Like any field, discussion of voting methods has developed a language all its own, full of jargon and technical terms that, while clearly defined for those well-versed in the field, are sometimes confusing or completely opaque to those on the outside. So I don't fault Terril Bouricius for his repeated failures to understand the lingo. I hope he will find this short glossary of voting-method terms useful.
non-mon·o·ton·ic: adj. 1. In reference to a method, a property meaning it is possible in that method to construct a scenario where either a. by improving a winning candidate's rank (or score) on some ballots, the candidate becomes a loser, or b. by lowering a losing candidate's rank (or score) on some ballots, the candidate becomes a winner. 2. In reference to an election, an example where either of the scenarios in 1. is in evidence.
spoi·ler: n. 1. A a non-winning candidate such that, if they are removed from all ballots, the winners of the election change.
By these well-accepted definitions, instant runoff voting is a non-monotonic method (whereas score voting and even plurality are monotonic), and Burlington's recent mayoral election was non-monotonic; instant runoff voting is susceptible to spoilers (plurality is too, but score voting is not), and Kurt Wright was a spoiler for Andy Montroll. These are easily-proven, in-arguable facts, and so are not up for discussion. So please, stop arguing from a position of ignorance, and learn the definitions.
