View source for Voting

{{short description|Method to make collective decisions}}
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| footer = Clockwise from top left: ballot for [[2006 Panama Canal expansion referendum|a referendum in Panama]], ballot box for [[2007 French presidential election|a French election]], women voting in [[Bangladesh]], an electronic [[voting machine]] in Brazil, a sign at a United States voting location, [[election ink]]ing on a man's finger in [[Islamic Republic of Afghanistan|Afghanistan]]
}}{{Voting}}{{Electoral systems sidebar|expanded=Social and collective choice}}
'''Voting''' refers to the process of choosing [[Official|officials]] or [[Policy|policies]] by casting a [[ballot]], a document used by people to formally express their preferences. [[Republic|Republics]] and [[Representative democracy|representative democracies]] are governments where the population chooses representatives by voting.
The procedure for identifying the winners based on votes varies depending on both the country and the political office. [[Political science|Political scientists]] call these procedures [[Electoral system|electoral systems]], while [[Mathematics|mathematicians]] and [[Economist|economists]] call them [[Social choice function|social choice rules]]. The study of these rules and what makes them good or bad is the subject of a branch of [[welfare economics]] known as [[social choice theory]].
In smaller organizations, voting can occur in many different ways: formally via ballot 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 gesture like a raised hand. In larger organizations, like [[Country|countries]], voting is generally confined to periodic [[Election|elections]].
== In politics ==
In a democracy, the government is elected by the people who vote in an [[election]]: a way for an electorate to ''elect'', that is ''choose'', from several different candidates.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Voting |url=https://www.gov.uk/browse/citizenship/voting |access-date=9 June 2018 |website=gov.uk |archive-date=19 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190619080015/https://www.gov.uk/browse/citizenship/voting |url-status=live }}</ref> It is more than likely that elections will be between two opposing parties. These two will be the most established and most popular parties in the country. For example, in the US, the competition is between the Republicans and the Democrats. In an indirect democracy, ''voting'' is the method by which the person elected (in charge) represents the people, whilst making decisions. [[Direct democracy]] is the complete opposite, the people make the policy decisions directly without selecting a representative to do it for them.
A majority vote is when more than half of voters vote for the same person or party. However, whilst it is usually said each individual's vote does count, many countries use a combination of factors to decide who has power, not the at-large "popular vote". Most influential of these factors are districts that divide the electorate. For example, in the UK a party winning plurality in a majority of constituencies wins majority government, but they may not always have the most individual votes (i.e. they may have lose the popular vote but still win the seat count). (It is also possible for a party to win plurality in a minority of constituencies (but more than any other one party) and thus win minority government.)
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 (such as [[Electronic voting in Estonia|in Estonia]]). Voting is voluntary in some countries, like the UK, but it may be [[Compulsory voting|required by law]] in others, such as Australia.
=== Electoral systems ===
{{main|Electoral system|Social choice function}}
There are many electoral methods. The purpose of an election may be to choose one person, such as a president, or a group, such as a committee or a parliament. In electing a parliament, either each of many small constituencies can elect a single representative, as in Britain; or each of a lesser number of multi-member constituencies may elect two or more representatives, as in Ireland; or multi-member districts and some single-member districts can be used; or the entire country can be treated as one "at-large" district, as in The Netherlands.[[File: Swiss voting material.jpg|thumb|left|In [[Voting in Switzerland|Switzerland]], without the need to register, every citizen receives at home the [[ballot papers]] and information brochure for each voting (and can send it by post). Switzerland has a [[direct democracy]] system and votes (and elections) are organized about four times a year; here, to [[Bern#Politics|Berne]]'s citizens in November 2008 about 5 national, 2 cantonal, 4 municipal referendums, and 2 elections (government and parliament of the City of Berne) to take care of at the same time.]]
Different [[voting system]]s use different [[ballot]] designs. Some ballots allow only one choice to be selected (single X voting); others allow ranking or selecting multiple options ([[Ranked ballots]]).
Different voting systems allow each voter to cast a different number of votes - only one (single voting as in [[First-past-the-post voting]], [[Single non-transferable voting]] and [[Single transferable voting]]); as many as are being elected in a multiple-member district (multiple voting as used in [[Plurality block voting]]; more than one but fewer than are being elected in a multiple-member district ([[Limited voting]]). Most allow a voter to put just one vote on each candidate, but others allow a voter's votes to be piled on to one candidate.
