Re: [RFC] Abolish 50%+1 Votes

Otherwise - it's a simple majority (>50%, or even just the option that got > the most votes in case of a 3-way or 4-way vote). > There are better options for choices of 3 or more than the most votes system and I strongly recommend that they be used. Allow me to present an example. Suppose we needed to include new functionality in PHP, and there where three libraries available to provide it. A is the oldest and most mature but hasn't been maintained in awhile. B is a less stable fork but has more active maintenance. A & B have the same API. C is the newest cutting edge version, but has a different API. A vote is held. 32% for A, 31% B and 37% for C. C wins in this scenario because the majority was split across the two similar choices A & B. If ranked choice ballots were used in this scenario B would be eliminated on the first round and the second choices of those ballots would be examined with an end result of 58% for A, 42% for C, meaning most of the supporters of B would settle for A but didn't really like C. A lot of the bad blood in American politics can be directly linked to this problem - splitting a majority in 3 or more way races. Political parties arose specifically to prevent this splitting, but its a case that the cure is worse than the disease. I don't think PHP is in any danger of devolving into this sort of acrimony, but it's still worth avoiding the problem entirely with ranked choice balloting where appropriate.