[EM] Best winner

[Dave Ketchum]

On Jun 24, 2012, at 8:55 PM, Michael Ossipoff wrote:
> To Democracy Chronicles, EM, and Dave Ketchum:
> On Sun, Jun 24, 2012 at 12:19 PM, Dave Ketchum <davek at clarityconnect.com 
> > wrote:
>
> Quoting from today's Demoncracy Chronicles, 6/24/12:
>> The basic idea is avoid the situation faced today, where many  
>> candidates that are well liked do not get votes because voters  
>> choose the most likely to win candidate instead of their  
>> favorite.      Source: Democracy Chronicles (http://s.tt/1fy4W)
>>
>
> Dave comments:
>
> Reads like a typo - that these voters would vote for the one they  
> think is most likely to be voted for by other voters.
>
> I reply:
>
> The voters are certain that the winner will be either the Republican  
> or the Democrat, and so they (nearly) all vote for the Republican or  
> the Democrat. And so guess what?...The winner is therefore  
> predictably always the Republican or the Democrat.

Assuming X is reported as likely to win, these voters would help this  
along by also voting for X, rather than voting for X or Y according to  
which they would prefer to have win.

Agreed that if X and Y are Rep and Dem, considering only among them as  
major candidates makes sense - but voting for the one reported as  
ahead fails as to being useful.
>
> But thanks for your suggested wording-change, Dave.
>
> Dave continues:
>
> for Approval voters should:
> .     Start with their favorite.
> .     Add the best they see among possible winners - but not if this  
> best likely will cause their favorite to lose.
>
> [endquote]
>
> Sounds about right. I like and agree with Dave's emphasis on  
> avoiding helping an unliked compromise. You won't find any unliked  
> compromises marked on my approval ballot. In Approval, one never  
> approves an unacceptable candidate.
>
> But I also refer Dave to the strategy suggestions in my Approval  
> article at Democracy Chronicles, for voters who want to use strategy.
>
> But my best suggestion for voting in Approval is: Just approve  
> (only) the candidates whom you like, trusts, &/or consider deserving  
> of your support.

If all you know is that you see X and Y as each deserving, you  
properly vote for both.

However, changing that to preferring X, and X and Y each being  
possible deserving winners, you need to consider:
      If your vote will likely not affect which one wins, vote for both.
      If voting for Y could cause Y to win over X, you think on this  
as part of deciding whether to also vote for Y.

It gets sticky.  If considering only Y, then whether Y may be  
deserving is all you need as to voting.  Add to this X being  
deserving, and you need to consider possibility of voting for both  
causing X to lose.
>
> Mike Ossipoff

DWK
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