Different voting systems require different levels of support to be elected. [[Plurality voting]] ([[First-past-the-post voting]]) elects the candidate with more votes than any other single candidate. It does not require the winner to achieve a voting majority, to have more than half of the total votes cast. In [[First-past-the-post voting]], when more than two candidates run, the winner commonly has less than half of the vote, as few as 18 percent was recorded in 2014 in Toronto.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Councillor Toronto Election 2014 Poll By Poll Results |url=https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/9021-election-2014-councillor-poll-by-poll-results.pdf |website=City of Toronto}}</ref> In [[Instant-runoff voting]], a candidate must have a majority of votes to be elected, although presence of exhausted votes may mean that the majority at time of final count is not majority of votes cast.
In STV, any candidate who takes quota (usually set at much less than half of the votes) is elected; others without quota (but with more votes than any other single candidate) may be declared elected as well.
Side effects of [[First-past-the-post voting]] include a [[wasted vote|waste of votes]] due to [[vote splitting]], a [[two-party system]] and [[political polarization]] due to electing candidates that do not support [[centrism]]. To understand why a race using [[First-past-the-post voting]] tends to favor less-centric candidates, consider a simple lab experiment where students in a class vote for their favorite marble. If five marbles are assigned names and are placed "up for election", and if three of them are green, one is red, and one is blue, then a green marble will rarely win the election. The reason for the green's lack of success is vote splitting. The three green marbles will split the votes of those who prefer green. In fact, in this analogy, the only way that a green marble is likely to win is if more than three-fifths of the voters prefer green. If the same number of people prefer green as those who prefer red and blue, that is to say, if one-third of the voters prefer green, one-third prefer blue, and one-third prefer red, then each green marble will only get one-ninth of the vote, if the green marbles each take same number of votes, while the red and blue marbles will each get one-third, putting the green marbles at a serious disadvantage. If the experiment is repeated with other colors, the color that is in the majority (if the majority is split among multiple choices) will still rarely win. In other words, from a purely mathematical perspective, a single-winner system tends to favor a winner that is different from the majority, if the majority runs multiple candidates, and if the minority group runs just one candidate. This minority rule success can also result if multiple winners are elected and voters cast multiple votes ([[Plurality block voting]]). But even if the majority is split among multiple candidates, proportionate results can still be produced if votes can be transferred, as under STV, or if multiple winners are elected and each voter has just one vote.
Alternatives to First-past-the-post voting include [[approval voting]], [[two-round system|two-round]], [[proportional representation]], and [[instant-runoff voting]]. With [[approval voting]], voters are encouraged to vote for as many candidates as they approve of, so the winner is much more likely to be any one of the five marbles because people who prefer green will be able to vote for every one of the green marbles. With two-round elections, the field of candidates is thinned prior to the second round of voting. In most cases, the winner must receive a [[Majority rule|majority]] of the votes, which is more than half. If no candidate obtains a majority in the first round, then the two candidates with the most significant plurality run again for the second round of voting. Variants exist regarding these two points: the requirement for being elected at the first round is sometimes less than 50%, and the rules for participation in the runoff may vary.
With single-round ranked voting, such as instant-runoff voting system as used in some elections in Australia and the United States, voters rank each candidate in order of preference (1,2,3,4 etc.). Votes are distributed to each candidate according to the first preferences. If no single candidate has 50% of the vote, then the candidate with the fewest votes is excluded and their votes are redistributed according to the voter's nominated order of preference. The process repeats itself until a candidate has 50% or more votes. The system is designed to produce the same result as an [[exhaustive ballot]] but using only a single round of voting.
Ranked voting is also used in a PR format. PR-STV is used in Australia, Ireland and Malta. Quota is calculated. In say a four-seat constituency, quota (if [[Droop quota]] is used) is 20 percent of the valid vote plus 1. Every candidate with quota (of 1st preferences alone or combination of first preferences and later preferences) will be elected. If a candidate has more than a quota and seats are yet to be filled, his/her surplus will be distributed to the other candidates in proportion to all of that candidate's 2nd preferences, in line with secondary preferences marked on the vote if any. If there are still candidates to be elected and no surplus votes to be transferred, the least-popular is eliminated, as above in AV or IRV, and the process continues until four candidates have reached a quota or are declared elected when the field of candidates is thinned to the number of remaining open seats.
