[EM] Repeated Balloting

[Steve Barney]

Donald Davison's "Repeating Ballots Standard" is anything but 
original. It has long been recommended by "Robert's Rules of Order" 
(see "Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised," 10th ed, 2000, Section 
45, <http://www.robertsrules.com/>). The section regarding 
preferential voting vs repeated balloting is included, below.

Since Robert's Rules recommends it, repeated balloting likely is very 
commonly used. I think the US Congress uses it in some cases. For 
example, I think it was used when no US Presidential candidate won a 
majority of electoral college votes. I seem to recall that the 
balloting was repeated over 30 times, in one case (I heard this on 
NPR during the indecision 2000 fiaso.) I imagine that those votes are 
available in the federal election records.

>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>Repeating Ballots Standard:  by Donald Davison
>
>     1) This is a method in which there is the possibility of repeat
>ballots, limited in number to the number of candidates on the first ballot.
>     2) On each ballot, the voter only cast one vote, no other choices.
>     3) Anytime there is a candidate with a majority of votes cast in the
>current ballot, that candidate is the winner and the election is over,
>otherwise the ballot is repeated.
>     4) No candidate is eliminated, but a candidate may withdraw before the
>next ballot.
>     5) On the next ballot, voters may vote the same candidate, change
>their vote, or not vote.
>     6) If there is no majority winner before the last ballot, the leading
>candidate of the last ballot is the winner.
>
>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

--

Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised
Excerpt from §45.  10th edition, 2000
pp. 411-414

§45                    VOTING PROCEDURE                    411

	Preferential Voting. The term preferential voting refers to 
any of a number of voting methods by which, on a single ballot when 
there are more than two possible choices, the second or 
less-preferred choices of voters can be taken into [20] account if no 
candidate or proposition attains a majority. While it is more 
complicated than other methods of voting in common use and is not a 
substitute for the normal procedure of repeated balloting until a 
majority is obtained, preferential voting is especially useful and 
fair in an election [25] by mail if it is impractical to take more 
than one ballot. In such cases it makes possible a more 
representative result than under a rule that a plurality shall elect. 
It can be used only if expressly authorized in the bylaws.
	Preferential voting has many variations. One method is [30] 
described here by way of illustration. On the preferential 
ballot--for each office to be filled or multiple-choice question to 
be decided--the voter is asked to indicate the order in which he 
prefers all the candidates or propositions, placing the numeral I 
beside his first preference, the numeral 2 [35]

412                    RULES OF ORDER                    §45

[1] beside his second preference, and so on for every possible 
choice.  In counting the votes for a given office or question, the 
ballots are arranged in. piles according to the indicated first 
preferences--one pile for each candidate or proposition. [5]  The 
number of ballots in each pile is then recorded for the tellers' 
report.  These piles remain identified with the names of the same 
candidates or propositions throughout the counting procedure until 
all but one are eliminated as described below.  If more than half of 
the ballots show one [10] candidate or proposition indicated as first 
choice, that choice has a majority in the ordinary sense and the 
candidate is elected or the proposition is decided upon.  But if 
there is no such majority, candidates or propositions are eliminated 
one by one, beginning with the least popular, [15]until one prevails, 
as follows: The ballots in the thinnest pile--that is, those 
containing the name designated as first choice by the fewest number 
of voters--are redistributed into the other piles according to the 
names marked as second choice on these ballots.  The number of 
ballots in each [20] remaining pile after this distribution is again 
recorded.  If more than half of the ballots are now in one pile, that 
candidate or proposition is elected or decided upon.  If not, the 
next least popular candidate or proposition is similarly eliminated, 
by taking the thinnest remaining pile and redistributing [25] its 
ballots according to their second choices into the other piles, 
except that, if the name eliminated in the last distribution is 
indicated as second choice on a ballot, that ballot is placed 
according to its third choice.  Again the number of ballots in each 
existing pile is recorded, and, if [30] necessary, the process is 
repeated--by redistributing each time the ballots in the thinnest 
remaining pile, according to the marked second choice or 
most-preferred choice among those not yet eliminated--until one pile 
contains more than half of the ballots, the result being thereby 
determined.  The [35] tellers' report consists of a table listing all 
candidates or

§45                    VOTING PROCEDURE                    413

propositions, with the number of ballots that were in each [1] pile 
after each successive distribution.
	If a ballot having one or more names not marked with any 
numeral comes up for placement at any stage of the counting and all 
of its marked names have been eliminated, [5] it should not be placed 
in any pile, but should be set aside.  If at any point two or more 
candidates or propositions are tied for the least popular position, 
the ballots in their piles are redistributed in a single step, all of 
the tied names being treated as eliminated. In the event of a tie in 
the winning [10] position--which would imply that the elimination 
process is continued until the ballots are reduced to two or more 
equal piles--the election should be resolved in favor of the 
candidate or proposition that was strongest in terms of first choices 
(by referring to the record of the first distribution). [15]
	If more than one person is to be elected to the same type of 
office--for example, if three members of a board are to be 
chosen--the voters can indicate their order of preference among the 
names in a single fist of candidates, just as [20]
if only one was to be elected. The counting procedure is the same as 
described above, except that it is continued until all but the 
necessary number of candidates have been eliminated (that is, in the 
example, all but three).
	When this or any other system of preferential voting is [25] 
to be used, the voting and counting procedure must be precisely 
established in advance and should be prescribed in detail in the 
bylaws of the organization. The members must be thoroughly instructed 
as to how to mark the ballot, and should have sufficient 
understanding of the counting [30] process to enable them to have 
confidence in the method. Sometimes, for instance, voters decline to 
indicate a second or other choice, mistakenly believing that such a 
course increases the chances of their first choice. In fact, it may 
prevent any candidate from receiving a majority and require [35]

414                    RULES OF ORDER                    §45

[1] the voting to be repeated.  The persons selected as tellers must 
perform their work with particular care.
	The system of preferential voting just described should not 
be used in cases where it is possible to follow the normal [5] 
procedure of repeated balloting until one candidate or proposition 
attains a majority.  Although this type of preferential ballot is 
preferable to an election by plurality, it affords less freedom of 
choice than repeated balloting, because it denies voters the 
opportunity of basing their second [10] or lesser choices on the 
results of earlier ballots, and because the ' candidate or 
proposition in last place is automatically eliminated and may thus be 
prevented from becoming a compromise choice.

--end