[EM] Vote Management

[Anthony Duff]

 --- Markus Schulze
<markus.schulze at alumni.tu-berlin.de> wrote: > Dear
Anthony,
> 
> I guess that vote management isn't used in Australia
> because the Australian politicians consider party
> unity
> to be more important than winning one or two
> additional
> seats ...

I agree.  Politicans consider their rank on the ballot
very seriously.  If candidate 4, with a longshot
chance of winning, were seen to undermine the chances
of candidate 3, then the internal repercussions would
be very great. (*see note below)

>in the not that important upper house.

Where does this strange idea come from?  The upper
houses have equal powers.  The government usually has
a comfortable majority in the lower house, but in the
upper house critical legislation often passes or fails
based on a single vote.


*To my surprise, I am unable to construct an example
where vote management backfires.  I suspect that it
cannot.  

Candidate 4 can't cause candidate 3 to lose, unless
candidate 4 does so by winning instead of candidate 3,
due to gaining more support than candidate 3.

Perhaps, against my intial hunch, vote management
would be a good idea.  Perhaps Australians have simply
never thought of it, just as they have never
discovered the flaws of IRV. 
 
Anthony



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