In the [[Quota Borda system|Quota Borda System]] (QBS),<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Emerson |first=Peter |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/948558369 |title=From Majority Rule to Inclusive Politics: Electing a Power-Sharing Coalition |date=2016 |isbn=978-3-319-23500-4 |edition=1st |location=Cham |oclc=948558369 |publisher=Springer International Publishing}}</ref> the voters also cast their preferences, 1,2,3,4... as they wish. In the analysis, all 1st preferences are counted; all 2nd preferences are counted; after these preferences have been translated into points per the rules of a [[Borda count#Modified Borda count|Modified Borda Count]] (MBC), the candidates' points are also counted. Seats are awarded to any candidates with a quota of 1st preferences; to any pair of candidates with two quotas of 1st/2nd preferences; and if seats are still to be filled, to those candidates with the highest MBC scores.
In a voting system that uses ''multiple votes'' ([[Plurality block voting]]), 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'' (or ''range vote''), the voter gives each alternative a number between one and ten (the upper and lower bounds may vary). 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 per available position.
STV uses single ranked votes; block voting ([[Plurality-at-large voting]]) are often used for [[at-large]] positions such as on some city councils.
Finally, the Condorcet rule is used (sometimes) 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. In the analysis, option A is compared to option B, and if A is more popular than B, then A wins this pairing. Next, A is compared with option C, then D, and so on. Likewise, B is compared with C, D, etc. The option which wins the most pairings, (if there is one), is the Condorcet winner.-->
=== Referendums ===
When the citizens of a country are invited to vote, they are participating in an election. However, people can also vote in [[referendum]]s and [[Popular initiative|initiative]]s. Since the end of the eighteenth century, more than five hundred national referendums (including initiatives) were organized in the world; among them, more than three hundred were held in [[Voting in Switzerland|Switzerland]].<ref>{{in lang|fr}} Bruno S. Frey et Claudia Frey Marti, ''Le bonheur. L'approche économique'', [[Presses Polytechniques et Universitaires romandes]], 2013 ({{ISBN|978-2-88915-010-6}}).</ref> Australia ranked second with dozens of referendums.
Most referendums are binary. The first multi-option referendum was held in New Zealand in 1894, and most of them 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, in case some voters wanted to (campaign and) vote for a seventh option.
=== Proxy voting ===
{{Main|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.
=== Anti-voting ===
{{Main|Abstention|Abstentionism}}
In South Africa, there is a strong presence of anti-voting campaigns by poor citizens. They make the structural argument that no political party truly represents them. This resulted in the "[[No Land! No House! No Vote!]]" campaign, which becomes very prominent each time the country holds elections.<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 May 2005 |title=The 'No Land, No House, No Vote campaign still on for 2009 |publisher=[[Abahlali baseMjondolo]] |url=http://libcom.org/library/the-no-land-no-house-no-vote-campaign-still-2009 |access-date=3 November 2008 |archive-date=3 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080403141519/http://libcom.org/library/the-no-land-no-house-no-vote-campaign-still-2009 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=12 December 2005 |title=IndyMedia Presents: No Land! No House! No Vote! |url=http://antieviction.org.za/2005/12/12/indymedia-presents-no-land-no-house-no-vote/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425165902/http://antieviction.org.za/2005/12/12/indymedia-presents-no-land-no-house-no-vote/ |archive-date=25 April 2009 |publisher=Anti-Eviction Campaign}}</ref> The campaign is prominent among 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 similar campaigns or non-voting preferences. These include the [[Zapatista Army of National Liberation]] and various anarchist-oriented movements.
It is possible to 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 (together or separately) 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 [[Ideology|ideological]] dimension, and the relative ideological dilemma that are important to understand when making political decisions.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=June 2003 |title=Lupia and Mathew D. McCubbins, The Democratic Dilemma: Can Citizens Learn What They Need To Know? Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1998 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1541-1338.t01-1-00011 |journal=Review of Policy Research |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=343–344 |doi=10.1111/1541-1338.t01-1-00011 |issn=1541-132X}}</ref> Studies from other institutions have suggested that the physical appearance of candidates is a criterion upon which voters base their decision.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Greene |first1=Kesten C. |last2=Armstrong |first2=J. Scott |last3=Jones, Jr. |first3=Randall J. |last4=Wright |first4=Malcolm |year=2010 |title=Predicting Elections from Politicians' Faces |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/24116339 |access-date=November 2, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Graefe |first1=Andreas |last2=Armstrong |first2=J. Scott |name-list-style=amp |year=2010 |title=Predicting Elections from Biographical Information about Candidates |url=http://marketing.wharton.upenn.edu/documents/research/PollyBio58.