[EM] What IRV optimizes

[Alex Small]

John B. Hodges said:
> IRV is the one-seat case of the Single Transferable Vote. The point  of
> STV is to maximize "ballot effectiveness", i.e. to minimize
> "wasted votes". Votes are wasted in two ways: Undervotes, where you
> vote for someone who fails to win a seat, and Overvotes, where you  vote
> for someone who gets more votes than they need to win a seat.

Yes, but STV accomplishes that not only by transfering votes, but also by
electing multiple candidates to ensure that as many people as possible get
a representative.  I don't see how the variational principle you cite
applies in the single-winner case.

Sometimes a mathematical principle can break down when you change the
numbers.  That's just the way life is sometimes.  STV might satisfy a
variational principle in the case of n>=2, but flunk it for the case n=1.



Alex