Multichoice Elimination Voting
The Only Correct Method of Holding Elections?
by Jon Schultz
What is the best, most democratic way for a group of voters to select one choice out of three? With all of our advanced knowledge of math and science - and with all the rhetoric we hear every day about the importance of democracy - you would think that we would have the answer to that question by now. But in fact we do not, with elections being held in numerous ways and with there being competing movements to implement supposed reforms such as Ranked Choice Voting, Approval Voting and Star Voting.
Which voting system is used for elections not only determines their outcome but strongly shapes the entire political landscape leading up to them, including what political organizations exist, how many choices are on the ballot, how polling is conducted, which candidates are invited to debates, how the media reports on elections, and how susceptible elections are to manipulation by well-funded entities which can secretly sponsor or support candidates they don't really want to win, in order to "split the vote."
This website is about a voting system I call Multichoice Elimination Voting ("ME Voting"), which I very strongly believe, after years of considering the issue, is in fact the best, most democratic way - the only truly correct one, which doesn't have a fatal flaw - for voters to select not only one choice out of three, but one or more choices (in the case of multi-winner elections) out of three or more. Its implementation would make governments profoundly more democratic, I also very strongly believe, with far-reaching positive consequences.
ME Voting is a synergistic combination of Approval Voting and Ranked Choice Voting, employing the strengths of each to overcome the weaknesses of each. It gives voters the power to both approve more than one of the choices and rank them in order of preference so their point of view is more accurately expressed and an instant-runoff process can be used to select the choice - or choices, in the case of multi-winner elections - which best represent all the voters.
There are different ways the system can be presented, perhaps the simplest is for the voters to be instructed to:
1) Rank the choices, or as many as they care to, in order of preference, and
2) Starting with their Number 1 ranking, circle the ranking number of each choice they wish to approve.
There is one rule, that in approving, the voters can't skip ranking numbers. For example, if they don't circle their Number 2 choice then they can't circle their Number 3 choice (or the approval won't be counted). This ensures ballot consistency and prevents a dishonest voting strategy from being a good bet.
The number of voters who approved each choice is then the basis for eliminating choices in the instant-runoff process, should no choice initially be the Number 1 ranking on a majority of the ballots.
Which choice(s) should a voter approve? They should approve each choice they consider to be an acceptable one under the circumstances of the election, in light of what choices are on the ballot and which ones they think can win (as smart voters always take into consideration, when voting under any system).
Or, you could say they should approve each choice they are willing to settle for, under the circumstances of the election, if you consider an election to be a process by which the voters arrive at a compromise agreement - with compromise not being something that you should do, as a moral obligation, but something which you do for your own benefit, because you think you will likely get a worse result if you do not.
ME Voting thus embodies the wisdom of compromise, as opposed to the folly of an election being a winner-take-all fight which fosters polarization in society, and could help avoid civil wars.
For a fuller explanation see the article, "Can ME Voting Save the World?" - which needs some correction but is generally a good introduction to the voting system issue, imo.
If you would like to help with this project, write jon at mevoting.com.
ME VOTING GIVES YOU MORE POWER!
Copyright 2026 Jon Schultz
All Rights Reserved
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