[EM] reply to Gilmour attack on range voting & social utility; CCd to RangeVoting

[rob brown]

On 12/2/05, Warren Smith <wds at euclid.math.temple.edu> wrote:
>
> So you are deluded in thinking that your kind of voting is "more
> fundamentally
> democratic" because it "omits" strength of preference information.


"Deluded" is certainly a word that comes to mind regarding the suggestion
that people will, in significant numbers, choose to reduce the strength of
their vote to some non-zero value below the maximum possible strength they
are allowed.

I don't even know how to make this argument, it just seems common sense.  It
seems about as useful an option as having, on your tax return, an option to
reduce the amount of your refund.  I suppose its ok to have the option, but
if you actually think it will make a significant impact, I'm saying
"deluded".

Ok, let me try to explain it another way.  Say there are 10,000 voters in a
particular election.  That means that each voter gets 0.01% influence.  Most
people, I'd think, would prefer have much more influence than that  -- just
like most people would be quite happy to get a tax refund of 10 million
dollars, even though they are well aware that the system would break down if
everyone did.

So with your system, you are allowing people to have any percentage of
influence between 0 and 0.01%.  Well, maybe it will work out to between zero
and 0.02%, since other people may have chosen to have less influence.  If a
voter's true preference is to have, say, 25%, or 100%, you just trim that
down to 0.02%, because that's the best you can offer them.

So what are the chances that someone's true preference is something greater
than zero but less than 0.02%?  I'm gonna say "very very small".  So why
even bother?

I don't know if that provided any clarity or not.  I kind of doubt it, but
it's pretty hard to try to explain something that seems like it should just
be obvious and common sense -- why you and Jan don't see it I honestly have
no clue.  It is as if you believe people are all selfless, naturally
cooperative organisms.  Color me cynical, but I say that notion is downright
silly.

-rob
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