[EM] Definition of preferential voting

[Steve Eppley]

Hi,

Check out the definition of "preferential voting" in 
the Scott, Foresman book on Robert's Rules of Order.
I don't have a copy but my recollection is that it
defines preferential voting as any voting method in 
which the voters express their orders of preference--
my words, not theirs--and it offers IRV as one example.  
Their use of IRV as an example could explain why some 
people now believe the term is a synonym for IRV.

Perhaps in Toplak Jurij's paper he should mention 
the several ways in which people have used the term, 
before offering the definition he believes is most
appropriate.   --Steve
-----------------------
> Toplak Jurij wrote:
> 
> During the last days the discussion on this list has focused
> primarily on the terminology. Coincidently I am working on 
> a paper that tries to define "preferential voting". 
> 
> Literature offers numerous understandings and definitions:
> - 'preferential voting' is often used as a synonym for 
>    Alternative Vote or IRV
> - 'preferential voting' is sometimes used as another name 
>    for STV
> - 'preferential voting' is often used to denote 'ranking 
>    methods' (thus including STV, AV, Borda, etc.)
> - 'preferential voting is often used to denote a preference 
>    for a single candidate within List PR (this definition
>    is used mainly in Europe)
> - mathematicians put first-past-the-post in the group 
>    of preferential voting schemes, but approval voting 
>    is not a member of this group - some authors put US
>    primaries under 'preferential voting' (Katz,
>    for instance).
> 
> Is it possible to define preferential voting at all?
> I'd be grateful for any comments.