Carry the Two
Mathematics and Voting
Sep 25, 2024
Ismar Volić, a mathematics professor and director at the Institute for Mathematics and Democracy, along with economics PhD student Victoria Mooers, dive into how math influences voting. They dissect the flaws of the current plurality voting system and propose preference ranking methods to reduce polarization. The conversation also touches on Liquid Democracy and the complications that arise from too much delegation in voting processes. Listen in as they illuminate the vital relationship between mathematics and effective democracy.
52:48
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Quick takeaways
- The podcast critiques the plurality voting system for failing to represent voter preferences accurately, often resulting in outcomes that don't reflect the electorate's true will.
- Alternative voting systems like ranked choice voting can mitigate the issues of wasted votes and vote splitting, enhancing the representativeness of electoral outcomes.
Deep dives
The Importance of Voting Systems
Voting systems are essential mechanisms by which individual preferences are combined to determine collective choices, typically in elections. The discussion highlights that the common voting system used in the United States, known as plurality or first-past-the-post, claims to reflect democratic choice but often fails to do so. This system allows candidates with less than a majority to win, exemplified by recent presidential elections where winners had less than 50% of the total votes. Such shortcomings reveal that plurality voting can misrepresent the electorate's true preferences and lead to a disconnect between the election results and the will of the people.
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