[EM] Question to Warren regarding the Debian page

[Scott Ritchie]

Warren,

On your page here: http://math.temple.edu/~wds/crv/Debian2003.html you
write:

"At least with our standard scheme for converting the Debian ballots to
range ballots, range and approval voting both gave different winners in
both 2003 and 2005 than every other method we tried. If those converted
ballots had really been what the Debian voters intended, then I think
there would be a good case that all those other methods gave the wrong
winners in both those years."

This seems like a leap in logic to me.  Just because these methods
produce different winners doesn't mean the selected winners were
incorrect and that we should use them instead - indeed, it would be
equally valid to say that these methods could be indicating the wrong
winners because they chose different results.

Consider the following statement: "When the pseudo-random candidate
method was applied to the converted ballots, it produced different
winners in both 2003 and 2005 than using every other method we tried.
If those converted ballots had really been what the Debian voters
intended, then I think there would be a good case that all those other
methods gave the wrong winners in both those years."

I'll also note that your method of converting ranked ballots to ranged
ballots and then tallying them is VERY similar to simply using a borda
count in the election.  I wouldn't be surprised if your suspected
range/approval winners in 2003 and 2005 were also the Borda winners.
Whether that's evidence in favor of Range and Approval I'll leave to
you.

Thanks,
Scott Ritchie