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Re: [EM] Compromise between IRV and Condorcet methods

RB
robert bristow-johnson
Thu, Aug 21, 2025 9:38 PM

You mean BTR-IRV?How about straight-ahead Condorcet with Top-Two Runoff in the case of a cycle?  It's sorta like IRV in the contingency of a cycle.I am beginning to realize that to get legislation passed, we need the language of the proposed law to simply "say what it means and mean what it says.". To me, that means a "Two-method system ", that is straight-ahead Condorcet along with a completion method that, to the pedestrian voter or policy maker, makes simple sense.  Top-two delayed runoff is what we do now in jurisdictions that use FPTP ballots but require a 50% (or sometimes lower, like 40%) vote for the winner.r b-jBurlington Vermont Powered by Cricket Wireless------ Original message------From: Richard via Election-MethodsDate: Thu, Aug 21, 2025 17:18To: election-methods@lists.electorama.com;Cc: Subject:[EM] Compromise between IRV and Condorcet methodsOn 8/21/25 11:37, Chris Benham via Election-Methods wrote:

Elect whichever of the Hare winner and the most approved candidate
pairwise beats the other.

Here I'll put in a plug for refining IRV by eliminating pairwise losing
candidates when they occur.  It's a simple compromise between IRV and
Condorcet methods that isn't "clunky" and yields lots of "bang for the
buck."

A pairwise losing candidate is a candidate who loses every one-on-one
contest against every other remaining candidate.

Only when a counting round lacks a pairwise losing candidate does the
combined method fall back on eliminating the candidate with the fewest
transferred votes.

Richard Fobes


Election-Methods mailing list - see https://electorama.com/em for list info

You mean BTR-IRV?How about straight-ahead Condorcet with Top-Two Runoff in the case of a cycle?  It's sorta like IRV in the contingency of a cycle.I am beginning to realize that to get legislation passed, we need the language of the proposed law to simply "say what it means and mean what it says.". To me, that means a "Two-method system ", that is straight-ahead Condorcet along with a completion method that, to the pedestrian voter or policy maker, makes simple sense.  Top-two delayed runoff is what we do now in jurisdictions that use FPTP ballots but require a 50% (or sometimes lower, like 40%) vote for the winner.r b-jBurlington Vermont Powered by Cricket Wireless------ Original message------From: Richard via Election-MethodsDate: Thu, Aug 21, 2025 17:18To: election-methods@lists.electorama.com;Cc: Subject:[EM] Compromise between IRV and Condorcet methodsOn 8/21/25 11:37, Chris Benham via Election-Methods wrote: > *Elect whichever of the Hare winner and the most approved candidate > pairwise beats the other.* Here I'll put in a plug for refining IRV by eliminating pairwise losing candidates when they occur. It's a simple compromise between IRV and Condorcet methods that isn't "clunky" and yields lots of "bang for the buck." A pairwise losing candidate is a candidate who loses every one-on-one contest against every other remaining candidate. Only when a counting round lacks a pairwise losing candidate does the combined method fall back on eliminating the candidate with the fewest transferred votes. Richard Fobes ---- Election-Methods mailing list - see https://electorama.com/em for list info
R
Richard
Sat, Aug 23, 2025 9:29 PM

I am beginning to realize that to get legislation passed, we need the
language of the proposed law to simply "say what it means and mean
what it says." ....

I agree the wording should be clear.

The wording of Oregon's Measure 117, which would have adopted RCV/IRV
for some Oregon elections, was well-written (although not ideal).

Part of the reason for the good wording is the League of Women Voters of
Oregon were involved in writing that version, and they have some
election-method experts.

Two years earlier in the Oregon legislature a proposed RCV bill
basically came from the FairVote folks and the Ranked Choice Voting
Resource Center (RCVRC).  That wording was awful.  I gave verbal
testimony against it, saying the wording was flawed.

Although the Measure 117 wording would have implemented IRV, the wording
was clean enough that the following two sentences could have been added
later:

"Pairwise losing candidates are eliminated when they occur.  A pairwise
losing candidate is a candidate who would lose every one-on-one contest
against every remaining candidate."

Of course this is not BTR-IRV.  Rather, it's Ranked Choice Including
Pairwise Elimination (RCIPE).

This simple refinement would overcome the flaw that the candidate with
the fewest transferred votes is not always least popular.  This
refinement would almost always elect the Condorcet winner, but without
losing the clone independence of IRV.

As an added advantage of the Measure 117 wording, it did not specify how
so-called "overvotes" are to be counted.  This flexibility would allow
RCVRC, via their RCTab software, to add a third option for correctly
counting "overvotes," and allow states or cities to choose this better
overvote-handling option.  (The existing two options only allow skipping
overvote marks, or dismissing those marks when they are encountered).

Richard Fobes

On 8/21/25 14:38, robert bristow-johnson via Election-Methods wrote:

You mean BTR-IRV?

