[EM] Voting by selecting a published ordering

[raphfrk at netscape.net]

From: Steve Eppley <seppley at alumni.caltech.edu>
>
>  Hi,
>
>This message isn't about a new idea, but I believe the idea is 
important enough
>to repeat.
>  It's a way to simplify voting, to sharply reduce the campaign costs 
for good
>compromise
>candidates, and to guard against the risk that a significant number of 
voters
>will neglect
>to rank some good compromise candidate capable of defeating a "greater 
evil."
>
>    1. Before election day, each candidate publishes a top-to-bottom
>       ordering of the candidates.
>
>    2. On election day, each voter votes by selecting a candidate.
>       (What could be simpler?)
>
>    3. To tally the election, each vote is treated as if it's the 
ordering
>       published by its selected candidate.  These orderings are 
tallied by
>       a good voting method, such as Maximize Affirmed Majorities 
(MAM).
>
>    The orderings may be "weak." (Also known as a "non-strict.")
>    This means candidates may be ranked as equals.
>
>    Candidates omitted from an ordering will be treated as if they'd 
been
>    ranked at the bottom (less preferred than the candidates not 
omitted).

>The reason I believe this would reduce the campaign costs for good 
compromise
>candidates
>is that they would succeed by persuading other candidates they are 
better than
>"greater
>evils."

This is a step in the direction of closed party lists, which are a 
really bad idea.
However, I guess since the candidate submits his own list, there is 
less of a
problem with a party's central office controlling the process.  The 
question then
becomes how someone becomes a candidate in the first place.

I am not so sure giving a boost to candiates who convince alot of other 
candidates to
place them 2nd is a good idea.  This promotes an "insider" effect.

You are probably right that it would be an easier sell than updating 
voting
infrastructure and also, it means that anyone can easily check the 
results which is
not possible in most ranked elections.  It would need to be made clear 
that
improving efficiency by implementing party list system is not a natural 
next step.
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