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105055814/http://marketing.wharton.upenn.edu/documents/research/PollyBio58.pdf |archive-date=5 November 2011 |access-date=7 December 2011}}</ref> [[Voting advice application]]s can increase political knowledge enabling to cast informed votes.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://doi.org/10.1002/poi3.140 | doi=10.1002/poi3.140 | title=Research on Voting Advice Applications: State of the Art and Future Directions | year=2016 | last1=Garzia | first1=Diego | last2=Marschall | first2=Stefan | journal=Policy & Internet | volume=8 | issue=4 | pages=376–390 | hdl=1814/45127 | hdl-access=free }}</ref>
=== Religious views ===
[[Christadelphians]], [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], [[Amish|Old Order Amish]], [[Rastafarians]], the [[Assemblies of Yahweh]], and some other [[Religious denomination|religious group]]s, have a policy of not participating in politics and this extends to voting.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Leibenluft |first=Jacob |date=28 June 2008 |title=Why Don't Jehovah's Witnesses Vote? Because they're representatives of God's heavenly kingdom |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2194321/ |magazine=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Statement of Doctrine |url=https://assembliesofyahweh.com/statement-of-doctrine/ |access-date=20 March 2023 |archive-date=20 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320005654/https://assembliesofyahweh.com/statement-of-doctrine/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Rabbis from all Jewish denominations encourage voting and some even consider it a religious obligation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 May 2016 |title=Ask the Rabbis &#124; Are We Commanded to Vote? |url=https://momentmag.com/ask_the_rabbis_voting/ |access-date=20 March 2023 |work=[[Moment Magazine]] |language=en-US |archive-date=9 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209131600/https://momentmag.com/ask_the_rabbis_voting/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Catholic Church]] teaches that it is morally obligatory to vote.<ref>{{CCC|2240|accessdate=October 24, 2024|note=Submission to authority and co-responsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory to pay taxes, to exercise the right to vote, and to defend one’s country....}}</ref>
==Meetings and gatherings==
Whenever several people who do not all agree need to make some decision, voting is a very common way of reaching a decision peacefully. The right to vote is usually restricted to certain people. Members of a society or club, or shareholders of a company, but not outsiders, may elect its officers, or adopt or change its rules, in a similar way to the election of people to official positions. A panel of judges, either formal judicial authorities or judges of the competition, may decide by voting. A group of friends or members of a family may decide which film to see by voting. The method of voting can range from formal submission of written votes, through [[Voting methods in deliberative assemblies#Show of hands|show of hands]], [[voice voting]] or [[audience response]] systems, to informal noting which outcome seems to be preferred by more people.
=== {{Anchor|Voting methods in deliberative assemblies|Deliberative assemblies|In person|Assemblies}}In deliberative assemblies ===
{{main|Voting methods in deliberative assemblies}}
Some votes are carried out in person if all the people eligible to vote are present. This could be by a show of hands or [[keypad polling]].
[[Deliberative assembly|Deliberative assemblies]]—bodies that use [[parliamentary procedure]] to arrive at [[Decision-making|decisions]]—use several methods when voting on [[motion (parliamentary procedure)|motions]] (formal proposals by a member or members of a deliberative assembly). The regular methods of voting in such bodies are a voice vote, a rising vote, and a show of hands. Additional forms of voting include a recorded vote and balloting. The assembly can decide on the voting method by adopting a motion on it.
==Voting methods==
{{Redirect-distinguish|Voting method|Electoral system}}
===Paper-based methods===
[[File:Young woman's first vote. Cooktown, Australia.jpg|thumb|Young woman's first vote. [[Cooktown, Australia]].]]
The most common voting method uses paper [[ballot]]s on which voters mark their preferences. This may involve marking their support for a candidate or party listed on the ballot, or a [[Write-in candidate|write-in]] where they write out the name of their preferred candidate (if it is not listed).
[[Image:Kalpi israel 18.JPG|Ballot letters in Israel|thumb|150px|right]]
An alternative method that is still paper-based known as [[ballot letters]] is used in Israel, where polling booths contain a tray with ballots for each party running in the elections; the ballots are marked with the letter(s) assigned to that party. Voters are given an envelope into which they put the ballot of the party they wish to vote for, before placing the envelope in the [[ballot box]]. The same system is also implemented in [[Latvia]]. The system is used commonly in [[Open list|open lists]] or [[Partisan primary|primary elections]], where voters must choose a single party whose candidates they are allowed to choose between.
