Ranked Robin: Difference between revisions

Ranked Robin is a [[Condorcet method|Condorcet voting method]] focused on the presentation of the results such that everyday voters can understand them without extensive education. Ranked Robin uses a [https://electowiki.org/wiki/Ballot#Ranked_ballot ranked ballot]. Voters are free to rank multiple candidates equally on their ballots. The candidate who wins the most head-to-head matchups against other candidates is elected, much like a [[w:round-robin tournament|round-robin tournament]]. In [[Election-methods mailing list#Notation|the notation typically used on the EM-list]], Ranked Robin is roughly "[[Copeland]]//[[Borda]]" with the addition of tiebreakers.

Ranked Robin was invented by [[User:Sass|Sass]] on 30 September 2021 and named by [[Sara Wolk]] on 7 November 2021. As an enthusiast of [[Cardinal voting systems|cardinal voting methods]] and a strong advocate for voter empowerment, Sass saw a timely need for a sufficiently-accurate [[Ranked voting|ranked voting method]] that was on par with the simplicity of voting methods like [[STAR Voting]] and even [[Approval Voting]], particularly in the [[United States]]. Ranked Robin is nearly identical to the earliest known Condorcet method, invented by [[Ramon Llull]] in his 1299 treatise ''Ars Electionis''<ref name="Hagele">{{cite journal |author1=G. Hägele |author2=F. Pukelsheim |lastauthoramp=yes | title=Llull's writings on electoral systems | journal=Studia Lulliana | year=2001 | volume=41 | pages=3–38 | url=http://www.math.uni-augsburg.de/stochastik/pukelsheim/2001a.html }}</ref>, which was similarly replicated by [[w:Marquis de Condorcet|Marquis de Condorcet]] centuries later, and then again by [[w:Arthur Herbert Copeland|Arthur Herbert Copeland]]. A mathematically identical method to Ranked Robin including the first tie-breaking mechanic was described by Partha Dasgupta and Eric Maskin in 2004<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Maskin|first=Eric|last2=Dasgupta|first2=Partha|date=2004|title=The Fairest Vote of All|url=https://scholar.harvard.edu/maskin/publications/fairest-vote-all|journal=Scientific American|volume=|issue=290|pages=64-69|via=Harvard University}}</ref>. The primary innovation of Ranked Robin is the reduction and formatting of results in such a way that they are palatable to a general audience, as a full [[Pairwise comparison matrix|preference matrix]] can be overwhelming for most voters. This innovation can likely be adapted to simplify the results of other voting methods that use [[pairwise counting]], particularly those that first restrict the set of winners such as [[Smith-efficient|Smith-efficient voting methods]].

{{Ballots|1=8:Ava>Cedric>Deegan>Bianca>Eli

6:Ava>=Bianca>=Cedric>Eli>Deegan

6:Eli>Ava>Bianca>=Cedric>=Deegan

6:Deegan>Bianca>=Cedric>Eli>Ava

3:Eli>Deegan>Bianca>=Cedric>Ava

2:Deegan>=Eli>Bianca>=Cedric>Ava}}

Almost all real-world elections using Ranked Robin will not have any ties for the winning candidate. However, ties under Ranked Robin may potentially be more common than ties under [[First Past the Post electoral system|Choose-one Voting]]. While there are 4 degrees of tiebreakers defined, ties after the '''1^st Degree''' tiebreaker are about as rare as ties under Choose-one Voting, and ties after the '''2^nd Degree''' tiebreaker are much rarer than that.

|'''5256'''

|'''188204'''

|'''4751'''

|'''188204'''

|'''38'''

|''3539''

|''35'39'''

|''2832''

|'''138150'''

|''169181''

|''156168''

|''178190''

|''224232''

|'''10251069''' - ''10251069'' = <u>0</u>

'''2^nd Degree:''' Ava and Bianca tie for the greatest total difference in votes for and against all other candidates (both <math>188204-149=3955</math>).

'''3^rd Degree:''' Ava and Bianca tie for the least ''losing'' (and '''winning''') votes between them, ''149'' (and '''188204''').

When legally defined as ''always'' reducing to a finalist set first and then electing the finalist with the greatest total difference (Total Advantage) among finalists (as described in the '''1^st Degree''' tiebreaker), Ranked Robin always elects a majority preferred winner, arguably including in cases of '''2^nd Degree''' ties. This legal definition does not change the outcomes of Ranked Robin. Many municipalities in the [[United States]] are subject to a majority clause in their respective state's election code, often requiring those jurisdictions to run two or more elections for a certain races. Ranked Robin can satisfy many of these majority clauses in a single election, allowing municipalities to eliminate an election if so desired, helping to offset the costs of implementing Ranked Robin, typically entirely within one election cycle.