Theorem · version 1

Hardness for every fixed voter count at least three

Statement

For every fixed integer r ≥ 3, minimizing total Kendall-tau disagreement for r strict complete ballots is NP-hard.

Assumptions

  • The source combines the three-voter result, the older even-voter result and addition of a pair of reversed ballots. It does not concern incomplete ballots or weighted voters.

Evidence

Source reports

Connections

Sources

Kemeny Rank Aggregation is NP-Hard for Three Voters →

  • Sections 1 and 6 → · Original passage ↗
    Recorded wording

    Computing an optimum is NP-hard for three voters. The paper also explains extensions to every fixed voter count at least three and recalls the polynomial-time two-voter case.

    paraphrase · Linked proof prose is not republished. Any copied graph data is CC0, as specified by its archive.

Dominik Peters · Preprint · Publication date Jul 28, 2026

Source-reported results and external checks are separate from independent OpenMath assessment.

Revision & attribution

Source revision: v1. Observed Oct 14, 2026.

Peters credits GPT-5.6 Sol Ultra with finding the reduction, Claude Fable 5 with part of the simplification, and his own mathematical simplification and manuscript writing.

History

Statement versions

Statement versions and problem publication versions are separate. A new publication can update context or sources while retaining the same statement.

Assessment history · 1

Assessments retained in these publication records. Earlier statement versions retain their own source histories.

Record details
Claim ID
claim-kemeny-fixed-voters
Statement version
1
SHA-256
b322363e7ca0aaa88d4f33c967a76a2cdb746c070a464158c6878518e03cb4ea

Publication records