[EM] Can someone point me at an example of the nonmonotonicity of IRV?

[Chris Benham]

Kathy Dopp wrote (Sat. Aug.10):
"Well perhaps there are other voting methods where ranking my first
choice candidate below my last choice candidate helps my first choice
candidate to win more than vice-versa, and I would oppose any method
that did that."

Kathy,
What exactly do mean here by "more than vice-versa"?  Obviously in IRV
the voter probabilistically helps his/her sincere first choice candidate X to win
by ranking  X above his/her last choice candidate Y  (and for that matter all
other candidates) massively "more than vice-versa".


>Out of curiosity, what voting system would you recommend? I'm not saying
>"don't say anything if you don't have an alternative", I'm just curious.

'I am currently not recommending *any* until I have more time and
inclination to sit down to thoroughly study all the alternatives. I
know that IRV is a really bad method as applied to real life
elections, and I suspect that most other voting methods are superior
to IRV in crucial ways that would make them more practical and
desirable."

My investigation of voting methods has led me to the conclusions that
(a) the best  voting methods are much worse than people new to the
field tend to assume, and
(b) there are many more desirable/interesting/useful  voting methods
criteria possible (and proposed) than people tend to assume or are 
aware of.
These factors make it quite easy for someone who refuses to stand by any
one method to make propaganda against any given method simply by dwelling
on and emphasizing its negatives and ignoring (as much as plausibly possible)
mentioning criteria that it meets.

This stance of yours leads one to suspect that your real voting methods agenda
is simply to defend the FPP status quo, and  that you are so virulently attacking
IRV because that is the alternative with the most traction as a practical reform
proposal.
Chris Benham


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