Questions tagged [voting]

To be used in relation to questions about the process in which a representative democracy elects its representatives, including how they are physically counted. Not to be used for questions about how the votes are scored, which are covered under the [voting-systems] tag.

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12 votes
6 answers
2k views

Is it possible to expand voting right by ordinary legislation provided that there is no explicit constitutional restriction?

I have noticed that while many constitutions guarantee voting rights for its citizens, these provisions are often phrased in a way that does not preclude expanding such right to people beyond the ...
4 votes
4 answers
220 views

What is an example of a political process in which every person’s vote amounts to something?

One of the most common grievances against elections is that it doesn’t matter if you vote because it won’t make a difference how the world is or significantly sway the outcome of an election. What is ...
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3 votes
2 answers
143 views

Requirements for citizens living outside the US to vote in elections

In the United States, people who are not residents of individual states cannot vote in federal elections for President, Senators, and Representatives. However, US troops stationed overseas are allowed ...
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6 votes
1 answer
135 views

Which countries allow MPs to vote by proxy?

According to this article, an MP can vote by proxy in the UK: (..) the Commons has reverted to its usual rules and processes for voting, meaning that divisions take place in person with proxy votes ...
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2 votes
3 answers
209 views

What is the significance of the non-dictatorship principle in Arrow's theorem, and does this example fit the definition of a dictator? [duplicate]

Arrow's non-dictatorship principle states that "no single voter possesses the power to always determine the group's preference." I am unsure if I am missing some nuance from this definition, ...
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23 votes
8 answers
4k views

As a voter in a democratic country, how can I influence a single issue?

If I am a regular citizen in a democratic country, I exercise my political power by voting (somehow) for regional leaders and the national leader. If I agree with all the positions of a particular ...
  • 1,436
28 votes
3 answers
4k views

Why would voting for a US House Speaker candidate from a majority party be "taboo" and punishable if you're a member of a minority party?

If I'm a US House representative and a member of the numerical minority party, and the majority party is struggling to get consensus on a candidate for House Speaker that I find particularly ...
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5 votes
1 answer
88 views

What was the median difference between governor and Senate results in 2022?

I am curious about what the effect of split-ticket voting is/was in 2022. There appears to have been a decent amount of it when Warnock put the Senate election into a runoff and Brian Kemp won almost ...
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11 votes
2 answers
1k views

Can I Vote Via Absentee Ballot in the 2022 Georgia Run-Off Election?

The senate race between Raphael Warnock and Hershel Walker is projected to go to a run-off election, to be held sometime in December. I did not vote in yesterday's election. I am eligible to vote in ...
  • 211
7 votes
1 answer
2k views

Are there an unusual number of statistical ties in politics, and if so, why?

Presumably in a large sample (here being cases, not people), some will be statistical ties and some not. For example, the senate is in a statistical tie, as is Pennsylvania and Brazil, and many others,...
4 votes
1 answer
104 views

How are party presidents elected in India?

Who is eligible to vote for a party president in India? Take, for example, the Indian National Congress. The Indian Express says: Outgoing Congress president Sonia Gandhi visited party chief-elect ...
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8 votes
5 answers
2k views

Do parliamentary systems necessarily have episodes when replacement leaders can assume and keep power with very limited popular mandates and appeal?

Note: this isn't a dig at UK govt or promoting other systems. Not even all that much at Truss - I'll add another PM from a different ideological lean if representative of issue. Just a question ...
20 votes
10 answers
8k views

Traditionally, and currently, what stops human vote counters from altering ballots to make them 'Spoilt / Invalid votes?

Traditionally, and currently, what stops human vote counters from altering ballots to make them 'Spoilt / Invalid votes' ? Referring to - Spoilt vote / Invalid vote So if a theoretically dishonest ...
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-5 votes
2 answers
144 views

How prevalent is AI in electoral counting in different countries, or why is it not more prevalent?

How prevalent is AI in electoral counting in different countries, or why is it not more prevalent ? I see an ideal electoral counting system as one using both AI and human counters At each human ...
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3 votes
5 answers
2k views

Is there a constitutional contradiction to prohibit discrimination based on nationality while restricting voting right based on nationality?

Many countries have constitutional provisions which prohibit discrimination based on certain characteristics (i.e. age, nationality, etc) while also - within the same constitution - having ...
2 votes
1 answer
100 views

How can we identify if a certain political strategy led to the popularity of a party?

