Here's a possible format for a sixteen slot range style ballot that (for range purposes) can be counted with standard talleying equipment:
The candidates are Jane, John, and Jill. The instructions explain that the rating for each candidate will be the sum of the numbers checked next to the name of the candidate: Jane 1 Jane 2 Jane 4 Jane 8 John 1 John 2 John 4 John 8 Jill 1 Jill 2 Jill 4 Jill 8 The standard voting machine will treat this as a twelve candidate election, tallying scores for Jane 1 through Jill 8. The range totals for the three candidates are easily recovered from these values. Anybody that can add 1+2+4+8, should be able to accurately encode their ratings on a scale of zero to fifteen on this type of ballot. Note that in Spanish, for example, the numbers from one to fifteen are represented by one word each: uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, dies, once, doce, trece, catorce, quince. But after that they go into compound forms: dies y seis, dies y siete, etc. In my next message I will propose another use for these range style ballots. ---- Election-Methods mailing list - see http://electorama.com/em for list info
