Unrepresentative electoral systems
Name(s):
Biased voting systems
Unjust voter registration procedure
Undemocratic voting systems
Incidence
In the 1980 New York Senate Election, a conservative receiving only 45% the vote won, not because the state wanted a conservative, but because of the 2 other candidates, both liberals, one received 44% of the vote and the other 11%. If there had been only 2 candidates, one conservative facing one liberal, it is highly likely (and supported by an ABC News survey of voters) that the liberal would have been sent to Washington.
Claim
The approval voting system often works against the majority-wanted candidate when more than 2 candidates are in a race. The voter aware of this contradiction comes to realize that casting a ballot for his first choice might mean throwing his vote away, so he comes to improvise a voting strategy chosen to minimize losses rather than to express his sincere choice.
Broader
Aggravated by
Strategy(ies)
Value(s)
Reference(s)
Type
(D) Detailed problems