A Strategy and Honesty Based Comparison of Preferential Ballot Voting Methods

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of various preferential ballot voting systems based on the idea that voters should be encouraged to vote honestly and independently of the other votes cast. Random votes are simulated in three and four candidate elections with N voters, while a block of votes of size b, all of which are all the same, represents the votes of a subset of the electorate with a given preference. Given b and N, we examine the likelihood P that, for a variety of voting methods, it benefits this body of voters to cast a block of votes that does not represent their true preferences. We then view P as a function of the single variable b/  N, and compare the function P for various preferential ballot voting methods, noting which methods are more likely to encourage dishonest or strategic voting under different circumstances.