Voting Methods Team

What You Will Find on This Webpage

1. How do voting methods differ?
2. Why adopt a different voting method?
3. Why use a proportional voting method?
4. Ongoing team projects 
5. Our library of resources
6. Recent highlights

Our separate Library of Resources page contains many resources and links to supplement this page, as well as detailed information about voting methods mentioned on this page.

How Do Voting Methods Differ?

Voting methods offer different ways for you to express your preferences.

The ballot styles below show how they differ physically. The voting instructions are different, and they sometimes differ in the way the votes are counted. Some of the multi-winner versions help to achieve proportional representation. The most common voting method, in which the candidate(s) with the most votes win seats, is called “Plurality.”

Plurality Ballots

Vote for as many candidates as there are seats to fill.

In both single-winner Plurality and multi-winner Block Plurality, the candidate(s) with the most votes win.

An Approval Ballot

Both single-winner and multi-winner formats
Vote for as many as you favor

In single-winner Approval Voting, the candidate with the most votes wins.
Proportional Approval Voting uses the same ballot, with a tabulation process which ensures proportional representation.

A Score Ballot

Both single-winner and multi-winner formats
Score each candidate

In single-winner Score Voting, the candidate with the highest total score wins. Other voting methods that use a scoring ballot include single-winner STAR Voting (Score, Then Automatic Runoff) and multi-winner Allocated Score Voting (also known as Proportional STAR Voting).

A Ranking Ballot

Both single-winner and multi-winner formats
Rank the candidates in your order of preference

Voting methods that use ranking ballots include:

• Various forms of Condorcet Voting, where the candidate who would defeat all other candidates head-to-head is elected.
• Instant-Runoff Voting (the most popular form of single-winner Ranked Choice Voting)
• Single Transferable Vote (also known as Proportional Ranked Choice Voting)

Why Adopt a Different Voting Method?

Better voting methods

• Allow voters to better express their opinions of candidates — Plurality doesn’t
• Can yield more broadly acceptable winners — Plurality often doesn’t
• Reduce or eliminate vote-splitting which can result in an unpopular candidate winning — Plurality doesn’t
• Let voters support third-party candidates without fear of wasting their vote — Plurality doesn’t
• Incentivize more positive campaigning — Plurality doesn’t
• Encourage more women and minorities to run for office — Plurality doesn’t
• Can help achieve proportional representation — Plurality doesn’t

Here is more information about how Plurality fails in these areas. Better voting methods using voter approval, rating or ranking are the best way to ensure that an election represents the will of the voters.

Why Use a Proportional Voting Method?

Using a proportional voting method enables sizable communities-of-interest to elect candidates who better represent their view, in proportion to their size -- even if the community-of-interest is not a majority or plurality of the electorate.

When electing members of a multi-member body (such as a legislature or city council), changing from single-winner district elections to multi-winner at-large elections can eliminate or drastically reduce gerrymandering and the number of uncompetitive elections.

Plurality Block voting, as is used to elect the city councils of Boulder and Lafayette, runs the risk of only electing like-minded candidates from the faction with the most support, leaving large swaths of the electorate unrepresented.

The pie chart demonstrates that a proportionally represented council would reflect the voter-expressed preferences.

Check out our new explainer about Proportional Representation!

Ongoing Team Projects

• Educating the public on a variety of single-winner and multi-winner voting methods
• Clarifying that a ballot style can be counted in different ways – sometimes resulting in different winners
• For instance, all “Ranked-Choice Voting” (RCV) elections use a ranking ballot, but not all ranking ballots perform the RCV transfer of a vote for an eliminated candidate to a lower choice.
• RCV is an umbrella term for several different ways to tabulate a ranking ballot, and some RCV tabulation methods are better than others.
• Communicating the advantages of using multi-winner voting methods, including the possibility of achieving proportional representation
• Advocating for better reporting of plurality multi-winner council contests
  

If you are interested in working with us on improving our elections with better voting methods – we meet monthly – please contact us at vmteam@lwvbc.org. We welcome new participants, and you don't have to be an expert or even a League member.