of YES choices is limited to P.

A more complex method would permit variable points for the various choices-

Example-

A 5
B 3
C 1
D 1

More YES choices might be permitted but with only the first P (or fewer) 
choices getting points.

As usual, I question how many choices are needed (even for multiple factions

within a political party) to get the winners in real p.r. elections.

The above would be somewhat NOT accurate for single winner elections for 
executive and judicial offices if a majority YES is required for each
winner.

However points on an absolute scale would give some idea of the support for 
each winner. E.G.-- If a simple Approval winner for an executive office got
a 
bare majority with 6 point votes only (on a 0 to 10 scale), then it might 
reduce the monarchial - legislative tendencies in such winner.  Currently e
ach winner for any office acts like each vote for him or her is a 10 vote 
(giving him or her an alleged mandate to do whatever).

The same scale voting (making the process a little more complex) technically

can be done with candidates for legislative bodies (to give some idea of the

*absolute* support for each party and/or each party candidate voted for).