Dear election methods fans,
What to do when we want to use a method that offers the benefits of Condorcet but where a supermajority requirement is appropriate, e.g. where 70% of the electorate should consent to a new course of action before the status quo is changed? Here's an idea... Let's assume that the 'base' method is ranked pairs, although the same principle can be used with many majoritarian methods. Let's assume that the supermajority required is 70%, although the same principle can be used for any supermajority up to 100%. Ballot: Assign each option a ranking, and also indicate whether or not you consent to that option being implemented instead of the status quo. So the second part is a yes/no ballot, but instead of an 'approval' ballot, I'll call it a 'consent' ballot, to avoid confusion... Tally: Do a ranked pairs tally. We'll call the winner option A. Is A consented to by at least 70% of the voters? If so, option A is selected. If not, then the status quo remains in place. Commentary: The advantage of this method is that it minimizes the incentive to vote tactically on the consent ballot, because it cannot be used to give an advantage to some option that you like better than the sincere base method winner... at least, not unless there is another round of voting in the event of the status quo remaining in place. __________________________ Above is my primary proposal for supermajority voting situations (e.g. constitutional amendments, etc.) I am also toying with an alternate idea, which is as follows. Ballot: Ranked ballot and consent ballot. Tally: Eliminate all candidates who are not in the minimal dominant set, and who are not consented to by at least 70% of the voters. If any candidates remain, hold a ranked pairs tally between them to determine the winner. Commentary: This is a bit less 'strict' than the method above, and may be slightly more likely to produce a non-status-quo winner, but I think that it does not minimize tactical incentive on the consent ballot to the same degree. Hence, I prefer the first proposal, but I'm very much open to further discussion on the issue. Also, please let me know if this idea or similar ideas have already been proposed. my best, James Green-Armytage ---- Election-methods mailing list - see http://electorama.com/em for list info