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The definition of abstain is to not do something, so if you abstain from voting, you do not vote. So why on Atys is there an button to vote abstain!?

Any opinion other than what the author wrote in the answer boxes would of course fall under 'other.'

'other' or 'abstain' should be removed, I don't get the difference between them.

I abstain.

old poll feature request thread

I tend to plead for keeping the abstain option. In my opinion, it clearly - at least sometimes - may make sense to express that one has read and studied the proposal, but has not reached a conclusion whether to back or to oppose it. "Other" usually has a different meaning, namely a vote to change the original question or proposal in a direction yet to be specified.

@ Dao, I do think 'other' includes those that are undecided or opposed for reason not included in the authors given answers and they can explain their opinion in the thread.

A compromise would be to keep the abstain button, but to not include those responses in the total percentage calculation. Instead have a statement at the bottom saying such a % voting with such a % choosing to abstain.

At this moment there are 3 in favor, 2 opposed, and 3 abstaining. The inclusion of Abstain votes causes the in favor % to drop to 37.5%, but of those that expressed a vote, 60% favor the removal. So it would be better to display it as 60% in favor, with 62.5% voting.

i agree that abstain does really mess up the %'s on the votes, i would agree that the button could be kept, but that the % should not apply to the whole of votes on the authors options. i agree with both removal of the abstain button, or the option to no longer count the abstain % as part of the whole in terms of in votes on the authors options.

talk

EDIT: single choice on the poll, given that i take 2 points of view here, removal or change of the % counts related to abstain, i choose "yes" because i agree but as my post says there are other options

done

Oh shit, Talk has superpowers!

I personally still think it is strange to have the abstain button, but correcting the % is a good compromise and much more than I could have hoped for in less than 12hrs :) Thanks Karu!

au moins, celui qui s'abstient reste dans l'anonymat.. huhu

C'est un autre problème, mais savoir qui a voté pour quoi, me gêne un peu.
Voter est pour moi, quelque chose de confidentiel et personnel, sans aucun influence de quiconque .
Mettre un sondage publique, c'est très moyen.. surtout tant que le vote n'est pas clos.

Abstain corresponds to: "I am reading the forums and have seen this poll and I do not care to make a choice."

Other corresponds to: "I am reading the forums and have seen this poll and I think the question or possible answers needs to be modified/changed/etc. so that I can properly express my opinion."

BOTH should be included in the percentages!  If there are 4 yes and 2 no and 34 abstain, this is not a 2:1 majority in favor. It shows that only 10% of those who viewed the question and felt inclined to respond felt positively about it and 5% felt negatively about it. It is indicative of the fact that only a few people who read the forums care about the question. In other words if there is going to be effort involved in the "yes" answer that it should be low priority.

A large fraction of "Other" statements clearly indicates that the Poll was poorly worded/poorly thought out.

J'avoue, je me suis abstenu sur cette question. J'en déduis qu'au fond je suis pour conserver la possibilité de m'abstenir. Donc j'aurai dû voter oui. Mais si j'avais voté oui, j'aurais été pour l’abstention sans pouvoir utiliser cette possibilité sur cette question précise... donc je préfère m'abstenir.

@ Bittty, if you choose not to vote, your vote is not counted. The participation rate of voters v. abstained can be calculated, and I suggested it in my compromise, but abstaining is not a vote. Including abstains in the total percentage is treating them if they are votes, which unjustly reduces the prevailing opinion of actual voters. Abstaining simply means- I read this and choose not to participate. In the real world you would only know how many abstained by the number of surveys not returned, or subtracting voter turnout from total eligible voter population- so it is strange to have a button to choose to abstain, but as I said correcting the percentages is a very reasonable compromise and if anyone wants to know the participation rate the data is there to calculate it.

very happy with the change to not include "abstain" in the percentages, as well as "other" these two options can be choose by those that want to voice a different option then one given in the poll, thus don't directly count to the topic at hand.

further more abstain and other can no longer be used to render a poll meaningless, now it's more like the real world, pick a side and get counted, or don't pick a side and don't get counted. polls should be based on those willing to pick a side, not those that sit on the sidelines and can't pick.

"other" shouldn't be counted, you can pick yes or no but still offer input that would in give your thoughts as to what might need to be changed or edited with the over-all idea.

if you choose either "abstain or other", offer your thoughts in a post, but now since abstain and other no longer can destroy a polls following, be our guest and choose other or abstain, we'll know you read it, and couldn't choose either way, those of us that vote yes or no, or choose another option that isn't "abstain or other" will have a voice that can and should be counted.

i'm very thankful that this has been done because now there's a valid count on real options to a poll, without impact from those that didn't want to pick a side and stand behind it. indecision leads us nowhere.

talk (i belive i've spoken all that i need to on this thread, but i'll continue to read new posts)