[EM] Tallying visualization for Condorcet methods?

[Jobst Heitzig]

Dear Jiri!

I don't think the complicated Beatpath method can be visualized
sufficiently. But you may have a look at
http://lists.electorama.com/pipermail/election-methods-electorama.com/2004-October/014102.html
to see how a very similar method, the River method, can be visualized.
The example is taken from some baseball data, but you can easily imagine
the baseball teams to be the candidates and the percentages of wins to
be the percentage of voter preference.

Yours, Jobst

Jiri Räsänen wrote:

> Hello everyone,
> 
> I am new to this list. I am interested for possible ways to visualize 
> the votes tallying and the results for Beatpath method.
> 
> Previously I have done some campaigning for the use of STV and found 
> out that once I could draw the graphical version of the vote counting, 
> people would get the feeling that they understand what's going on. 
> Before this, when explaining the system, people were scratching their 
> heads.
> 
> For Beatpath this might be a harder thing to do, but I'm sure there 
> must be some ways to present the vote counting in a visual and dynamic 
> way that is sensible for the functioning of the system.
> 
> My personal experience is that people would go to the extreme to avoid 
> thinking. As most of you propably have experienced people just bluntly 
> saying "oh, that is too complicated" when you try to explain a voting 
> system.  A good visualization can give a person a sense that he/she 
> somehow grasps what's going on, although more comprehensive 
> understangin may remain unaccomlished.
> 
> For the matter of political reform in any instance outside computer 
> scientist and mathematicians, I think a good visualization will be 
> essential.
> 
> I did a search on this list on visualization, but found not much 
> useful. Has anyone of you privately been thinking of ways to visualize 
> Beatpath or other Condorcet methods?
> 
> All the best,
> 
> Jiri Rasanen
> http://www.LeaderOfTheFreeWorld.com
> 
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