[EM] Borda Count to the median

[Michael A. Rouse]

This is my first post, and I haven't had a chance yet to go through 
the archive to see if this method has been covered, so if it has 
obvious flaws forgive me :)

Given that a Borda Count is relatively consistant and 
generally "fair" (if a bit prone to wacky behavior when people either love
or hate the candidate), yet a voter can "cheat" by rating his favorite's 
chief opponent artificially low, how about the following modification:

Conduct a standard election with BC-style rank ballots. Starting with 
each candidate's highest-ranked ballots, count out a number equal to 
the smallest absolute majority of total votes cast. If 1000 (or 1001) 
votes were cast, you would take the 501 highest-rated votes for the 
candidate. Use these votes in a Borda Count. The candidate with the 
highest total is the winner.

It's almost a cross between BC and Approval, and cutting it in the 
middle assumes both sides of an election curve are symmetric. There 
are of course possible paradox conditions (it doesn't always pick 
Condorcet winner where one candidate is loved and despised by large 
numbers of voters), but I think it would cut down on the influence of 
artificially-low votes given to principal opponents.

If you have any insights or know of a fatal flaw in this method, just 
let me know. Thanks!

Michael Rouse
mrouse at internetcds.com