13.1 PROJECT

WHO WON? IT DEPENDS ON HOW YOU TALLY THE VOTES

In Section 13.1, you learned about five different methods for tallying votes from a preference table and explored how the different methods sometimes lead to different outcomes. Now it's time to start thinking about who might prefer which method in which situation.

As a recap, here are the methods to tally votes from a preference table.

  • The majority rule decision means that the winner is supported by a majority of the voters; that is, more than 50 % of the voters rank a single candidate in first place.

  • The plurality method states that the candidate with the most first-place votes wins—majority or not.

  • The Borda count method assigns each ranking a specific number of points based on how many candidates are in the election.

  • The plurality with elimination method requires the winner to have a majority of the votes and uses a series of eliminations, if necessary, to choose the winner.

  • The pairwise comparison method pairs each candidate with every other candidate in a head-to-head vote count.

Let's compare two of the methods by analyzing the pros and cons of each. Here are some reflection questions to guide your responses.

  1. In what situation might a person prefer this method?

  2. Who stands to benefit from this method?

  3. Who is least likely to benefit from this method?

  4. What is a real-world example where this method is used? (This may require some internet research.)

  1. Select any two of the methods for tallying votes from a preference table.

    Method 1:      

    Method 2:      

  2. Describe an advantage of your chosen Method 1.

  3. Describe a downside of your chosen Method 1.

  4. Describe an advantage of your chosen Method 2.

  5. Describe a downside of your chosen Method 2.

  6. Give an example where a person would prefer one of your chosen methods over the other. State clearly which method is preferred from that person's perspective and why.