[EM] [Fwd: Possibly naive question on polarizing candidates]

[Alexander Small]

I'm an amateur afficionado of election methods and I've followed the list
for a few weeks.  I haven't seen this question discussed:

Is there a quantitative measure for how polarizing a candidate is?
Consider the following electorate:

 9% B>C>A
51% A>B>C
40% C>B>A

A is the Condorcet winner, but A is also quite polarizing, in that almost
everybody either loves or hates A (likewise for C).  There is universal
agreement, however, that B is a reasonable choice (no last place votes).
Perhaps A is really liberal, C is really conservative, and B is moderate.

I know the list focuses on technical aspects of voting rather than
ideologies.  However, are there any technical criteria for quantifying
just how polarizing a candidate is?  It would be interesting to evaluate
how various election methods work in the presence of polarizing
candidates.


--
"Frodo gave his finger for you."


--
"Frodo gave his finger for you."