[EM] Vote Management

[James Gilmour]

Olli asked:
> OK, I get it, I think. If all the parties voted strictly along party
> lines, averaging votes wouldn't be necessary, right?
>

No, that's not right.  At least it's not right if by "the parties voted strictly
along party lines", you mean that all the supporters of a party mark preferences
for all of that party's candidates before they mark preferences for any other
candidate.

Some candidates may be elected at stage 1 by quotas of first preferences.  When
the surpluses are transferred in successive stages, some more candidates may be
elected.  Then the exclusions start.  It is at that point you want your
candidates to survive (not be excluded) so that they remain to pick up any
transfers.  If the voters have voted along party lines, the first few rounds of
transfers on exclusion will be within-party transfers.  Cross-party transfers
will eventually occur, unless every voter "bullet votes" only for the candidates
of one party (a pointless strategy).  So voting strictly along party lines does
not affect vote averaging or vote management.

James