Suppose there is a political party X with a set of policies Y, how could we identify from the set of policies y, those policy which led to popularity of a party? The motivation for the question was ...
11 votes
2 answers
627 views

Did the 2022 Alaska congressional special election have a Condorcet winner?

Does anyone know if Begich may have been the Condorcet winner? Nic Tideman emailed me a few days ago, asking me this question. I sure as hell do not know unless we can get the records of the ...
-5 votes
4 answers
333 views

Why are non-voters taxed?

One of the major criticisms of the British government that led to the American War for Independence was "taxation without representation." Why are people who are not eligible to vote taxed? ...
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1 vote
2 answers
121 views

What can I do if the candidates running in local/State elections do not have a opinion on the issues I care about? [closed]

What can I do if the candidates running in local/State elections do not have a opinion on the issues I care about? I still want to cast a meaningful vote on the candidate most likely caring about my ...
3 votes
1 answer
178 views

Are monarchies like Kuwait authoritarian, autocratic, constitutional monarchies, or mixed political systems?

I am trying to find a clear conceptual difference in terms of how different monarchies are defined or classified. For example, let's consider three countries with monarchies: Kuwait, UAE, and Norway. ...
6 votes
0 answers
147 views

How do US states maintain a secret ballot using Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail?

How have US states implemented Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail in their voting systems? In particular, how is the secrecy of votes insured? I note that it would be compromised if bulletins where ...
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4 votes
0 answers
78 views

Does allowing Commonwealth citizens to vote in UK elections have any practical impact on those elections?

Commonwealth citizens resident in the UK are generally allowed to vote in UK elections, even if they aren't British citizens. There's been some controversy over this provision. For example, Migration ...
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-8 votes
2 answers
240 views

What is the point in having a democracy if it is unable to elect the smartest people? [closed]

Check this answer: https://politics.stackexchange.com/a/11185/32479 The government is supposed to be representative of its people. If the people are a bunch of idiots then the government should ...
5 votes
1 answer
161 views

How does Brazil ensure their voters know which electoral candidate corresponds to which number?

In Brazil, voting is done with electronic voting machines that resemble telephone panels. Voters key in the number of their preferred candidate, and the machine logs the result. While this voting ...
6 votes
1 answer
169 views

How often have a same pair of candidates from the two major parties faced off in multiple Senate or House elections?

In CA–27, Republican Mike Garcia and Democrat Christy Smith have once again advanced to the general election. This marks their third straight match-up, following the CA–25 special election on May 12, ...
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7 votes
2 answers
189 views

Why don't governments publish raw IRV/STV election data, rather than summary statistics?

We're in the middle of a Federal election here in Australia, and many of us have been following the ABC news reports enthusiastically. This has me wondering, why is it that we must turn to the ABC ...
4 votes
1 answer
293 views

Counties Democrats and Republicans never won on any statewide level since 2016?

A lot of people talk about blue counties and red states and counties. But I want to know how consistently blue or red different counties are. This is especially relevant given how different governor ...
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2 votes
1 answer
76 views

What is the basis on which expats are allowed to vote in their home countries? [duplicate]

Despite being an expat (having a long-term permanent residence in a another country and not paying any taxes or similar obligations back in my country of citizenship), I still have the right to vote ...
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2 votes
1 answer
253 views

What management structure permits democratically elected managers or bosses?

Has anyone performed an abstract analysis of management structures, almost like what game theory is to games? And which management structure permits democratic elections, which is a political process, ...
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16 votes
2 answers
867 views

Who are the "international observers" at elections to determine if they are free and fair?

We often hear that "international observers" deemed that certain elections were fair or unfair. But who exactly are the groups or people among these international observers and who chooses ...
0 votes
3 answers
344 views

Evidence of widespread voter fraud stemming from absentee ballots

This article makes the claim that voter fraud stemming from absentee ballots could have had a major impact on the recent California recall election. Is there any evidence from this election or others ...
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4 votes
1 answer
94 views

Does annexation of eastern regions of Ukraine impact elections [closed]

I believe it's established that the eastern parts of Ukraine are more pro-Russia than the western parts. (please correct me if I misunderstood that) Does the annexation of Crimea and the potential ...
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4 votes
0 answers
111 views

Are there elections where the result tally is made public before the election is complete?

The usual way of conducting elections is to start counting votes after the polls are closed or at least to only start announcing results after the last voter has cast their vote. There’s always some ...
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0 votes
1 answer
244 views

What accounts for the high support for the official position in Cuban referenda?

