The Power of None

Neal D. Hulkower and John Neatrour

SAGE Open, 2019, vol. 9, issue 1, 2158244019837468

Abstract: Borda with None (BwN) adds the binding option of “None of these candidates,†N , to the Borda Count (BC), differing from a method of Dodgson in the scoring of ties. The method incorporates the benefits of approval voting, which allows a simple yes/no vote on each candidate and avoids the disadvantages of adding N as a binding outcome to plurality voting. We prove that BwN uniquely satisfies five rational properties which can be viewed as potential axioms that provide a theoretical basis for the method. It allows individual voters to express a personal veto over all or part of the slate which could, with sufficient numbers, become a veto by the electorate. The power of none, then, is offering a voice to otherwise disaffected voters. We introduce a metric similar to one used in the Bak–Sneppen Evolutionary model, candidate fitness, a number between 0 and 1, which measures a candidate’s ranking relative to N . We illustrate its evolution with a hypothetical example. We examine courses of action if N is ranked in the first place. Using BwN to accommodate partial voting is proposed. We explore the general applicability of BwN. Finally, we address the practical considerations for introducing BwN.

Keywords: Borda Count; Dodgson’s method; Arrow’s Theorem; none of these candidates; Bak–Sneppen Evolutionary model; decision science; social choice; election studies; political science; mathematical and quantitative methods in economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:sagope:v:9:y:2019:i:1:p:2158244019837468

DOI: 10.1177/2158244019837468

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