Multichoice Elimination Voting
Draft Example Ballot Based on the U.S. 2024 Election
Parameters: Single-Winner Election / Two Voting Columns / Voters First Instructed to Approve
Dear Voter,
This election is being held using Multichoice Elimination Voting, a voting system which enables you to both:
1. Approve more than one of the choices - so you can specify which of the choices you consider to be acceptable or are willing to settle for under the circumstances of the election, in light of what choices are on the ballot and how you think other voters are likely to vote; and
2. Rank the choices in order of preference, so your point of view is more accurately expressed and an "instant-runoff" procedure, as explained below, can be used to select the choice which best represents all the voters.
Before you vote, read everything below so you clearly understand how the system works. A fuller explanation, comparing different voting systems and including tips for voting, is contained in the booklet, "Multichoice Elimination Voting," which you should have received in the mail and is on the Internet at ____________.
Voting Instructions:
Column A: First read everything below so you fully understand how the system works, then in Column A mark an "X" next to each choice you would like to approve, as explained above. It is recommended that you approve at least one, but not all, of the choices. You may wish to consider the formula for voting in the booklet referenced above.
Column B: In Column B rank the choices, or as many as you care to but at least any approved in Column A, in order of preference, using whole numbers beginning with "1." It is recommended that you rank all of the choices, or at least all the ones you think have a chance of winning.
Note that your ballot must be consistent, with approved choices ranked the highest. So, for example, if you approve two choices in Column A then you must rank them "1" and "2" in Column B before you can rank any other choices.
Decision Method:
The rankings in Column B will first be checked to see if any choice is the Number 1 ranking of a majority of the voters. If so, that choice will immediately be declared the winner. If not, then the choice approved by the fewest voters will be eliminated from the race, and for each ballot on which that choice was the Number 1 ranking, all lower-ranked choices, if any, will be moved up one ranking (e.g., the Number 2 ranking will become the Number 1 ranking) and it will again be checked to see if any choice is now the Number 1 ranking on a majority of the ballots which still have a Number 1 ranking. If so, that choice will be declared the winner and if not then the same process will be repeated until one choice has a majority of the Number 1 rankings and wins.
If two or more choices were approved by the same number of voters and one is due to be eliminated, the elimination tie will be resolved as explained in the booklet referenced above.
Voting Statistics:
Note that all aggregate voting statistics will be made public after the election, so even if you think your No. 1 ranking is likely to win immediately you should still complete both voting columns if you want your point of view to be expressed in them as fully as possible. The voting statistics may be used as the basis for delegating funds or other benefits.
|
| Choices |
Column A
Approvals |
Column B
Rankings |
| Joe Biden |
X |
3 |
| Kamala Harris |
|
4 |
| Donald Trump |
|
|
| Gavin Newsom |
X |
2 |
| Nikki Haley |
|
5 |
| Ron DeSantis |
|
7 |
| Robert F. Kennedy Jr. |
|
|
| Jill Stein |
|
|
| Write In: Hillary Clinton |
X |
1 |
| None of the Above, Hold a New Election |
|
6 |
Discussion:
This voter wrote in Hillary Clinton and approved her, Gavin Newsom and Joe Biden in Column A. She then ranked them 1, 2 and 3, respectively, in Column B, and continued ranking choices with Kamala Harris, Nikki Haley, None of the Above, and Ron DeSantis ranked 4, 5, 6 and 7, respectively.
She did not rank Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or Jill Stein - perhaps having no preference between them, not knowing enough about them to have an opinion, or considering them minor candidates with no chance of winning.
Should Clinton, Newsom and Biden be eliminated from the race in the instant-runoff process, Kamala Harris will become the Number 1 ranking on this ballot in the next round of counting and the ballot could help her to win, but she will still not be approved in Column A. The number of voters who approved each of the choices, which is the basis for the eliminations, doesn't change after the initial count.
With this voter clearly being politically liberal, it can be reasonably asked why she did not also consider Harris an acceptable choice and approve her in Column A as well. There could be many reasons, of course, however if polls which the voter considered reliable were showing that only Biden and Harris had any chance of winning, it would be foolish for her to approve both. Voters always factor in the circumstances of an election when deciding how to vote, under all voting systems; that is the crux of the voting system problem which makes it insoluble using mathematics alone.
Note that the above presentation of the system is just one of several which could be used. The voters could be instructed to use ranking numbers in Column A, instead of Xs, and the columns could be switched so that the voters are first instructed to rank and then approve. A simplified version, which would require only one voting column, would be for the Voting Instructions to read:
"First rank the choices, or as many as you care to, in order of preference, using whole numbers beginning with '1,' and then circle the ranking number of the lowest-ranked choice which you would like to approve, as explained above. That choice, and all higher-ranked ones, if any, will be approved."
Then no further rule would need to be stated.
But that presentation might not convey the logic of the system to the voters - helping them to best see how they should vote - as well as the one shown in the example ballot above. Different electoral jurisdictions could choose different presentations, as long as the basics rules were adhered to. Ballot presentations could also include the consequences of not following the instructions correctly, which would be explained in the booklet referenced above.
Also note that while the requirement that voters rank every approved choice is somewhat debatable, the requirement that approved choices be ranked highest is necessary for the system to function properly - lest a dishonest voting strategy become a good bet under certain circumstances. A discussion of those issues is forthcoming.
And also note that the above ballot contains one line for a write-in choice - and the choice "None of the Above, Hold a New Election" - just to provide an example of how the system can accommodate such options. It would be up to the voters in every jurisdiction to decide which of such options they want to appear on their ballots.
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Copyright Jon Schultz 2025
All rights reserved.
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