[EM] Kathy Dopp Papers

[robert bristow-johnson]

On Jun 16, 2011, at 7:45 AM, Fred Gohlke wrote:

> Some may wish to note that the Social Science Research Network has  
> released two election related papers by Kathy Dopp:
>
> ...
>
> Realities Mar Instant Runoff Voting Flaws and Benefits of IRV, June  
> 5, 2011
>
> Abstract:
>  ...
> Scholars have proposed several other alternative electoral methods  
> that preserve existing voter rights and improve upon the plurality  
> method.

as critical as i have been of IRV, the implication from Kathy that IRV  
violates the rights of voter when it's the same rules that applies to  
every voter and to every candidate, that has always smacked of hype to  
me.  (someone is selling rather than researching in a scholarly  
manner.)  i remember that she has cited non-monotonicity as one of the  
violations of voter rights.  no one is denied their right to vote  
because of IRV, neither individually nor systemically.  everybody gets  
the same ballot.  everyone's ballots have the same rules applied to  
them regarding counting.

there are issues regarding voter registration and voter identification  
requirements, ballot secrecy and ballot security (where electronic  
voting has effect) that are voter rights issues.  but if the same  
(flawed or not) rules apply to everyone, it's not a voter rights  
issue.  it's an issue of how to determine, with some level of  
confidence, what the preference of the electorate is as a function of  
how they marked their ballots.

e.g., i don't particularly like Score Voting (i think it requires too  
much information from voters) nor, most of the time, Approval Voting  
(i think it requires too little information from voters).  but if such  
is legitimately passed as law and is used in elections i participate  
in, if i am have the same access to voting that every other duly  
registered voter in my same district has, and if my ballot is included  
anonymously into the ballot box, and if officials insure that these  
ballots are counted and securely transported to storage (in case of a  
recount), there is no erosion of my rights as a voter.  i am not  
discriminated against.

--

r b-j                  rbj at audioimagination.com

"Imagination is more important than knowledge."