Voting Method Comparison

There is no single best voting method. Each method prioritizes different criteria: simplicity (Plurality), majority support (Ranked Choice), expressiveness (Approval), consensus (Borda Count), or head-to-head strength (Condorcet). The best method depends on what you want the election to achieve.

Plurality counts only first-choice votes. The candidate with the most first-choice votes wins, even if most voters preferred someone else. Ranked Choice eliminates the last-place candidate and redistributes their votes until one candidate reaches a majority, ensuring the winner has broader support.

The Condorcet criterion states that if a candidate would beat every other candidate in a head-to-head matchup, they should win the election. Not all voting methods satisfy this criterion. Plurality and Ranked Choice can fail to elect the Condorcet winner in certain scenarios.

Yes. Different voting methods count votes differently. The same set of ballots can produce different winners under Plurality vs Ranked Choice vs Approval — this is known as the spoiler effect or voting paradox. This tool lets you see exactly how the method changes the result.

Fairness depends on what you value. Condorcet methods are generally considered the most mathematically fair but are complex. Approval and Ranked Choice balance fairness with practicality. Plurality is the least fair by most measures but is the simplest to understand and implement.