by Adrian Tawfik
The first Democracy Chronicles Presidential Approval-style poll concluded on August 22 but we are starting a second one so that people can re-vote based on the information we all learned about the candidate’s winnability and the needed-compromise information provided by the first Approval poll. So we invite you to vote again in this new Approval poll using what you learned in the first. The poll can be found on the left column of this page below the Democracy Chronicles search bar.
Unlike the single-mark ballot in use today, an Approval ballot allows for the voter to choose more than one candidate to give their approval to. The basic idea is to avoid the situation faced today, where many candidates who are well liked do not get votes because voters feel a need to vote for a (possibly not liked) lesser-of-2-evils, the better of the two candidates perceived by voters as the only candidates who can win. In US Presidential elections, this usually means voting for one of the two major party’s candidates over a third party candidate: arguably leading to an unwarranted entrenchment of the established parties.
In a joint project with DC author Michael Ossipoff, Democracy Chronicles has produced a new poll that for a second time represents the 2012 Presidential election if it was designed with an Approval voting system. Voters are given a chance to ‘approve’ more than one candidate offering a chance for third parties to garner support.
Please take the brief moment to vote for your favorite candidate or candidates. It is a fascinating mental exercise and a truly revolutionary system despite the simplicity of the change.
If you are interested in reading more about Approval voting, please stay tuned to Democracy Chronicles for Mr. Ossipoff’s ongoing series of articles. We would love to hear reactions, comments or thoughts that you might have regarding the poll. Comment below or send us a message at our contact page!
There were a total of 71 recorded votes for the first approval poll.
- 4 votes are casted by registered users
- 67 votes are casted by guests
Here is our article that introduced the first Approval Poll on June 22, 2012 you can find at “New Democracy Chronicles Poll Demonstrates Approval Method“.
Michael Ossipoff says
Strategy Suggestions For Approval Voting:
1. Because you can approve as many candidates as you want to, there is no reason to not approve your favorite(s).
2. If a candidate is not quite as good as your favorite(s), then there is no reason to approve him/her, unless, otherwise, someone worse than him/her is likely to win.
What is likely can be judged by the results of the previous Approval poll. For instance, in that poll, the Republicans’ vote totals were at or near last place, and they weren’t even close to winning.
3. To make the best use of your ballot, and just because it’s interesting, why not check out, on the web, the party platforms, and what the candidates have to say. It makes voting more interesting, fun, and beneficial.
Michael Ossipoff