VOTING SYSTEMS: WHAT IS FAIR

CITIZEN ADVOCACY CENTER

VOTING SYSTEMS: WHAT IS FAIR??

LESSON PLAN AND ACTIVITY

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Grade Level: 9-12

Subjects:

Social Studies: U.S., State, and Local Government
Language Arts: Reading, Writing

Duration: 1-2 session(s)

Description: Lesson explores the plurality, cumulative and instant run-off voting systems and asks students to evaluate the pros and cons of each voting system and which one best represents citizens in a democracy.

Goals:

ISBE Standards:

1. Social Science

· 14A: Understand and explain basic principles of the United States government.

· 14B: Understand the structures and functions of the political systems of Illinois, the United States and other nations.

· 14C: Understand election processes and responsibilities of citizens.

· 14D: Understand the roles and influences of individuals and interest groups in the political systems of Illinois, the United States and other nations.

· 16A: Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation.

· 16B: Understand the development of significant political events.

2. Language Arts

· 1A: Apply word analysis and vocabulary skills to comprehend selections.

· 1B: Apply reading strategies to improve understanding and fluency.

· 1C: Comprehend a broad range of reading materials.

· 3A: Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization and structure.

· 3B: Compose well-organized and coherent writing for specific purposes and audiences.

· 3C: Communicate ideas in writing to accomplish a variety of purposes.

· 4A: Listen effectively in formal and informal situations.

· 4B: Speak effectively using language appropriate to the situation and audience.

3. Mathematics

· 7C: Select and use appropriate technology, instruments and formulas to solve problems, interpret results, and communicate findings.

· 8B: Interpret and describe numerical relationships using tables, graphs, and symbols.

· 8C: Solve problems using systems of numbers and their properties.

· 8D: Use algebraic concepts and procedures to represent and solve problems.

Objectives:

1. Understand that more than one type of voting system exists;

2. Understand the different voting systems;

3. Understand how these voting systems are used;

4. Use activities to understand the pros and cons of each voting system;

5. Solve problems using the different types of voting systems; and

6. Evaluate why our local, state, and federal elections utilize the different voting styles that they do.

Materials:

Voting System Handout

Advantages/Disadvantages Handout

Special Interest Group Cards

Instruction and Activity:

Who do you normally think of as the “winner” of an election? How did that person win? By a simple majority (getting the most votes)? By a super-majority (2/3 or 3/5 of the votes)? By a plurality (winner getting more votes than anyone else, but not totaling 50%, yet still takes all)? Another calculation?

First, we need to decide what are the most important criteria of a voting system. Then, we will try out different voting systems and see if the goals are met.

Have students brainstorm what they think three or four main goals of an election system should be:

· Decisive outcomes

· Fair Representation – a “real” choice

· Candidate competition

· High voter turnout

· Diverse candidates

· Good discussion of important issues

Several voting systems exist and are common throughout the United States. Below please find a description of each. Go through the definitions and examples.

The Types of Voting Systems:

1. Single-Member District Plurality Voting (Winner-Take-All)

Whoever gets the most votes, wins the seat. One vote per voter. Plurality voting is what most individuals think of as an “election.” It is a winner-takes-all approach to election systems.

2. Cumulative Voting

This system is based on multi-member districts. Voters have as many votes as there are seats. So, if there are 6 people running for 3 spots, each voter gets 3 votes and can allocate them however they want among the 6 people running. Candidates win by plurality. This system was used to elect the Illinois state legislature from 1870 to 1980. In 1980, the system was changed to Plurality Voting by a referendum of the people of Illinois (a vote of everyone in Illinois). Cumulative voting gives a greater voice to minority voters than they would have in a straight plurality vote.

3. Proportional Representation Systems

Based on large, multi-member districts. Each party runs a number of candidates equal to the number of seats in the district. Voters indicate which party they prefer on the ballot and the parties then get seats in proportion to their share of the total vote.

4. Choice Voting

Based on multi-member districts. Voters rank candidates in order of preference (1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, etc). The candidates with the most high-rankings take the seats.

Activity: Mock Classroom Election

Ask for 7 volunteers. They will be running for a mock election to choose 4 members to represent the class to Student Class Council. Each of the seven students should give a short speech on why they should be elected to represent the classroom and why they can best serve the interests of the students (give them a few minutes to prepare). The function of the student representative is to voice any student concerns to the teacher and principal and to lobby for changes in the classroom that the students might want.

Once the candidates have given their speeches, it’s time for the class to vote. First, the class will vote on a plurality system (candidates can vote too). Those 4 students getting the most votes would be elected. If there is a tie between two or more candidates, there will need to be a runoff round.

Next, try a cumulative voting system. Each student may cast four votes among the candidates however they want. If they really like one candidate, they can put all 4 votes on that person, etc.

Finally, try a choice voting system. Each students will rank the candidates for who they think should be 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th. Those 4 candidates with the most high rankings will win.

Variation: Divide the students (candidate and non-candidate alike) into special interest groups by handing out special interest group cards. One student can have multiple special interest group cards. For example, minorities can also be women who are small business owners. Other special interest groups can include individuals with disabilities, tobacco companies, environmentalists, developers, trial lawyers, etc. Try to proportion out the special interest cards as you think they would be in real life – 45% as women; 5% as individuals with disabilities, etc. Then, have the students perform the different styles of voting giving the interest groups a chance to discuss the candidates and their votes for up to three minutes before each vote. See how the special interest group dynamic affects the outcome of each vote.

Follow-up Questions

Which of the ways of voting did you prefer? Why?
Which voting method did you think was “least fair”?
List advantages and disadvantages of each method of voting (See Handout).
What would happen if we had an “instant run-off” system? Example: Three parties are the major players in an election. Two parties are the primary players, but the third party is trying to gain popularity. The two primary parties complain that the third party is a “spoiler.” If the third party candidate remains in the election, he pulls votes from the other parties. What if you could vote for the third party candidate, but if he does not garner a certain percentage of votes, your vote automatically gets transferred to another candidate of your choosing? Would this system eliminate the fear of a spoiler? What do third-party candidates add to an election? Does the fear of someone spoiling an election prevent people from voting for that person?

Voting Systems

Single-Member District Plurality Voting (Winner-Take-All) Whoever gets the most votes, wins the seat. One vote per voter.

Example: County District One has one seat open for County Board. Jeff and Linda are running for this seat.

Candidate	Votes Received	Winner
Jeff	150	X
Linda	121

Cumulative Voting

Example: In County District One, three seats on the County Board are available. Six individuals are running for these three seats. Everyone in District One gets three votes and can divide those three votes between any or all of the candidates.

Voter Candidate	Jim	Sally	Sue	Robert	3 Winners
Candidate #1	1 vote				1 vote
Candidate #2					0 votes
Candidate #3	1 vote	2 votes	1 votes		4 votes
Candidate #4		1 vote	2 votes		3 votes
Candidate #5	1 vote				1 vote
Candidate #6				3 votes	3 votes

Sally and Sue were able to coordinate and pool their votes to get their candidates into office. Robert was able to pool his votes together to vote his favorite candidate into office. Pooling votes can be helpful to give minority groups a greater voice.

Proportional Representation Systems

Example:

County District One has 6 seats available on the ballot. Republicans, Democrats, and Independents each run 6 candidates. Each voter votes for a party, not for an individual. Representatives from each party receive seats depending on the percentage of vote that they receive.

Republican	Democrat	Independent
James	Sally	Ralph
George	Lisa	Tim
Linda	Edward	Carol
Robert	Albert	Theresa
Michael	William	Carl
Lee	Vlad	Betsie
16.6% of vote 1 seat	33.3% of vote 2 seats	50% of vote 3 seats

Choice Voting

Based on multi-member districts. Voters rank candidates in order of preference (1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, etc). The candidates with the most high-rankings take the seats.

Example:

In County District One, 3 seats are available and 5 candidates are running. Each candidate is ranked 1-5. The top three candidates get the available seats.

Candidates	Trina	Dawnita	Mark	Avanelle	Tom
Candidate #1	2	3	5	2	2	Winner #2
Candidate #2	1	5	4	3	5
Candidate #3	3	2	3	1	3	Winner #3
Candidate #4	4	4	2	4	4
Candidate #5	5	1	1	5	1	Winner #1

VOTING SYSTEM ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES

VOTING SYSTEM ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

Plurality/Winner-take-all

· Fairness: Highest vote getter wins

· Best for 2 candidate races.

· Easy to build coalitions

· Losing candidates win nothing, even if they get 49% of the vote.

· In a 3 or more person race, over 50% may actually oppose the winner

· Not as many minority candidates can win

Cumulative Voting

· May increase minority representation because minority voters can stack their votes in favor of one candidate

· Voters have more choices

· Pretty easy to understand

· More competition possible and higher voter turnout

· Splitting votes not always best for representation. Splitting votes may cause candidates to lose, concentrating votes may mean losing a useful vote for another

· Harder to build coalitions

Choice/Preference

· Majorities and minorities win in proportion to their strength

· Easy to administer

· More candidates may run

· Harder to count the votes

· Like-minded candidates are competing against each other – primary and general election in one

Proportional Representation

· Legislature “mirrors” the preference of the population

· “will of the majority” better represented

· Can lead to legislative gridlock.

· Small parties may have too much power in the coalition

Source: Center for Voting and Democracy, http://www.fairvote.com

©Copyright 2004 Citizen Advocacy Center. All rights reserved. No part of this lesson plan may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior, written permission of the Citizen Advocacy Center. The Citizen Advocacy Center is a 501(c)(3) non-pofit, non-partisan community based legal organization. For information about the Center, or to make a tax deductible contribution, visit www.citizenadvocacycenter.org, call 630.833.4080. The Center is located at 238 N. York Rd., Elmhurst IL 60126