[EM] freedom and determinism

[Richard Lung]

  Freedom and determinism

An election system assumes freedom of choice, from the voters. There is 
no right or wrong result to be determined. Which indeed has never been 
proved. But that is what social choice theory, led by theorem Arrow, 
illogically assumed. What it assumed as reasonable considerations are 
its own improvised incomplete electoral system (tagged onto maiorocracy, 
the tyranny of the majority), not worthy of calling democratic, without 
benefit, as it is, of the historical development of election method.

  If any election method has no determinate result, then there is no 
criterion by which it can be refuted. For instance, the 
Burlingtonresult, at odds with a Condorcet winner does not necessarily 
discredit it. It is only a consideration, and a dubious one, at that. 
Laplacesaid, over two centuries ago, that Condorcet pairing is 
illegitimate, for not taking into account the relative importance of 
orders of preference. But the fixation on a “Condorcet winner” bolsters 
the (minimally democratic) single member system.

  Preference voting or ranked choice voting is itself undeniably the 
essential condition for reforming the vote. Undeniably, because orders 
of preference do exist, as the so-called “wasted vote” and strategic or 
tactical voting prove beyond doubt. But a given number of orders of 
preference imply a given number of seats per constituency, otherwise 
there would be no point in stating them, the point being that stating 
the candidates chosen in order is to elect several prefered candidates 
before others. To meet this implication leads to the requirement of 
quota counting (freedom of the vote with equality of the count), and so 
forth.

Contrarily, abandoning higher preferences for lower preferences, in a 
single-member system,is the height of inefficiency, for granting voters 
wishes. That is, beyond the great work of replacing, with a ranked 
choice vote, the illiterate x-vote, which is a one-preference stub vote 
(producing disproportionate results even in a two-party system).

Regards,

Richard Lung.




-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.electorama.com/pipermail/election-methods-electorama.com/attachments/20240314/17eb432d/attachment.htm>