<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><FONT SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">Mike Ossipoff wrote:<BR>
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>The CW is the social utility maximizer.<BR>
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Not always. Please justify this statement.<BR>
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>If the voter-median position is occupied only by that despised corrupt <BR>
>candidate, why isn't anyone else contesting that position? That seems <BR>
>suspicioiusly odd in a Condorcet election, which would encourage many more <BR>
>candidates of all persuasions to run. And yet you only have that one <BR>
>despised candidate at the voter-median position. Add a better one, and both <BR>
>sides will rank him over the despised corrupt middle candidate.<BR>
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The Condorcet turkey was not a despised candidate, he/she was a non-entity, nothing, Fluffy the dog type candidate.<BR>
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The scenario went like this. There are 3 candidates A, B and C. A and B hold strong opinions that are in opposition to each other. Both A and B gain both fervent supporters and vehement critics amongst the voters. C does nothing, says nothing, pleases no-one but also offends no-one. In the Condorcet election the electors vote as follows:<BR>
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48 A>C>B<BR>
3 C>A>B<BR>
2 C>B>A<BR>
47 B>C>A<BR>
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C the turkey candidate wins simply by virtue of being inoffensive.<BR>
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You also wrote:<BR>
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>It's common knowledge here that no method is without any faults or <BR>
>vulnerabilities or strategy needs. In fact every method can give a need for <BR>
>defensive strategy. We can choose the one that creates the least drastic <BR>
>defensive strategy need. Approval & Condorcet both do much better than IRV.<BR>
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This common knowledge is not often stated. A common way for somebody to promote a 'pet' electoral method is to do the following: <BR>
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1/ Find a set of criteria that your system meets and state them.<BR>
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2/ Dismiss the criteria your method doesn't meet as irrelevant or even better just don't mention them.<BR>
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3/ Make your selected criteria sound as important as possible (really build them up).<BR>
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4/ Describe your selection of criteria as 'objective' ones that have been selected by 'experts'.<BR>
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5/ Prove that your method meets them and that other methods don't.<BR>
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Talking of which is electionmethods.org anything to do with you ?<BR>
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David Gamble<BR>
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