3 ms·
Vote counts are already approximate. That's why close results are re-counted using slower methods. (Additionally, I would argue more generally that vote counts
by kqr 4y ago
Vote counts are already approximate. That's why close results are re-counted using slower methods.
(Additionally, I would argue more generally that vote counts should be approximate. If a vote is close to tied then we run the largest risk of making an incorrect decision. Better to continue debate and/or refine the proposal until it has wider acceptance. This does not work for selecting government with term limits obviously.)
- dataflow 4y agoThat's an incredibly misleading way to phrase it. The counting algorithm is exact. Errors creep in during execution, resulting in an approximate result. An approximation algorithm is a whole different beast, and that's the point of the discussion here.
- kqr 4y agoDoes really how the error comes into life matter more than the magnitude of the error?
- dataflow 4y agoIt's pretty easy to find out - go pitch some approximate vote counting algorithm (say, 50% random subsampling to get 2x speed? or whatever) to random people on the street, and ask them if they would care if the government decided the president that way.