[EM] Approval, IRV, FBC, Blake

[Forest Simmons]

On Thu, 7 Feb 2002, MIKE OSSIPOFF wrote:

<snip>

> 
> Blake continued:
> 
> I must admit that I haven't been paying too much attention to the Five
> Slot idea. Does five-slot pass FBC without being strategic ally
> equivalent to approval? Or is it just that Five Slot is supposed to be
> a simpler ballot than a normal rank ballot.
> 
> 
> I reply:
> 
> Five-Slot is CR in which the voter can give to any candidate
> an A, B, C, D, or F. It passes FBC.
> 
> Mike Ossipoff
> 

Actually, highest grade point average wins (which is strategically
equivalent to Approval) was only one of the original proposals for the
five-slot grade ballots. The major one that Joe Weinstein entered into the
Methods Election that we had last year was Five Slot Approval (also
strategically equivalent to Approval) but satisfying stronger FBC because
the distinction among passing grades served no instrumental purpose, i.e. 
the distinction between A, B, and C grades was purely expressive. 

The major objection was that not using all of the information
instrumentally could serve as a basis for dissatisfaction for voters. 

Lately, I have been trying to stimulate the creation of other uses of the
5-slot ballot, since this ballot seems to be near the limit of complexity
that most ordinary citizens have the patience to fill out.

Forest