Election Data

[CLAY S]

Let me also say this.

We can argue till the cows come home, but I think it is probably already
clear which people have the authority to make this decision, and it is
probably already clear to them what the best decision is.  So continuing to
debate it is academic.  I'm simply trying to emphasize that this data holds
great value to humanity, and so releasing it in the future -- after
dutifully informing voters about it beforehand -- seems to me to be a very
good thing.

At http://rangevoting.org/LivesSaved.html, Warren Smith begins:
==
During 2000-2050, the world will face several crises. These include: the end
of cheap oil, various "fossil water" resources running out, global fisheries
species collapse, USA federal bankruptcy, overpopulation, nuclear and
bioweapons proliferation, and climate change. These could easily bring about
the "end of modern civilization." Far as I can see, world population and
consumption levels are already well beyond what can be supported with
renewable resources, therefore a population decline is inevitable.

In view of that, the world needs to make good decisions. But the "decision
making algorithm for the world" is (to a close approximation, with the USA
the only "superpower") the same as "the USA's horrible voting system."

That isn't good enough. Range voting is a far better decision-making
algorithm.
==

That is the context in which I view this entire issue.  Doubling the effect
of democracy over non-democracy is an opportunity which far exceeds the
value of competing reforms.  But the vast majority of humans do not know how
big of a problem this is, and so there are enormous obstacles to the
implementation of score-based voting.  In order to ultimately have success
at implementing score voting in political elections, we need to have as much
information as possible about its behavior in real "contentious" elections.
Fedora elections may not inspire the same kind of passionate voting as the
race between Clinton and Obama did, but they are significant, and attended
by some of the smartest people in society.  The scarcity of data from
scoring elections is particularly significant considering that the Center
for Range Voting only began in 2005 - and before that point, at which
Smith's Bayesian regret data became actively publicized, the conventional
wisdom was that scoring would not work as a voting method.  So this makes
the Fedora data even more valuable.

Bottom line is this.  I do not want to disrespect the privacy of your
voters.  But I do want to use this limited lifespan to do everything
possible to save my species from destroying itself in the not-too-distant
future.  Considering what's at stake, I believe it is not too unreasonable
for the Fedora community to change policy to make future election data
available to the public - or at least to interested activists who want to
research it.  I just don't think there's any real harm in it, as long as
you've respected the voters by letting them know.

Regards,
Clay "Savin' the Planet" Shentrup
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