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The Impact of Input Rules and Ballot Options on Voting Error: An Experimental Analysis
[journal article]
Abstract When election reforms such as Ranked Choice Voting or the Alternative Vote are proposed to replace plurality voting, they offer lengthier instructions, more opportunities for political expression, and more opportunities for mistakes on the ballot. Observational studies of voting error rely on ecolog... view more
When election reforms such as Ranked Choice Voting or the Alternative Vote are proposed to replace plurality voting, they offer lengthier instructions, more opportunities for political expression, and more opportunities for mistakes on the ballot. Observational studies of voting error rely on ecological inference from geographically aggregated data. Here we use an experimental approach instead, to examine the effect of two different ballot conditions at the individual level of analysis: the input rules that the voter must use and the number of ballot options presented for the voter's choice. This experiment randomly assigned three different input rules (single-mark, ranking, and grading) and two different candidate lists (with six and eight candidates) to over 6,000 online respondents in the USA, during the American presidential primary elections in 2020, simulating a single-winner presidential election. With more expressive input rules (ranking and grading), the distinction between minor mistakes and totally invalid votes - a distinction inapplicable to single‐mark ballots (1MB) voting - assumes new importance. Regression analysis indicates that more complicated input rules and more candidates on the ballot did not raise the probability that a voter would cast a void (uncountable) vote, despite raising the probability of at least one violation of voting instructions.... view less
Keywords
United States of America; presidential election; voting behavior; voter; experiment; electoral district
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Free Keywords
American politics; Ranked Choice Voting; election administration; election reform; voting behavior; voting experiments
Document language
English
Publication Year
2021
Page/Pages
p. 306-318
Journal
Politics and Governance, 9 (2021) 2
Issue topic
The Politics, Promise and Peril of Ranked Choice Voting
ISSN
2183-2463
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed