[EM] Condorcet Criterion issue

[MIKE OSSIPOFF]

What apparently hasn't occurred to Don is that maybe the pairwise-
count methods were originally proposed, or are now preferred by some,
because they meet the Condorcet Criterion. Anytime some method meets
some criterion, Don could say that the method's advocates like the
criterion because their method passes it.  But without proof of that,
it doesn't make sense to speculate about it, and what does make sense
is to consider how important the criterion seems on its own, rather than
worrying about motives.

Most likely Mr. Condorcet proposed pairwise-count methods because
it's a way to meet his criterion. There's nothing wrong with that.

The Condorcet Criterion has worked well for us in EM's polls,
meaning that methods that comply with it have chosen the sincere CW,
but
I consider some stronger criteria to be more important than CC,
which is met by many methods--by all pairwise-count methods. CC seems
too little to ask for. When written so that it applies to all methods,
CC has to stipulate sincere & complete voting, an assumption that seems
somewhat questionable in public elections.

Mike Ossipoff




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