[EM] The Coming California Single Seat Election

[Dave Ketchum]

On Tue, 19 Aug 2003 19:31:21 -0400 Eric Gorr wrote:

> At 4:07 PM -0700 8/19/03, Forest Simmons wrote:
> 
>> On Sun, 17 Aug 2003, Adam Tarr wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>  Well, I don't think that's what Donald wants.  Moreover, it seems 
>>> absurd to
>>>  give an individual voter the ability to submit an ambiguous ballot.  
>>> Cyclic
>>>  ties can make sense for an electorate, but they can't make sense for 
>>> a sane
>>>  individual.
>>
>>
>> Suppose that the (only, as far as you are concerned) issues, i1, i2, and
>> i3, are equally important to you, and that (in your opinion) candidate A
>> beats candidate B on two out of three, candidate B beats candidate C on
>> two out of three, and candidate C beats candidate A on two out of three:
>>
>> i1: A>B>C
>> i2: B>C>A
>> i3: C>A>B
>>
>> Why would you be insane to say that you prefer A to B to C to A?
> 
> 
> Because the real-world simply does not work the way described here.
> Nothing, in these matters, is ever exactly equal or symmetrical.
>

Perhaps some are losing sight of the goal, which is to decide which 
candidate shall get elected.

In preparing to vote we can think of all the issues.  But then we need to 
sort out which candidate(s) seem to best fit our desires, putting weight 
on the various issues according to how we rate them.

To try to pass this task to those who count the ballots would require more 
complexity in designing ballots, and more preparation by voters, than most 
voters want to come anyplace near.
-- 
davek at clarityconnect.com  http://www.clarityconnect.com/webpages3/davek
  Dave Ketchum   108 Halstead Ave, Owego, NY  13827-1708   607-687-5026
            Do to no one what you would not want done to you.
                  If you want peace, work for justice.