[EM] Influence of a single vote (was Voting strategy etc.)

[Dave Ketchum]

Thanks Juho!

It matters for most, if not all, methods, including Plurality.   
Individually voters can rarely do anything, collectively they are the  
result producers - without any necessity for contact amongst themselves.

Dave Ketchum

On Jun 18, 2009, at 7:22 AM, Juho Laatu wrote:

>
> --- On Thu, 18/6/09, Michael Allan <mike at zelea.com> wrote:
>
>>> Juho Laatu wrote:
>>>> Do you mean that one individual vote
>>>> practically never changes the result
>>>> of a large election?
>>>>
>>>> One can see this from two viewpoints.
>>>> 1) can I change the result
>>>> 2) can I and similar minded people
>>>>   together change the result
>>
>> Raph Frank wrote:
>>> Well, you only control yourself.
>>
>> For perspective: The influence of an individual vote on the
>> results is
>> expected to be different between private and public
>> systems.  The
>> actual influence of a private vote is usually exactly
>> zero.  I guess
>> it depends a little on the voting method, but it's almost
>> always zero
>> in FPTP.
>>
>> On the other hand, the influence of a public vote is
>> usually positive,
>> though incalculable.  It is incalculable because the
>> weight of a
>> public expression per se cannot be felt in a strictly
>> subjective,
>> individual context.  It can only be felt in an
>> inter-subjective,
>> social context.
>>
>> Juho, you're perhaps making the opposite mistake?  You
>> look at private
>> voting from an inter-subjective persepective.  I don't
>> think that's
>> valid.  The vote itself can have no influence on the
>> behaviour of
>> other voters.  It typically has no influence at all,
>> except on the
>> voter herself.  So it's purely subjective.
>
> In elections votes are typically kept
> secret until counted. So they are not
> supposed to influence the decision of
> other voters.
>
> My thinking was that although one vote
> does not influence the decisions of
> others, the factors that influenced the
> voting behaviour of one voter are mostly
> the same also for other voters, and
> similar minded voters are therefore
> likely to make similar decisions. The
> individual voter may thus trust that
> other voters will be there (except if
> his/her opinions are marginal) and
> together they will influence the outcome
> of the election. => "Unless I'm alone,
> we can influence."
>
> Juho
>>
>> (What's also interesting is the objective perspective of
>> manipulation.
>> But that means looking at the influence of money and
>> power, and not
>> votes per se.)
>>
>> -- 
>> Michael Allan
>>
>> Toronto, 647-436-4521
>> http://zelea.com/