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. 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 [https[w://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundround-robin_tournamentrobin tournament|round-robin tournament]]. A strict series of tie-breaking mechanics are defined.

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 [https[w://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquis_de_CondorcetMarquis de Condorcet|Marquis de Condorcet]] centuries later, and then again by [https[w://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Herbert_CopelandArthur 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 ranked voting methods.

Ranked Robin is [[Precinct-summable|precinct summable]] through the use of [[Pairwise comparison matrix|preference matrices]]. Full preference matrices can be created simply by hand if needed and then reported directly to the media and the public, allowing ballots and ballot data to remain local for recounts and risk-limiting audits without risking the threat of [https[w://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_fraudElectoral fraud#Vote_buyingVote buying|vote selling]] and voter coercion.<ref>See Ballotpedia's "[https://ballotpedia.org/Intimidation_of_voters Intimidation of voters]" article for more about voter coercion].</ref> This decentralization of tallying allows elections to remain robust against scaled election attacks, which is vital in jurisdictions that run geographically-spread or high-profile elections. In contrast, voting methods that are not precinct summable, like [[Instant runoff voting|Ranked Choice (Instant Runoff) Voting]] and many expressive [[Proportional Representation|proportional voting methods]], lose these benefits and can lead to distrust in election outcomes if fraud, attacks, or even simple mistakes happen under a centralized counting authority.

* [https://www.reddit.com/r/EndFPTP/comments/qkamzm/new_condorcet_method_that_doesnt_require_a/ Ranked Robin thread on r/EndFPTP] (starting November 1, 2021)

* [https://www.votingtheory.org/forum/topic/136/new-simple-condorcet-method-basically-copeland-margins Ranked Robin thread on Voting Theory Forum] (starting October 25, 2021)