[EM] Primaries?

[Dave Ketchum]

-------- Original Message --------
From: Bart Ingles <bartman at netgate.net>
To: EM List <election-methods at electorama.com>
Subject: [EM] Argument for Approval Primaries
Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2004 09:49:40 -0800

It occurs to me that one place where ranked ballot methods are entirely
unsuitable is in party primary elections.  Here neither the CW nor the
SU maximizer are necessarily winnable choices, which seems to moot those
criteria.  A similar statement applies to any determinate system.

...
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Disagreed!  If a method is "good enough" to select a single winner in the 
general election, then it must be good enough, and most logical choice, 
for use in related primaries.  While the details are a bit different in 
primaries, the basic issue is to select the best candidate as seen by the 
voters.

I would make one exception.  If the general election is stuck with an 
outdated method, and a party is willing and able to move ahead - let it. 
This could encourage updating the general election method.

But, there is a BIG related topic.  One feature of Plurality general 
elections is that a party with multiple candidates likely loses to a party 
with a single candidate.  Primaries are a method for each party to select 
its single, hopefully best, candidate.
      With Condorcet, or the better other methods discussed for the 
general election, parties could be permitted two, or even more, candidates 
in the general election - needing a primary only for an excessively large 
set of candidates.
      Puzzle:  Assuming the above leads to Condorcet in the primary, to 
select two candidates for the general election - WHY NOT?  the arguments 
are not necessarily the same as related to electing two officers for PR.
-- 
  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.