Voting
Voting is the process of making collective decisions by means of submitting and then adding up individual choices. The choice voted upon is often a candidate for office, but the object of a vote can be anything, for example what kind of food to buy or whether a defendant is innocent or guilty. Voting can be formal, using ballots and specific rules, or informal using raised hands, shouts, or movement to indicate preference.
Choosing one or more officials or representatives by casting an oral vote or a ballot, a document that formally expresses voter's preference or preferences as to whom should be elected or whom the voter likes and thinks has best chance to be elected. Voting can also be used to decide on policy usually by a majority but sometimes a super-majority is required. In Republics and representative democracies, a portion of the population votes to choose representative government members.
Electoral systems, the procedure for converting votes cast into winners, vary depending on both the country and the political office. In many countries organizations work to reform the election system, usually to make it fairer and ensure that as many votes as possible are used to elect the winners.
In organizations and non-government settings, voting may occur in different ways: formally via a paper vote to elect others for example within a workplace, to elect members of political associations, or to choose roles for others; or informally with a spoken agreement or a raised hand or other gesture. In larger organizations, like countries, voting is generally confined to periodic elections.
All modern liberal democracies use voting by secret ballot to prevent individuals from becoming influenced by other people and to protect their political privacy. The objective of secret ballots is to try to achieve the most authentic outcome, without any risk of pressure, threat, or services linked to one's vote; this way, a person is able to express their actual preferences.
Voting often takes place at a polling station but voting can also be done remotely by mail or using internet voting. Voting is voluntary in some countries, like the UK, but it may be required by law in others, such as Australia.
Various types of ballots
Different voting systems use different ballot designs. Some ballots allow only one choice to be selected ; some ballots allow multiple choices to be selected ; some allow ranking of multiple options ; as many as are being elected in a multiple-member district ; more than one but fewer than are being elected in a multiple-member district. Most allow a voter to put just one vote on each candidate, but cumulative voting allows a voter's votes to be piled on to one candidate.With ranked voting, as used in instant-runoff voting system in some elections in Australia and the United States, and single transferable voting used in Ireland, Malta and other places, voters rank candidates in order of preference. At first, each vote is distributed to the candidate marked as the first preference. Later the vote may be transferred to a different candidate marked as a back-up preference. The vote is used for just one candidate at any one time.
In the Quota Borda System, the voters also cast their preferences, 1,2,3,4... as they wish.
In a voting system that uses multiple votes, the voter can vote for any subset of the running candidates. So, a voter might vote for Alice, Bob, and Charlie, rejecting Daniel and Emily. Approval voting uses such multiple votes.
In a voting system that uses a ranked vote, the voter ranks the candidates in order of preference. For example, they might mark a preference for Bob in the first place, then Emily, then Alice, then Daniel, and finally Charlie. Ranked voting systems, such as those used in Australia and Ireland, use a ranked vote.
In a voting system that uses a scored vote, the voter gives each alternative a number between one and ten. See cardinal voting systems.
Some multiple-winner systems such as the Single Non-Transferable Vote, SNTV, used in Afghanistan and Vanuatu give a single vote or one vote per elector even though multiple members are being elected in the district.
STV uses single ranked votes.
block voting are often used for at-large positions such as members of city councils.
Under cumulative voting, a voter casts multiple votes and can cast more than one vote for the same candidate.
The Condorcet rule is used in decision-making. The voters or elected representatives cast their preferences on one, some, or all options, 1,2,3,4... as in PR-STV or QBS.
Women's suffrage
Referendums
People can sometimes vote in referendums and initiatives. Since the end of the eighteenth century, more than five hundred national referendums were held in the world. More than three hundred were held in Switzerland. Australia has also held dozens of referendums.Most referendums are binary, a yes or no quetiton. The first multi-option referendum was held in New Zealand in 1894. Most multi-option referendums are conducted under a two-round system. New Zealand had a five-option referendum in 1992, while Guam had a six-option plebiscite in 1982, which also offered a blank option, for voters who wanted to vote for a seventh option.
