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Re: Dec 15 voting amendment draft



On Tue, Feb 04, 2003 at 02:12:31PM -0600, Manoj Srivastava wrote:
> Under 4.2 Procedure [for developers during a general resolution or
> election], change item 3 to read:
>     3. Votes are taken by the Project Secretary. Votes and tallies results
                                                   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Votes and results are not revealed..." ? It's not clear what "tallies"
means.

> Under 5.2 Appointment of project leader, change item 7 to read:
>     7. The decision will be made using A.6 of the Standard Resolution
>        Procedure. 

"using the method specified in section A.6"

>                   The quorum is the same as for a General Resolution
>        (s.4.2) except the default option is None Of The Above.
                 ^^^^^^

"and"


> Under 6.1 Powers [of the technical committee], change item 7 to read:
>     7. [...] The result is
>        determined using A.6 of the Standard Resolution Procedure.

As above.

> ______________________________________________________________________
> 
> Under A.2 Calling for a vote, change item 2 to read
>     2. The proposer or a sponsor of a motion may call for a vote on a
>        set of related amendments.

"The proposer or any sponsor of a resolution may call for a vote on that
resolution and all related amendments."

> ______________________________________________________________________
> Replace A.3 with:
>   A.3. Voting procedure
>     1. Each independent set of related amendments is voted on in a
>        separate ballot. Each such ballot has as options all the sensible
>        combinations of amendments and options from that set, and a default
>        option. If the default option wins then the entire resolution
>        procedure is set back to the start of the discussion period.

I think it's a mistake to keep that; exactly how to separate independent
but related options is a job for the proposers of the resolution and its
amendment, not the secretary.

"Each resolution and its related amendments is voted on in a single
ballot, that includes an option for the original resolution, each
amendment, and, where applicable, the default option."

>     3. The vote taker (if there is one) or the voters (if voting is done
>        by public pronouncement) may arrange for independent ballots
>        to be held simultaneously, even (for example) using a single
>        voting message.

So this could die.

>     4. Votes may be cast during the voting period, as specified elsewhere.
>        If the voting period can end if the outcome is no longer in
>        doubt, the possibility that voters may change their votes is
>        not considered.

(This duplicates the text you've already had above)

>     5. The votes are counted according to the the rules in A.6  If a
>        quorum is required then the default option is Further Discussion.

"...otherwise there is no default option."

>     6. In cases of doubt the Project Secretary shall decide on matters
>        of procedure (for example, whether particular amendments should
>        be considered independent or not).

This could die too.

> ______________________________________________________________________
> Replace A.6 with:
>    A.6 Vote Counting
>      1. Each voter's ballot ranks the options being voted on.  Not all
>         options need be ranked.  Ranked options are considered preferred
>         to all unranked options.  Voters may rank options equally.
>         Unranked options are considered to be ranked equally with one
>         another, and below any explicitly ranked options.  The other
>         details of how ballots may be filled out will be included in
>         the Call For Votes.

One of "and below any explicitly ranked options" and "Ranked options
are considered preferred to all unranked uptions" can be dropped.

I'd drop "The other" -- all the details of how ballots should be filled
out should be included in the CFV.

>      2. If the ballot has a quorum requirement (Q) any options other
>         than the default option which do not receive at least Q votes
>         ranking that option above the default option are dropped from
>         consideration.

>      3. Any option which does not defeat the default option by its
>         required majority ratio is dropped from consideration.
>            a. An option A defeats an option B if N(A,B)*V(A,B) is larger
>               than N(B,A)*V(B,A) and if the (A,B) defeat has not been
>               dropped.
>            b. Given two options A and B, V(A,B) is the number of voters
>               who prefer option A over option B.
>            c. If a majority of n:1 is required for A, and B is the default
>               option, N(B,A) is n.  In all other cases, N(B,A) is 1.


A simpler way of saying the same thing:

3. Any (non-default) option which does not defeat the default option
   by its required majority ratio is dropped from consideration.

   a. Given two options A and B, V(A,B) is the number of voters
      who prefer option A over option B.
   b. An option, A, defeats the default option, D, by a ratio, N,
      if V(A,D) is strictly greater than N * V(D,A).
   c. If a supermajority of S:1 is required for A, it's majority ratio
      is S, otherwise it's majority ratio is 1.

(note that the default option is thus defeated by all the remaining
undropped options; and will thus lose if there are any such options)

>      4. We construct the Schwartz set based on undropped options and
>         defeats:
>            a. An option A is in the Schwartz set if for all options B,
>               either A transitively defeats B, or B does not transitively
>               defeat A.
>            b. An option A transitively defeats an option C if A defeats
>               C or if there is some other option B where A defeats B
>               AND B transitively defeats C.

             c. An option A defeats an option B, if V(A,B) is strictly
                greater than V(B,A).

(Which is the usual, and uncomplicated, definition of the term)

>      5. If there are defeats between options in the Schwartz set, we
>         drop the weakest such defeats, and return to step 4.
>            a. A defeat (A,X) is weaker than a defeat (B,Y) if V(A,X)
>               is less than V(B,Y).  Also, (A,X) is weaker than (B,Y)
>               if V(A,X) is equal to V(B,Y) and V(X,A) is greater than
>               V(Y,B).
>            b. A weakest defeat is a defeat that has no other defeat
>               weaker than it.  There may be more than one such defeat.

>      6. If there are no defeats within the Schwartz set, then the winner
>         is chosen from the options in the Schwartz set.  If there is
>         only one such option, it is the winner. If there are multiple
>         options, the elector with a casting vote chooses which of those
>         options wins.  If there are no options in the Schwartz set,
>         the default option wins.

Keeping the default option around, lets us kill the last sentence's
special case, too.

>      "RATIONALE": Options which the voters rank above the default option
>      are options they find acceptable.  Options ranked below the default
>      options are options they find unacceptable.

s/"RATIONAL"/Interpretation/ or something.

I don't think any of the above are hugely significant quibbles.

Cheers,
aj

-- 
Anthony Towns <aj@humbug.org.au> <http://azure.humbug.org.au/~aj/>
I don't speak for anyone save myself. GPG signed mail preferred.

  ``Dear Anthony Towns: [...] Congratulations -- 
        you are now certified as a Red Hat Certified Engineer!''



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