[EM] Definition of preferential voting

[Dave Ketchum]

On Sun, 22 Aug 2004 07:08:06 -0700 Steve Eppley wrote:

> 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.
> 

Robert's likes repeated balloting much better, but concedes that is not 
always practical.

They offer IRV (by description, not by name) as an example, and say 
nothing against other preferential methods such as Condorcet.

Trivia:
      1990 edition was Scott, Foresman.
      2000 edition is Perseus Publishing and is current - words on 
Preferential look identical to me.
      www.robertsrules.com says there is now a CD-ROM with the rules.



> 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.
>>
> 
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  Dave Ketchum   108 Halstead Ave, Owego, NY  13827-1708   607-687-5026
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