[EM] Am I still subscribed?

[Kristofer Munsterhjelm]

On 02/09/2017 08:26 AM, robert bristow-johnson wrote:
> 
> 
> ---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
> Subject: Re: [EM] Am I still subscribed?
> From: "VoteFair" <electionmethods at votefair.org>
> Date: Thu, February 9, 2017 1:39 am
> To: "election-methods at lists.electorama.com"
> <election-methods at lists.electorama.com>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
>> On 2/8/2017 1:59 PM, Kristofer Munsterhjelm wrote:
>>
>>> It seems simple enough to just do a New Zealand ballot:
>>> 1. Do you want to change the voting method? (yes/no)
>>> 2. If yes wins, what do you want to replace it with? (use either
>>> Plurality or Approval for the meta-election method here)
>>
>> Nope. In order to make the decision fair, the final vote needs to be
>> yes/no. That means the method needs to be picked first.
>>
> 
> well, no.  this is just like saying "no" is one of the run-off finalists
> and the other finalist must be picked first.
> 
> but if "no" is just one option among the other voting methods to choose
> from, then this compound decision resolves exactly the same as ranking
> all of the options (including the "no" option) and, *if* there is a
> Condorcet winner, choosing the Condorcet winner.  (if there isn't an
> Condorcet winner, that means the voting body prefer *something* over
> "no".  but if there is a Condorcet winner among all options, that
> resolves the same as everyone choosing the "yes" option first (using
> Condorcet) and then stacking that up against "no" and see which option
> the voters decide.
> 
> this is why i like Condorcet so much (and why i worry less about the
> cycle).  Condorcet makes all of the options, including the status quo,
> all positioned on a flat playing field.

A Condorcet-in-spirit referendum system could go like this:

- Order the options randomly.
- Ask a yes/no about whether the voters prefer the first option to the
second.
- Ask a yes/no about whether the voters prefer the winner of the
previous round to the third option.
- ... and so on up to the last option, asking a yes/no about the winner
of the last round compared to the kth option.

Whichever option wins is the overall winner, and it must be the CW if it
exists (and voters never change their minds between the rounds). The
cycle tiebreaker is in effect to pick a random option in the Smith set.

But it's really cumbersome.