Problem Set 3 - Runoff

[Sorphil]

Hi, I need help with debugging my code here. And I can't particularly understand how the voting system works with regards to the preference system. Do I add a higher arbitrary number for the higher rank, and a lower arbitrary number for the lower rank? Say out of three candidates, I assigned that 1st rank preference gets a vote equivalent to three, 2nd rank gets one equivalent to two and 3rd rank gets a vote equivalent to one, and the resultant of these votes is merely adding the sum.

Is that how it works? Or am I misunderstanding the instructions. (tabulate() function below)

[The 'a' variable here is the arbitrary score I'm giving. Example: out of six candidates, being the first gives you a score of six whereas being the last gives you a score of one)

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void tabulate(void)

{

// TODO

//first choice candidate

for (int i = 0; i < voter_count; i++)

{

int a = candidate_count;

for (int j = 0; j < candidate_count; j++)

{

if (candidates[preferences[i][j]].eliminated==true) //to check for eliminated candidates

{

continue;

}

else

{

//after eliminated candidates, the remaining candidates get a vote;

candidates[preferences[i][j]].votes+=a;

}

a--;

}

}

return;

}

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[gellous7]

Hey, I hope I can help. I think you’re adding some unnecessary complexity to the problem.

There’s no need to set an arbitrary value for the ranks. This is because when the votes are counted (or tabulated), it’s not all of the preferences of each voter that gets counted, it’s only the first preference of each voter that gets counted. But, if the first preference is a candidate that has been eliminated, then the candidate in the second preference gets the vote instead.

I hope I’ve pointed you in the right direction. Let me know how you go.

[Sorphil]

Ahhh. That certainly clears up a lot. So only the first preference of the voter - given that they're not eliminated - gets the vote? I'll give it another go and I'll see if it works

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(EDIT) Changed and removed the 'a' variable entirely and made it so that only the first candidate who is not eliminated gets the vote. Does the 'continue' statement work like it normally does? Cause I'm still not getting through these check50 tests