[EM] Approval fraud prevention (was Re: A conversation with an English woman about IRV)

[Dave Ketchum]

Jameson offers a couple very good points:
      There are MANY ways to commit fraud.
      MANY methods are susceptible, including Plurality.

Dave Ketchum

On May 4, 2011, at 12:39 PM, Jameson Quinn wrote:

> Unfortunately, there is no task that you can manually ask the voters  
> to do, which won't lead to unacceptably high levels of spoiled  
> ballots. My ballot doesn't count because I didn't vote against  
> Wingnut Moonbat? Or because I didn't count up my approvals  
> correctly? Once I failed to win a competition because I incorrectly  
> counted and self-reported my score. Since it was a math competition,  
> perhaps that was just. But voting is not a math competition; spoiled  
> votes should be avoided.
>
> So, you need some ballot integrity process which is separate from  
> the voting system used. It could be automatic photos of the ballot;  
> it could be machine-marked-voter-verified-paper-ballots; it could be  
> some kind of transparent sticker or other surface treatment; it  
> could be multiple custody throughout the ballot's lifetime (never  
> let anyone alone with them); or many other things.
>
> Note that such a system is just as necessary for plurality, or  
> approval with a requirement to vote against, or whatever. I can just  
> as easily commit fraud by spoiling my opponents' votes as by adding  
> votes for me.
>
> Jameson
>
> 2011/5/4 Dave Ketchum <davek at clarityconnect.com>
> Agreed that the warning about "fraudprone" is valid.  Rather than  
> the labor-intensive change I see below, I would simply require the  
> voter to indicate quantity of approvals.
>
> Dave Ketchum
>
>
> On May 4, 2011, at 3:14 AM, ⸘Ŭalabio‽ wrote:
>
>        2011-05-04T05:48:15Z, “Matt Welland” <Matt at Kiatoa.Com>:
>
>        I think it is within reach for us to change this bad  
> situation but we need the experts (you) to accept that the world  
> isn't ready for the perfect solution and drive hard for the most  
> achievable and pragmatic solution. Please consider getting behind  
> Approval voting and to stop confusing the politicians and public  
> with complicated ideas. Repeat this everywhere: Approval good,  
> plurality bad, IRV worse.
>
>        I know that we must focus like a laser.  I point out that  
> plurality and IRV are bad.  I advocate approval with a twist:
>
>        The ballot like thus, is fraudprone:
>
>                [ ]      Candidate       A
>                [ ]      Candidate       B
>                [ ]      Candidate       C
>                [ ]      Candidate       D
>                [ ]      Candidate       E
>                [ ]      Candidate       F
>                [ ]      Candidate       G
>                [ ]      Candidate       H
>                [ ]      Candidate       I
>                [ ]      Candidate       J
>                [ ]      Candidate       K
>                [ ]      Candidate       L
>                [ ]      Candidate       M
>                [ ]      Candidate       N
>                [ ]      Candidate       O
>                [ ]      Candidate       P
>                [ ]      Candidate       Q
>                [ ]      Candidate       R
>                [ ]      Candidate       S
>                [ ]      Candidate       T
>                [ ]      Candidate       U
>                [ ]      Candidate       V
>                [ ]      Candidate       W
>                [ ]      Candidate       X
>                [ ]      Candidate       Y
>                [ ]      Candidate       Z
>
>
>        Because a supporter of O can approval O after the ballots are  
> cast on every ballot not already approving O.  This is better:
>
>        Instructions
>
>        One must either approve [+] or reject [-] every candidate or  
> the ballot is considered spoiled.
>
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       A
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       B
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       C
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       D
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       E
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       F
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       G
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       H
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       I
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       J
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       K
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       L
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       M
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       N
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       O
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       P
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       Q
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       R
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       S
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       T
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       U
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       V
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       W
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       X
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       Y
>        [+]      [-]     Candidate       Z
>
>        Now the ballots are resistant to manipulation after voting.   
> This format is human/machine-readable.
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