How about straight-ahead Condorcet with Top-Two Runoff in the case of a
cycle?  It's sorta like IRV in the contingency of a cycle.

I am beginning to realize that to get legislation passed, we need the
language of the proposed law to simply "say what it means and mean what
it says.". To me, that means a "Two-method system ", that is straight-
ahead Condorcet along with a completion method that, to the pedestrian
voter or policy maker, makes simple sense.  Top-two delayed runoff is
what we do now in jurisdictions that use FPTP ballots but require a 50%
(or sometimes lower, like 40%) vote for the winner.

r b-j

Burlington Vermont

/Powered by Cricket Wireless/

------ Original message------
*From: *Richard via Election-Methods
*Date: *Thu, Aug 21, 2025 17:18
*To: *election-methods@lists.electorama.com <mailto:election-
methods@lists.electorama.com>;
*Cc: *
Subject:[EM] Compromise between IRV and Condorcet methods

On 8/21/25 11:37, Chris Benham via Election-Methods wrote:

Elect whichever of the Hare winner and the most approved candidate
pairwise beats the other.

Here I'll put in a plug for refining IRV by eliminating pairwise losing
candidates when they occur.  It's a simple compromise between IRV and
Condorcet methods that isn't "clunky" and yields lots of "bang for the
buck."

A pairwise losing candidate is a candidate who loses every one-on-one
contest against every other remaining candidate.

Only when a counting round lacks a pairwise losing candidate does the
combined method fall back on eliminating the candidate with the fewest
transferred votes.

Richard Fobes


Election-Methods mailing list - seehttps://electorama.com/em https://electorama.com/em for list info


Election-Methods mailing list - see https://electorama.com/em for list info

> I am beginning to realize that to get legislation passed, we need the > language of the proposed law to simply "say what it means and mean > what it says." .... I agree the wording should be clear. The wording of Oregon's Measure 117, which would have adopted RCV/IRV for some Oregon elections, was well-written (although not ideal). Part of the reason for the good wording is the League of Women Voters of Oregon were involved in writing that version, and they have some election-method experts. Two years earlier in the Oregon legislature a proposed RCV bill basically came from the FairVote folks and the Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center (RCVRC). That wording was awful. I gave verbal testimony against it, saying the wording was flawed. Although the Measure 117 wording would have implemented IRV, the wording was clean enough that the following two sentences could have been added later: "Pairwise losing candidates are eliminated when they occur. A pairwise losing candidate is a candidate who would lose every one-on-one contest against every remaining candidate." Of course this is not BTR-IRV. Rather, it's Ranked Choice Including Pairwise Elimination (RCIPE). This simple refinement would overcome the flaw that the candidate with the fewest transferred votes is not always least popular. This refinement would almost always elect the Condorcet winner, but without losing the clone independence of IRV. As an added advantage of the Measure 117 wording, it did not specify how so-called "overvotes" are to be counted. This flexibility would allow RCVRC, via their RCTab software, to add a third option for correctly counting "overvotes," and allow states or cities to choose this better overvote-handling option. (The existing two options only allow skipping overvote marks, or dismissing those marks when they are encountered). Richard Fobes On 8/21/25 14:38, robert bristow-johnson via Election-Methods wrote: > You mean BTR-IRV? > > How about straight-ahead Condorcet with Top-Two Runoff in the case of a > cycle?  It's sorta like IRV in the contingency of a cycle. > > I am beginning to realize that to get legislation passed, we need the > language of the proposed law to simply "say what it means and mean what > it says.". To me, that means a "Two-method system ", that is straight- > ahead Condorcet along with a completion method that, to the pedestrian > voter or policy maker, makes simple sense.  Top-two delayed runoff is > what we do now in jurisdictions that use FPTP ballots but require a 50% > (or sometimes lower, like 40%) vote for the winner. > > r b-j > > Burlington Vermont > > /Powered by Cricket Wireless/ > > ------ Original message------ > *From: *Richard via Election-Methods > *Date: *Thu, Aug 21, 2025 17:18 > *To: *election-methods@lists.electorama.com <mailto:election- > methods@lists.electorama.com>; > *Cc: * > *Subject:*[EM] Compromise between IRV and Condorcet methods > > On 8/21/25 11:37, Chris Benham via Election-Methods wrote: > > *Elect whichever of the Hare winner and the most approved candidate > > pairwise beats the other.* > > Here I'll put in a plug for refining IRV by eliminating pairwise losing > candidates when they occur. It's a simple compromise between IRV and > Condorcet methods that isn't "clunky" and yields lots of "bang for the > buck." > > A pairwise losing candidate is a candidate who loses every one-on-one > contest against every other remaining candidate. > > Only when a counting round lacks a pairwise losing candidate does the > combined method fall back on eliminating the candidate with the fewest > transferred votes. > > Richard Fobes > > ---- > Election-Methods mailing list - seehttps://electorama.com/em <https://electorama.com/em> for list info > > > ---- > Election-Methods mailing list - see https://electorama.com/em for list info