In Cuba, there have been several national referenda or petitions on major constitutional or governmental matters which have been reported to have extremely high support for the "official" ...
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3 votes
2 answers
95 views

What is the lowest number/percentage of votes technically required to form a government in a list PR system?

In a totally hypothetical scenario, what is the lowest number/percentage of votes required to form a government in a democratic list Proportional representation system? Assume there are no artificial ...
-5 votes
2 answers
295 views

Why do Democrats make a big deal about new voting restrictions if research suggests they may backfire?

In previous elections, Democrats such as Stacey Abrams publicly said that the election system was being rigged against them by certain laws. While they put together a persuasive case, there is also ...
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9 votes
1 answer
239 views

Is it better to vote for underdog or second candidate in order to lower the top candidate chances?

In Czech Republic there will be parliament elections soon. There are two major coalitions which have similar chance of winning (lets call them A and B). I prefer the B wins, even though I don't align ...
  • 201
6 votes
1 answer
285 views

Can this paradox happen in single transferable vote?

Suppose we conduct a single transferable vote election and everyone has given their ranked preference of candidates. If we use these votes to elect three candidates, we get candidates A, B, and C. If ...
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3 votes
0 answers
43 views

Under post-1946 TWP-rule, roughly what percentage of adult Liberians could effectively vote?

I'm trying to understand (in a nutshell) how it came be that The nation was virtually governed as a one-party state under the TWP, although opposition parties were never outlawed. while at the same ...
  • 126k
3 votes
1 answer
416 views

Is there research to support the claim that "expanding the electorate" is an unworkable strategy?

Bernie Sanders claimed that "expanding the electorate" is a viable strategy for winning the 2020 presidential election. Even more importantly, they could prove Sanders’s theory of winning ...
-4 votes
1 answer
86 views

What are the best choices of voting systems for a relatively small number of voters [closed]

Ranked choice with 4-5 options doesn't really seem to work / can be easily gamed with 4-5 voters. What options give the best way to ensuring more people are happy with the result?
9 votes
2 answers
3k views

Can Democratic politicians vote in Texas while they're arrested?

Texas governor Greg Abbott has said that the Democrat politicians who refuse to allow a quorum to be formed, thereby blocking legislation, will be arrested. But can the Democratic politicians form a ...
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4 votes
0 answers
80 views

Is there any research about the number of people potentially affected by voting bills? [closed]

I've read that Texas and some other states are passing restrictive voting laws. Citation from Texas Tribune: The bill includes proposals to ban drive-thru and 24-hour voting options like those ...
  • 11.7k
14 votes
2 answers
430 views

Who is the Condorcet winner of NYC's 2021 mayoral Democratic primary?

The 2021 mayoral primary in New York City was done using Instant Runoff Voting ("Ranked Choice Voting"). This system does not necessarily elect the Condorcet winner, if one exists. (The ...
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0 votes
1 answer
201 views

Would a member of Congress be able to legally cast a vote via Zoom if they were away?

This could be a good defense against coups because representatives and senators could vote on issues even if a violent group took over the Capitol.
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3 votes
1 answer
241 views

Do gun permits that can be used as voter ID all have a photo?

Some types of identification have photographs (e.g. driver's licenses), whereas others do not (e.g. Social Security cards). This answer has a nice graph that shows that over recent years, not only ...
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3 votes
2 answers
745 views

Why was 2020 a depolarization election?

A lot of attention was given to the fact that Trump did better with Democratic leaning groups especially Hispanics, while Biden did better with Republican leaning groups like married men and ...
  • 11.8k
1 vote
1 answer
265 views

"Shut out" districts in 2021's NYC Republican mayoral primary -- how did they vote in the Democratic primary and 2020 presidential race combined?

Looking at the 2021 mayoral election, I have seen more shut-out precincts in the NYC mayoral primary than in other elections in this city. I understand there are caveats to talking about the shut out ...
  • 11.8k
6 votes
1 answer
1k views

Why aren't state and federal prisons forced to allow prison inmates to vote at least in federal elections?

Someone claimed that current prisoners are allowed to run for federal offices like the House of Representatives and fact checkers said that was true. We are not talking about people released but ...
  • 11.8k
2 votes
1 answer
173 views

If the US congress extended the Section 5 preclearance requirement in the Voting Rights act another 25 years in 2006, why might it not apply in 2020?

Wikipedia's Voting Rights Act of 1965; Amendments says: Congress enacted major amendments to the Act in 1970, 1975, 1982, 1992, and 2006. Each amendment coincided with an impending expiration of some ...
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