[EM] Approval Voting vs Instant Runoff Voting

[Richard Moore]

LAYTON Craig wrote:

> Mike wrote:
>
> >Not reassuring when your crucial 2nd choice compromise isn't there
> >anymore because he got eliminated while your single traveling vote
> >was on your favorite. Your vote will not be dropped? Your preference
> >for Middle over Worst won't get counted. At least Approval reliably
> >counts every preference that you vote.
>
> This is only true because you're forced in such a situation by Approval to
> only express one preference - either favourite over middle or middle over
> worst.  IRV counts one of these preferences, Approval counts one of these
> preferences.  I don't see how you can say one is worse than the other in
> this regard.

Approval counts more than one preference. If there are four candidates, and
I vote AB, then I am expressing the following preferences:

A > C
B > C
A > D
B > D

Interestingly, this is more preferences than if I vote A only:

A > B
A > C
A > D

but that alone shouldn't be a reason for voting more than one candidate.

 -- Richard