Understanding the Different Types of Voting in Balotilo

The Simple Question

The simplest type of vote is the simple question, where voters must respond with “yes,” “no,” or abstain:

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

[ ] Abstain

Choosing Between 2 Candidates

When it comes to choosing between two candidates (or proposals), a single-choice question is more appropriate. For example:

[ ] Arturo Toscanini

[ ] Leonard Bernstein

Voting with 3 or More Candidates

Voting becomes more complex when there are three or more candidates or proposals.

If voters are only allowed to check one box, the election results can become hard to interpret. For example, in a vote to decide a leisure activity, among 100 voters, we might get:

Beach swimming: 40 votes

Mountain hiking: 25 votes

Mountain biking: 35 votes

In this case, should the option with the most votes (“swimming”) be declared the winner, or should we hold a second round with the top two choices (“swimming” and “biking”)? If there are a dozen options in the competition, will we need to hold multiple rounds, eliminating the lowest vote-getter each time?

Mathematicians have studied the different voting methods and defined criteria that an election must meet to be considered democratic. Not all voting systems are equal, and some are more democratic than others based on the criteria they fulfill. For example, holding multiple rounds does not guarantee that a candidate who can beat every other candidate will be elected. It may also happen that voters regret their vote, even after voting sincerely. This is why Balotilo only offers the most democratic voting methods.

To determine the winning choice in an election, it is preferable not to limit the voter’s expression to a single choice. You can opt for an approval vote or a ranked vote.

Approval Voting

Approval voting allows voters to check the boxes of the candidates (or proposals) they approve of. Returning to our previous example, the results could be:

Swimming: 40 approvals

Hiking: 60 approvals (25 + 35 approvals from “swimmers”)

Biking: 65 approvals (35 + 30 approvals from “swimmers”)

Here, voters who prefer mountain activities do not approve of the beach. However, among the 40 voters who favor swimming, 35 also approve of hiking, and 30 also approve of biking. The activity with the most approvals is therefore “biking” with 65 approvals, whereas “swimming” was leading in the single-choice vote. Depending on the type of response allowed (approval, single choice, etc.), the results can vary significantly.

Approval voting helps identify the most consensual options. However, it only allows for limited expression. For example, in a candidate election, a voter may hesitate to approve other candidates besides their favorite, as doing so could favor those candidates and potentially cause them to win at the expense of their preferred candidate. Voters are therefore forced to strategize.

In the end, it is not guaranteed that “biking” is preferred over “hiking” by a majority of voters. To avoid these dilemmas, ranked voting is more appropriate.

Ranked Voting

In ranked voting, voters express their preferences by ranking candidates (or proposals). An exhaustive ranking is not required. Voters can choose to rank only one or a few candidates. These will then be considered preferred over the unranked candidates.

For example, a voter might express a preference first for hiking, then for biking, and finally for swimming. Their ballot would look like this:

1st choice: Hiking

2nd choice: Biking

3rd choice: Swimming

Balotilo calculates the winner by counting the number of winning duels. The winner is the one who wins all head-to-head matchups.

The example ballot mentioned expresses the voter’s choices for three head-to-head matchups: they prefer “hiking” over “biking,” “biking” over “swimming,” and “hiking” over “swimming”.

Let’s assume that for each matchup, the final results based on all ballots are as follows:

Hiking 60 votes against Biking 40 votes

Biking 55 votes against Swimming 45 votes

Hiking 65 votes against Swimming 35 votes

The hiking activity is preferred over both biking and swimming. It is indeed the preferred activity by the majority.

In some situations, such as a group outing with friends, the goal might not necessarily be to choose the majority’s preferred activity but rather the one that will attract the most participants. Approval voting can provide a more consensual outcome. In the case of electing a person, however, the aim is usually to elect the candidate who is preferred over all others, often through two or more rounds, with the risk of the most preferred candidate being eliminated before the final round. Ranked voting, facilitated by electronic voting, allows for the election of the candidate preferred over all others, without the risk of premature elimination.

The calculation of winning matchups ensures that the candidate preferred over all others is elected.

Other types of ranked voting systems exist, such as the “instant-runoff voting” system used in Australia and India. Some voting systems use a point system. Balotilo does not offer these methods because they do not guarantee the election of the candidate preferred over all others or provide a consensual outcome.

Remember that ties can happen regardless of the voting method used. You should establish a criterion for breaking ties. For example, in national elections, in the event of a tie, it is sometimes decided that the older or younger candidate wins. The important thing is to announce the rule before the tie occurs.

Conclusion

When a choice must be made between three or more options, Balotilo recommends approval voting or ranked voting with the Condorcet method.