Voting System - Points From Ties

Look at this debate: https://www.debateart.com/debates/193

If you were to count the votes on this debate, you would think con won 14-0. But when you look at the screen, the counter displays that con won 21-7. What the heck?

That's when it hit me. If a voter picks "tie" on any category, it will award points to both pro and con. That's stupid. Please make it so that no points are awarded for ties.

Yeah, you are not the first one to complain about it, I will fix it at some point, it's just not really a priority at this point. Hopefully I'll fix it this month though. 

Cool. That makes sense to me as well. 

Particularly the "conduct" category. I've seen a lot of debates where I really hated the idea of either participant getting any points from that category.

I fully agree

If the point is to encourage debate, it seems that some minimum points should be awarded for a tie.

No. It's doesn't encourage anything. It's basically just consolation points for losing.     

Yeah, the points have no effect unless you have more of them than your opponent at the end. So even if you get a vote where the voter says you tied in three categories, but he gives the fourth category to your opponent, that is still functionally a vote for your opponent. From a purely mechanical standpoint, it doesn't actually matter if a tie awards equal points or no points, because the outcome is the same.

The problem with a tie awarding points to both parties is that it psychologically suggests that both parties did well in that category, but usually when I give a tie it is because both parties were equally bad.

Rewarding participation encourages participation.

It takes a fair amount of effort to compete in a formal debate.

If I have no faith in the impartiality of the judges or the fair mindedness of my random opponent, a point for a tie seems a small thing to ask.

Also, a tie is not a loss.

Giving people free points for participating isn't going to encourage anything. No one gets motivated by participation trophies.

This statement is provably false.

*Almost no one.