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Aims of the Institute

The de Borda Institute aims to promote the use of inclusive voting procedures on all contentious questions of social choice.

This applies specifically to decision-making, be it for the electorate in regional/national polls, for their elected representatives in councils and parliaments, for members of a local community group, for members of a company board, for members of a co-operative, and so on. The appropriate methodology is the Borda count or rather, its modernised form, the Modified Borda Count (MBC) or "Borda preferendum"; (it is also known as consensus voting). 

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FAQ on Inclusive Voting Procedures > What is a Preferendum? > What happens in an mbc if people vote for only some, or only one option?

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In a 5-option ballot paper, if I vote for only my favourite option, my favourite gets just 1 point.

If you vote for 2 options, your favourite gets 2 points and your 2nd preference gets 1 point.

If a third person votes for 3 options, his favourite gets 3 points, his 2nd preference gets 2 points, and his 3rd preference gets 1 point.

If a fourth person votes for 4 options, her favourite gets 4 points, her 2nd preference gets 3 points, her 3rd preference gets 2 points, and her 4th preference gets 1 point.

So, if you want your favourite to get the maximum score of 5 points, the best thing to do is to cast all your preferences.

In other words, your favourite (if stated) gets 1 point more than your 2nd preference (whether stated or not); your 2nd preference (if stated) gets 1 point more than your 3rd preference (whether stated or not); and so on. No one is forcing you to express all your preference, but the system encourages you to do so. And no matter how you vote, the difference is always 1 point; there is no especial weighting or any other form of bias in the procedures.

Last updated on September 19, 2008 by Deborda