FAQ on Inclusive Voting Procedures > What is a Preferendum? > Can a preferendum be manipulated?
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In a 5-option preferendum on options A, B, C, D and E, if my favourite was D and my 2nd preference was B, then if I thought that B might actually win, I could give option D my 1st preference and option B my last preference. There again, as in any voting procedure, one can only manipulate (or vote tactically) if you know, or can at least guess, how everyone else is going to vote.
In a preferendum, this is very difficult. In majority voting, in contrast, because there are only two options, it is sometimes quite easy to guess how people are going to vote; in plurality voting (where you cast only a 1st preference [or an ‘x’] on a range of options, it is still relatively easy; but in a preferendum, where you have to know or estimate how everyone else is going to cast all of their preferences, manipulation becomes very difficult.Last updated on September 19, 2008 by Deborda
