[EM] Margins

[Dave Ketchum]

On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 08:40:13 +0200 (CEST) Kevin Venzke wrote:

> Dave,
> 
> --- Dave Ketchum <davek at clarityconnect.com> a écrit : 
> 
>>>> If the voter leaves two candidates unranked, 
>>>> don't count that as a half vote for each, count it 
>>>> as zero for each.  But if the voter explicitly ranks 
>>>> two candidates as equal, count that as a half vote 
>>>> for each.
>>>>
>>>Does anyone know who devised this?
>>>
>>  I do not claim devising, but I argue for this, for both wv and margins:
>>
> 
> Since you argue for it, I want to name it after you.  Unless someone complains,
> I am going to start calling it the "Ketchum" measurement of defeat strength.
> 
> Since Ketchum is a compromise between WV and Margins, it doesn't make sense to say 
> you advocate it "for both wv and margins."  It only makes sense to advocate it 
> *instead* of WV or Margins.


NO SALE!!!  Our debate has been as to how to count votes.  HOWEVER, WV and 
Margins differ as to how to interpret the counts after they have been 
done.  I have NOT SUGGESTED ANY change in the interpretation, so they 
remain different and could not survive a shared name.

> 
> I think you doubt this, so I'll give some brief definitions to make this
> clearer:
> 
> WV: Equal-ranking and truncation result in no vote for either candidate.
> 

For WV it would be destructive to include truncated candidates as if the 
voters had expressed an interest in them, so leave them out.

Where the voter has explicitly done equal ranking, I continue my claim 
that these should be given half counts, consistent with the voters likely 
doing about half A>B and half B>A if A=B was not permitted - and ending up 
with comparable counts.

In another thread someone questioned action when least liked candidates 
are explicitly ranked equal.  My inclination is to honor the voter's 
action and count these, mostly because it keeps the rules simpler - AND IS 
what the voter said.


> Margins: Equal-ranking and truncation result in 1/2 vote for each candidate.
> 

Assuming I understand the rules, margins CARES NOT about such counts, so 
doing them unlike WV puzzles.

I would do the counts here the same as in WV, so that the two methods 
differ only where there is a reason for difference.


> Ketchum: Equal-ranking results in 1/2 vote for each candidate, but truncation
> results in no vote for either candidate.
> 
> These can also be shown in a table:
> 
> measure     ranked equal      truncated
> WV           0 votes           0 votes
> Margins      1/2 vote          1/2 vote
> Ketchum      1/2 vote          0 votes
> 
> Kevin Venzke
> stepjak at yahoo.fr

-- 
  davek at clarityconnect.com    people.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.