On Jun 16, 2011, at 7:45 AM, Fred Gohlke wrote:
Some may wish to note that the Social Science Research Network has
released two election related papers by Kathy Dopp:
...
Realities Mar Instant Runoff Voting Flaws and Benefits of IRV, June
5, 2011
Abstract:
...
Scholars have proposed several other alternative electoral methods
that preserve existing voter rights and improve upon the plurality
method.
as critical as i have been of IRV, the implication from Kathy that IRV
violates the rights of voter when it's the same rules that applies to
every voter and to every candidate, that has always smacked of hype to
me. (someone is selling rather than researching in a scholarly
manner.) i remember that she has cited non-monotonicity as one of the
violations of voter rights. no one is denied their right to vote
because of IRV, neither individually nor systemically. everybody gets
the same ballot. everyone's ballots have the same rules applied to
them regarding counting.
there are issues regarding voter registration and voter identification
requirements, ballot secrecy and ballot security (where electronic
voting has effect) that are voter rights issues. but if the same
(flawed or not) rules apply to everyone, it's not a voter rights
issue. it's an issue of how to determine, with some level of
confidence, what the preference of the electorate is as a function of
how they marked their ballots.
e.g., i don't particularly like Score Voting (i think it requires too
much information from voters) nor, most of the time, Approval Voting
(i think it requires too little information from voters). but if such
is legitimately passed as law and is used in elections i participate
in, if i am have the same access to voting that every other duly
registered voter in my same district has, and if my ballot is included
anonymously into the ballot box, and if officials insure that these
ballots are counted and securely transported to storage (in case of a
recount), there is no erosion of my rights as a voter. i am not
discriminated against.
--
r b-j [email protected]
"Imagination is more important than knowledge."
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