Dear Mike, an election method is a mapping from a given input to a given output. Where this input comes from or what this input actually represents is of no concern as long as it has the properties required by this election method.
For example, a partial ranking of the candidates A, B, C, ... has the following six properties: a. For each pair of candidates A and B exactly one of the following three statements is true: A = B, A > B, B > A. b. A = A is true for every candidate A. c. (A > B and B > C) => A > C. d. (A = B and B > C) => A > C. e. (A > B and B = C) => A > C. f. (A = B and B = C) => A = C. What a "candidate" is or what ">" or "=" means is of no concern as long as the above six properties are met. For example, the "candidates" can be sorts of apples and ">" can mean "is sweeter than". Markus Schulze ---- Election-methods mailing list - see http://electorama.com/em for list info
