The New Democracy Chronicles Rank-Balloting Poll on Political Party Platforms

Vote by visiting the DC article at: Vote Now! Rank-Balloting Poll on American Party Platforms

The following message by Michael Ossipoff was posted at the Electorama election methods forum and the Center for Election Science electology forum:

The Occupy-Movement has done an internal poll on political parties. But our Democracy Chronicles poll is specifically, explicitly about party _platforms_. We chose that emphasis because the platforms (along with what we’ve seen of their deeds in office) should be the main factor in the choice of a party.

The Democracy Chronicles poll on party platforms is a rank-balloting poll, counted by Symmetrical ICT. Because the count method is Symmetrical ICT, there is no need to rank any more alternatives than you want to. There is no need to rank unacceptable parties or their platforms.

And, because voters are asked to read at least one non-Republocrat platform, this poll only includes 4 parties, to avoid a prohibitively time-consuming task, reading the platforms. Here are the 4 parties in the poll’s lineup (listed in alphabetical order):

• Democrat
• Green
• Libertarian
• Republican

To vote in this poll, go to vote in the rank-balloting poll right now. Read the article that introduces the rank-balloting poll on political parties. That article will introduce and discuss the poll.

To vote, scroll to the bottom of the article, where there is a “comments” space. When you get to that section, there will be some comments already made (five, as of this time of writing). Below those is a rectangular writing-space labeled “Comment”. Just write your ranking in that rectangular writing-space.

Voting can be anonymous, if you prefer. But, if you want to, you can state your name in the “Name” field when you write your comment. Or, if you want to, you can “sign” your ranking by writing your name below your ranking, in the comment space.

But I emphasize that you can vote anonymously, without writing your name anywhere. So, in that comment writing-space, just write your ranking of the party platforms. Label each rank position by first writing a number, with a period after it. That’s just a suggestion.

For instance, it might be:

1. [your 1st choice]
2. [your 2nd choice]
3. [your 3rd choice]
4. [your 4th chocie]

But also be aware that, with Symmetrical ICT, you don’t have to rank all of the platforms unless you want to. Each platform that you don’t rank will be counted as having _everything_ ranked over it on your ballot. In Symmetrical ICT, a ballot that votes only two rank positions(1st-ranked, and unranked) is effectively an Approval ballot, in the senses that it fully and maximally votes for its 1st ranked candidate(s), and fully and maximally votes against its unranked candidates.

If you want to do all that you can to ensure that parties in some particular set won’t win, then your best strategy is to leave them unranked.

Though this is improved Condorcet, and equal ranking is allowed, and we guarantee that, even if you wanted to top-rank a compromise, you still have no reason to not top-rank your favorite–Of course, because this isn’t a real election, you don’t really have any reason to top-rank any party other than your favorite, among our lineup.

Top-ranking a compromise, in addition to your favorite, would conceal your favorite and your genuine preference. Though some would use equal-top ranking in an actual election, it would be contrary to your best expressive interest to do so in this poll.

So, you’re invited to vote in Democracy Chronicles’ rank-balloting poll on voting systems.

Vote Now!