===Machine voting===
{{main|Voting machine|Electronic voting}}
Machine voting uses [[voting machine]]s, which may be manual (e.g. [[Voting machine#direct-recording voting system|lever machines]]) or [[Electronic voting|electronic]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Illiterate voters: Making their mark|language=en|date=5 April 2014|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|url=http://www.economist.com/news/international/21600162-teaching-those-who-cannot-read-how-vote-makes-cleaner-fairer-elections-making-their|access-date=20 March 2023|archive-date=5 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140405072308/http://www.economist.com/news/international/21600162-teaching-those-who-cannot-read-how-vote-makes-cleaner-fairer-elections-making-their|url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
===Online voting===
Some countries allow people to vote online. Estonia was one of the first countries to use [[Electronic voting in Estonia|online voting]]: it was first used in their 2005 local elections.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statistics about Internet Voting in Estonia  |url=http://www.vvk.ee/voting-methods-in-estonia/engindex/statistics |access-date=20 March 2023 |website=Vabariigi Valimiskomisjon |language=en |archive-date=22 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110322035819/http://www.vvk.ee/voting-methods-in-estonia/engindex/statistics |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===Postal voting===
Many countries allow [[postal voting]], where voters are sent a ballot and return it by post.
===Open ballot===
In contrast to a [[secret ballot]], an [[Open ballot system|open ballot]] takes place in public and is commonly done by a show of hands. An example is the [[Landsgemeinde]] system in Switzerland, which is still in use in the [[Swiss canton|cantons]] of [[Appenzell Innerrhoden]], [[Canton of Glarus|Glarus]], [[Grisons]], and [[Canton of Schwyz|Schwyz]].
===Other methods===
In [[The Gambia|Gambia]], voting is carried out using marbles. The method was introduced in 1965 to deal with [[illiteracy]].<ref name="BBC">{{Cite news |date=22 September 2006 |title=Gambians vote with their marbles |language=en-GB |website=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5369966.stm |access-date=20 March 2023 |archive-date=19 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190619082639/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5369966.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Polling stations contain metal drums painted in party colours and emblems with candidates' photos attached to them.<ref>{{Cite news |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=30 November 2016 |title=Gambia vote a roll of the marbles |language=en-GB |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/29/gambia-vote-roll-marbles/ |access-date=20 March 2023 |issn=0307-1235 |archive-date=28 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628153749/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/29/gambia-vote-roll-marbles/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="BBC" /> Voters are given a marble to place in the drum of their chosen candidate; when dropped into the drum, a bell sounds to register the vote. To avoid confusion, bicycles are banned near polling booths on election day.<ref name="BBC" /> If the marble is left on top of the drum rather than placed in it, the vote is deemed invalid.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Voting with marbles in The Gambia |language=en-GB |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=[[BBC]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-africa-38164870 |access-date=20 March 2023 |archive-date=20 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320004846/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-africa-38164870 |url-status=live }}</ref>
A similar system used in social clubs sees voters given a white ball to indicate support and a black ball to indicate opposition. This led to the coining of the term [[blackballing]].
== See also ==
{{columns-list|colwidth=22em|
*[[Class voting]]
*[[Cosmopolitan democracy]]
*[[Democratic mundialization]]
*[[Dollar voting]]
*[[Electoral fraud]]
*[[Electoral system]]
*[[Gerrymandering]]
*[[Mandate (politics)]]
*[[Opinion poll]]
*[[Political base]]
*[[Presidential election]]
*[[Proportional representation]]
*[[Psephology]]
*[[Ranked voting systems]]
*[[Redistricting]]
*[[Referendum]]
*[[Right of expatriates to vote in their country of origin]]
*[[Suffrage]]
*[[Right to candidacy]]
*[[Vote splitting]]
*[[Voter turnout]]
*[[Voting bloc]]
*[[Voting methods in deliberative assemblies]]
*[[Voting system]]
}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{Wiktionary|vote|voting}}
{{Commons category|Voting}}
{{Scholia|topic}}
*[https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/voting-rights-act-of-1965/sources/1388 An Excerpt From The Voting Rights Act of 1965]
*[https://core.ac.uk/search?q=voting Voting]
*[http://americanhistory.si.edu/vote/ A history of voting in the United States] from the [[Smithsonian Institution]].
*[http://dca.tufts.edu/features/aas A New Nation Votes: American Elections Returns 1787-1825] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725105911/http://dca.tufts.edu/features/aas |date=25 July 2008 }}
*[http://www.canivote.org/ Can I Vote?]—a nonpartisan US resource for registering to vote and finding your polling place from the [http://www.nass.org/ National Association of Secretaries of State].
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Vote|volume=28|pages=216–217}} This contains a brief history of voting in [[Ancient Greece]] and [[Ancient Rome|Rome]]; see also [[Electoral system#History|Electoral system s.v. History]].
* [http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/exhibitions/hist/elections/el_000_e.shtml The Canadian Museum of Civilization — A History of the Vote in Canada ]
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