rob brown wrote:
On Mon, Sep 1, 2008 at 3:20 AM, Kristofer Munsterhjelm
<[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>> wrote:
Consider Condorcet. One of the greater problems with plurality is
vote-splitting, which favors minorities since it destroys a center
that many think is good but only a few think is great. Thus,
adopting Condorcet would help the majority, not minorities at the
expense of the majority, ...
First, I think you are misusing the words "majority" and "minority" here
(as is common). Personally I think they have no meaning unless there
are only two candidates (and there were never any other potential
candidates).
I'd say that one could generalize the above to coalitions. Then a method
favors a majority if it gives more power to a coalition supported by a
majority, and favors a minority if it gives more power to a coalition
supported by a minority.
One example I would use to argue that Plurality can swing in the
direction of a minority is the 1987 South Korean election. The two
democratic groups split the vote, giving the election to the general who
supported an earlier coup.
I'll grant that if we use your definition, that example isn't applicable
- since there were three parties in all.
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