[EM] MC -1, 0, 1 --- STV hybrid

[Dave Ketchum]

Welcome!  Do not let my comments stop you from trying.

On Thu, 06 Mar 2003 09:45:26 +1030 Chris Benham wrote:

> This is my first posting here. I have just composed  a very expressive 
> (elect-one person) election method , and not as a joke.
> Voters number  candidates in order of preference, and also mark 
> candidates as Approved  and up to
> number of candidates minus 2  as  Disapproved (or  Unacceptable).
> 1. A candidate who is ranked number 1 on more than half  the ballots wins.
> 2. If no result, if there is one and only one candidate who marked as 
> Approved by the majority, then that candidate wins. If the set of 
> candidates Approved by the majority has more than one member, then all 
> non-members are eliminated and their preferences are transferred. If  a 
> candidate now has a majority  then that candidate wins. If  not, then 
> the numbered rankings are abandoned, and the winner is the candidate 
> with the highest  Approvals minus  Disapprovals tally.
> 3. If  there were no candidates who were Approved by the majority, then 
> eliminate all candidates marked as Disapproved by the majority and 
> transfer their preferences  and proceed as before.
> If  a candidate has a majority they win. If no result, then abandon the 
> numbered rankings  and elect the candidate with the highest  Approvals 
> minus Disapprovals score.
> A vote with as little as just the number 1 or a single Approval or 
> Disapproval will be valid. The restriction on the number of Disapprovals 
> is mainly to make it impossible for  all the candidates to be 
> Disapproved  by the majority.
> I  think  that there should be few strategy problems. I  am  interested 
> in any comments, but I don't promise to (immediately) understand them.


Disagree with your effort to prevent complete disapproval.  Should just 
educate that disapproval means unacceptable.  Experience has demonstrated 
that a list of candidates can contain nothing but lemons.  In the 
Plurality world some provide for a NOTA (None Of The Above) candidate to 
be voted for, that either can get elected and be unable to serve, or that 
can just embarrass the live candidates by showing how much they are 
disliked collectively.

As I read the above, could be on election night that the count shows one 
candidate with a bare "1" majority, and thus apparent winner - and one 
absentee ballot comes in later, destroying the majority and a different 
candidate may win by Approval.  NOT clear that changing method of deciding 
winner this way will be acceptable.

Rules seem complex to me.  Perhaps, should this get installed anywhere 
you, as proposer, should be required to educate the voters to their 
satisfaction (doubt you could, for their attention span is limited).

>               Chris Benham

-- 
  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.