A system of voting in which voters rank a set of options or candidates. These rankings are then assigned points, with the first choice receiving as many points as there are options, the second choice one less, and so on down to one. The points are then tallied and the receiver of the most points wins. The system was proposed in 1781 by Jean-Charles de Borda , a French academician. This system of voting avoids the majority-preferred cycles that are associated with the simple majority rule of voting . While it allows a role for different degrees of preference, it is subject to the criticism that it is not “strategy proof.” Voters may find it rational not to vote according to their actual preferences, but according to strategies such as lowering the ranking of the candidate that most threatens their preferred candidate.
Dictionary of the Social Sciences. © 2002
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