Proxy voting
Proxy voting is a form of voting in which a registered citizen who can legally vote passes on his or her vote to a different voter or electorate who will vote in his stead. This is sometimes confused with liquid democracy.Solidarity voting
Solidarity voting refers to electoral behavior where voters cast their ballots based on a willingness to support others, share risks, or advance the collective interests of a group, rather than acting solely on individual self-interest or immediate personal gain. In the context of the European Union, solidarity voting has emerged as a response to multiple crises, such as the Eurozone crisis and the refugee crisis. Research on the 2019 European Parliament elections indicates that voters' preferences for "European solidarity," defined as the willingness to share economic risks and redistribute resources across member states and citizens, significantly influenced their voting behavior. In the United States, solidarity voting plays a role in the political behavior of racially minoritized groups. Research suggests that emphasizing experiences of "shared discrimination" can foster a sense of solidarity among Black, Latino, and Asian Americans, encouraging them to identify with a superordinate "People of Color" identity. While shared discrimination appeals may not always directly shift voting intentions, they can do so indirectly by increasing feelings of solidarity. Solidarity also functions as a normative pressure in workplace union certification elections. Research indicates that "workgroup solidarity," measured by the aggregate union attitudes of coworkers, is a significant predictor of an individual's vote, independent of their own personal attitudes toward unions. This form of solidarity voting is driven by subjective norms and the desire to "stand well" with coworkers, where individuals are motivated to comply with the behavioral expectations of their peer group.Anti-voting
In South Africa, poor citizens have conducted anti-voting campaigns. They made the structural argument that no political party truly represented them. This resulted in the "No Land! No House! No Vote!" campaign, which was prominent each time the country held elections. The campaign was supported by three of South Africa's largest social movements: the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign, Abahlali baseMjondolo, and the Landless Peoples Movement.Other social movements in other parts of the world also have had similar campaigns or non-voting preferences. These include the Zapatista Army of National Liberation and various anarchist-oriented movements.
Some of those who are required to vote merely spoil their vote. Others make a blank vote, carrying out the act of voting, which may be compulsory, without selecting any candidate or option, often as an act of protest. In some jurisdictions, there is an official none of the above option and it is counted as a valid vote. Usually, blank and null votes are counted but are not considered valid.
Voting and information
Modern political science has questioned whether average citizens have sufficient political knowledge to cast meaningful votes. A series of studies coming out of the University of Michigan in the 1950s and 1960s argued that many voters lack a basic understanding of current issues, the liberal–conservative ideological dimension, and the relative ideological dilemma that are important to understand when making political decisions. Studies from other institutions have suggested that the physical appearance of candidates is a criterion upon which voters base their decision. Voting advice applications can increase political knowledge enabling to cast informed votes.Religious views
, Jehovah's Witnesses, Old Order Amish, Rastafarians and some other religious groups, have a policy of not participating in politics and this extends to voting.Some religious groups, including the Assemblies of Yahweh, discourage or prohibit voting in civil elections on theological grounds. In the Sacred Name Broadcaster, Elder Jacob O. Meyer argues that Sovereign Yahshua did not participate in partisan politics and taught that His kingdom “is not of this world”.
The article frames believers as “ambassadors” of Yahweh’s coming Kingdom whose primary “citizenship is in heaven”, and therefore urges allegiance to Yahweh’s government rather than alignment with competing political parties.
It also distinguishes this stance from rejecting civil order altogether, stating that believers should obey civil laws and pay taxes insofar as such laws do not conflict with Yahweh’s commandments, while awaiting the establishment of Yahweh’s Kingdom under the Messiah.
Rabbis from all Jewish denominations encourage voting and some even consider it a religious obligation. The Catholic Church teaches that it is morally obligatory to vote.