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Same Ballots, Different Winners

by Anonymous · 0 · 🍴 0

🗳 Three groups ranked three candidates. Move only the group sizes, and plurality, runoff, and head-to-head voting produce different winners—without changing a single ballot. In the default setting, head-to-head voting goes in a full circle, so there is no “candidate who beats everyone.” 🧑‍🦳 Add a new candidate, and the winner changes even though none of their supporters wins. 🎯 At the end, choose how the votes must have been counted to produce this winner.

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About this app

Same Ballots, a Different Winner is an interactive civic-learning app about how election results depend on the counting method. Using identical rankings from three voter groups, it compares first-choice plurality, runoff counting, and head-to-head pairwise comparisons, including a rock-paper-scissors cycle with no candidate who beats everyone. A second activity shows how adding a candidate can change the winner even when nobody switches to the eventual winner, and a quiz asks users to identify the counting method behind each result.

Use cases

  • Students learning about voting systems and majority rule
  • Teachers demonstrating how electoral methods affect outcomes
  • Civic groups discussing election design and critical thinking
  • Anyone exploring voting paradoxes through interactive examples

Features

  • Compare plurality, runoff, and head-to-head results from the same ranked ballots
  • Display group rankings, voter counts, winners, ties, and eliminated candidates
  • Illustrate a Condorcet-style cycle where no candidate beats every opponent
  • Adjust how many voters move to a new candidate and observe when the winner changes
  • Answer a four-question quiz matching winners to counting methods
  • Complete interactive missions and track quiz progress