PEP 308: Alternative conditional operator forms

[Erik Max Francis]

Carel Fellinger wrote:

> When 50 of those are pro and 50 are contra, then Guido has a problem:)
> Whatever he decides will upset half the population.
> 
> On the otherhand, when 1 is pro and 1 is contra and all the others
> don't
> care, then whatever he decides will be fine with the masses.

The issue with this analysis is that you'll never know how large the
"don't care" camp is, almost by definition -- because if they don't care
then they won't vote.

Even if you hold a vote where you have a "yes," "no," and "abstain," and
the numbers come in as (say) 45%, 45%, and 10%, respectively, that
doesn't mean that 10% of the Python community at large doesn't care.  It
could be that 99% of the Python community at large doesn't care, in
which case you're in the second scenario you depict above.  The problem
is, just by including a "don't care" on the ballot, you'll never be able
to know that.

I'm perfectly happy with whatever voting process everybody is willing to
agree to (despite people repeatedly attempting to seem to want to put
words in my mouth).  I'm just not seeing 1. the value of including such
a position on a ballot, or 2. what should be done with the "abstain"
figures.

By the way, Andrew Keonig's suggestion of a voting process where all
alternatives are listed, including "no change," the "don't cares" can
still indicate their position by submitting an empty ballot which
selects none of the options.

-- 
 Erik Max Francis / max at alcyone.com / http://www.alcyone.com/max/
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