[EM] Condorcet - let's move ahead

[Dave Ketchum]

Extended now to EM - I should have started this in both.
On Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:40:58 -0000 Bruce R. Gilson wrote:
> --- In RangeVoting at yahoogroups.com, Dave Ketchum <davek at ...> wrote:
> 
>>We need to sort thru the possibilities of going with Condorcet.  I 
>>claim:
>>
>>Method must be open - starting with the N*N matrix being available 
>>to anyone who wants to check and review in detail.
>>
>>If the matrix shows a CW, that CW better get to win.
>>
>>Cycle resolution also better be simple to do.  We need to debate 
>>what we document and do here such as basing our work on margins or 
>>vote counts.
> 
> 
> Yes. My biggest gripe with Condorcet is that cycle resolution in many 
> systems is so complex that it does not seem that a typical voter (as 
> opposed to people like us who are personally interested in electoral 
> systems) could understand what is being done.  
>  
> 
>>Tossing a coin seems good for resolving true ties - and candidates 
>>involved should have right to verify such got done.
>>
>>BTW, fact that we are doing a tournament is worth bragging about.
>>
>>I am against runoffs.  Plurality needs them because its voters 
>>cannot completely express their desires; Condorcet permits more 
>>complete stating of desires via ranking.
> 
> 
> I totally agree. Abd-el-Rahman Lomax quickly lost me with his 
> incessant calls for runoffs, and even runoffs with write-ins 
> permitted, so that an ordinary voter is going to have to come out and 
> vote over and over again. Once is enough, I think. (Actually even so 
> it's twice, as we would need primaries in any system, whether 
> plurality or Condorcet.)

Primaries are worth more thought:

Parties preparing for Plurality elections desperately need something, such 
as primaries, to protect their backers from splitting their votes.

Condorcet has no such need since voters are each allowed to vote for more 
than one of its candidates at the major election.  Note that parties may 
have their own other reasons for doing primaries.
-- 
  davek at clarityconnect.com    people.clarityconnect.com/webpages3/davek
  Dave Ketchum   108 Halstead Ave, Owego, NY  13827-1708   607-687-5026
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