[EM] Definitions of "completion method" and "aggregate method"

[Hahn, Paul]

I don't know of any methods besides Condorcet that result in Condorcet-style ties requiring a completion method.

--pH

-----Original Message-----
From: Election-Methods <election-methods-bounces at lists.electorama.com> On Behalf Of Rob Lanphier
Sent: Wednesday, May 4, 2022 2:58 AM
To: robert bristow-johnson <rbj at audioimagination.com>
Cc: election-methods at lists.electorama.com
Subject: Re: [EM] Definitions of "completion method" and "aggregate method"

Hi r b-j!

Thanks for the quick reply!  Is a "completion method" specific to aggregate methods that use the ballots in an election to select a Condorcet set at the beginning of the process (e.g. the Smith set), and then uses another method when more than one candidate (or at least, less than the desired number of candidates) is selected?  Can the term be used when NOT speaking about Condorcet-winner compliant methods?

Rob

On Wed, May 4, 2022 at 12:30 AM robert bristow-johnson <rbj at audioimagination.com> wrote:
>
> I thought a "completion method" is what we revert to if there is no Condorcet winner to elect.  Methods like Schulze and Ranked Pairs or Bottom Two Runoff don't need completion methods because the are decisive, they elect someone whether there's a Condorcet winner or not, but they always elect the Condorcet winner when such exists.
>
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> ------ Original message------
> From: Rob Lanphier
> Date: Wed, May 4, 2022 3:16 AM
> To: election-methods at lists.electorama.com;
> Cc:
> Subject:[EM] De finitions of "completion method" and "aggregate method"
>
> Hi folks,
>
> There are two new articles on electowiki that may not make sense to 
> those of you who are are intimately familiar with election-methods
> jargon:
>
> "aggregate method":
> https://electowiki.org/wiki/Aggregate_method
>
> "completion method"
> https://electowiki.org/wiki/Completion_method
>
> An "aggregate method" is jargon I made up to describe the methods that 
> we've been describing all along on this mailing list (e.g. the 
> "Smith//Condorcet" method was popular on the EM list[1]).
>
> [1]: 
> http://lists.electorama.com/pipermail/election-methods-electorama.com/
> 1996-August/065995.html
>
> What I mean by "aggregate method" is a method where a series of 
> methods (Copeland, Smith, etc) are chained together. Then the "winner"
> (or "winners") pop out at the end of the chain.
>
> What I mean by "completion method" is the method at the end of the 
> chain in an "aggregate method".
>
> Am I using those terms the way that people who make a living 
> researching/studying this stuff use those terms?  I don't want to 
> redefine terms, but if no one agrees on what "completion method" means 
> (or has a really sloppy definition of it, or just uses the term 
> without knowing what it means to sound smart), then I don't feel bad 
> about redefining the term.  Regardless, I would really appreciate some 
> help coming up with good definitions.
>
> Thanks
> Rob
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