2017 update to the SPI voting algorithm for Board elections

Ian Jackson ijackson at chiark.greenend.org.uk
Thu Mar 2 17:01:45 UTC 2017


Jonathan McDowell writes ("Re: 2017 update to the SPI voting algorithm for Board elections"):
> (I have re-ordered this reply to try and cover the issues relating
>  directly to the wording of the resolution first, and moving the less
>  time critical discussion about implementation to the end.)

Thanks.

> > Let me try a different wording for that paragraph.  How about this:
> > 
> >  7. The practical implementation will be by means of software; for
> >     example, perhaps the openstv package in Debian.  The choice of
> >     software is up to the Secretary.  However, any differences between
> >     the Rules in the Order, and whatever software implementation is
> >     chosen, are to be resolved in favour of the Rules.
> > 
> > I do think it is important to declare that it is the prose rules which
> > definitive, not the software.
> 
> I think that's a much better wording for the paragraph. I agree we want
> the Order to be the authoritative version of the rules implemented.

OK.

> > What do you think of another paragraph like this:
> > 
> >     The Secretary's current practice is to privately issue each voter
> >     with a private token, by construction verifiably distinct from
...
> I'm not really sure it adds anything to the matter at hand. It seems to
> only be documenting the current practice?

Yes.  If you don't think it's worthwhile I'll drop it.

> [Implementation discussion]
...
> I think that's very much a measure of last resort; a programmatic
> interface to the Python modules involved would seem a much more robust
> solution. From a deployment perspective the Debian package annoyingly
> pulls in wx and all its associated dependencies, but that can be worked
> around.

Hrm.

> I agree the inputs are under tight control of the membership system but
> I'm less worried about the security than the reliability of the
> implementation; is there confidence that OpenSTV has been deployed for
> use in Scottish STV and found to be reliable? I don't think we want to
> run a couple of elections and then discover that we've been using a
> buggy implementation and have to figure out how to fix it ourselves.

Yes.

Well.  I wrote my own implementation of the Scottish STV rules, based
on the Order, and fed a couple of existing SPI tally sheets into both
my ad-hoc reimplementation, and Debian's openstv.  I arranged for my
program to generate output which could be compared to that from
openstv.  The results were identical.  Obviously this is not a
complete test but I am willing to tart up my software if you like, so
we can have two implementations and see if they agree.

> (It would be nice if the Scottish local election voting data was
>  available to provide a suitable set of test vectors, but I couldn't
>  even find any alternative sources of such test data.)

There was test data for the software used for the Scottish system:
  http://www.votingmatters.org.uk/RES/eSTV-Eval.pdf
I have sent two FOI requests to see if the Scottish Executive and/or
the Electoral Commission have it.
  https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/test_data_for_scottish_single_tr
  https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/test_data_for_scottish_single_tr_2

Thanks,
Ian.


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