[EM] Approval election example

[MIKE OSSIPOFF]

> > I like the idea of a demonstration poll, but voting on which months
> > are best is difficult, it seems to me. It's something that many
> > people don't have an opinion on.
>
>... which probably will make the pattern of results more appealing, seeing
>as though votes will be more diffuse.

But isn't voting a matter of social choice? How can there be a social
choice among the months. Each of the months arrives each year, and
we can't vote which one we'll have. That's why pizza toppings,
ice cream flavors, list-manners solutions, or voting systems are more
the kind of issues that lend themselves to a poll. They're things that
a group of people could easily have reason to choose between by
voting.

Yes, there are popularity polls too. Best business of some specified
type, most popular highschool student, etc. But those have the output
of actually awarding a prized distinction to a person or business,
an entity that campaigns for that prize.

Only if we were building an artificial habitat, like the one built
in the desert some years ago, and voting on which of the months we
wanted to copy for the habitat's year-round climate, would I be
able to understand a vote on which month is best.

So far there are 4 nominations, in addition to months:

Two that are about list issues:

2. list manners solutions
3. voting systems

And two that are about matters that are less controversial or
contested here:

4. pizza toppings
5. ice cream flavors

Quite possibly the less controversial latter 2 would be more desirable
polling issues. People might be more reluctant to vote on something
that involves actual list business, and possible actual consequences,
or which deals with the issues argued on the list. I'll probably vote
for the latter 2 over the former two.

Mike Ossipoff


Mike Ossipoff


Mike Ossipoff


If one were seeking to develop a few
>Condorcet cycles, one would choose a field of "candidates" on which
>opinion was tenuous.
>
> >
> > If we want to hold a demonstration poll, I suggest that we first
> > vote on what the poll will be about. The subject of the poll is
> > itself a legitimate issue to vote on.
> >
> > You might want to nominate months, or you might want to change
> > your nomination. Anyone who has a suggestion should post it as
> > a nomination for the topic of the demonstration poll. The first
> > poll, then, should be to choose the topic of the poll, and the 2nd poll 
>is
> > about the issue chosen in the 1st poll.
> >
> > It might be good to use the demonstration poll to deal with an
> > actual EM issue. So my issue nomination is: What to do about
> > offensive participation on EM that disregards the ground-rules
> > specified at the EM website? Of course the poll wouldn't have
> > authority on that matter, but the output of the poll could be
> > regarded as a membership petition. Each alternative in that poll
> > would specify whether it is intended as a membership petition,
> > or just a membership resolution, or just an expressed membership
> > opinion.
> >
> > I suggest that that poll be conducted
> > Voter's Choice, since there isn't complete agreement on EM about
> > voting systems. Of course no one need vote more than 1 kind of
> > balloting unless they prefer to.
> >
> > In fact, why not use Voter's Choice for the poll to choose the
> > polling issue too, for the same reason? That would demonstrate
> > more than one voting system.
> >
> > Of course, whatever polling issue wins the initial poll, nominations
> > should then be taken for alternatives for that issue.
> >
> > Of course another poll topic for EM would be a poll about which
> > voting system is the best public proposal, or the best voting system.
> >
> > I nominate that too. We took such a poll years ago, and PC &
> > Smith//PC won. That was before SSD or BeatpathWinner had been
> > proposed here.
> >
> > Mike Ossipoff
> >
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________
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> >
>
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