EXPLANATIONS OF
SAMPLE ELECTION SYSTEM MODELS

USED IN THE ELECTION SIMULATOR






THE SETUP AND SAMPLE ELECTION BUTTONS

The sample election buttons in the election simulator load sample election data that have the following properties:

ELECTION SETUP

  1. RESET TO BLANK

    Clears the election grid of any previous election data so a new election model can be entered or loaded.

  2. NEW RANDOM CASE

    Election data generated in a totally random way, just to see what happens. There are two settings that adjust how this is done:

THE EIGHT

  1. 2016 REPUBLICANS

    This uses actual data taken from polls to attempt to simulate how people voted in the 2016 Republican primaries, and showing how defective election systems slant the vote.

  2. THREE STOOGE EX.

    This uses the model found in the web page OUR THREE STOOGE ELECTIONS. This page shows how 4 different ranking systems can elect 4 different candidates from the same votes the voters cast.

    Notice that each candidate column has at least one win.

  3. 2000 FLORIDA EL.

    Simulation of the 2000 presidential election in Florida.

  4. THE WACKY CASE

    I did everything I could to make a mess of most election systems:

  5. ONLY 2 CANDIDATES

    Shows how most systems are fair when only two candidates run.

  6. THE PEROT EFFECT

    How a minor third party candidate can change the outcome of an election without winning when an unfair election systems are used.

  7. 2016 NO PRIMARY

    Can we actually have elections without primary voting? Look at the various systems (especially the Independent Voting System).

  8. THIRD PARTY WINS

    A third party can win if a fair election system is used.

EQUAL SIZED FACTIONS TO SHOW BIAS

These show the biases in election systems when equal sized factions have differing numbers of candidates. The fair outcome in each case is a tie among all candidates.

  1. 2 FACT, 1-2 CAND

    2 Factions: One faction has 1 candidate, and the other has 2 candidates.

  2. 2 FACT, 1-3 CAND

    2 Factions: One faction has 1 candidate, and the other has 3 candidates.

  3. 3 FACT, 1-2-2 CAND

    3 Factions: One faction has 1 candidate, one has 2 candidates, and the other has 2 candidates.

  4. 3 FACT, 1-2-3 CAND

    3 Factions: One faction has 1 candidate, one has 2 candidates, and the other has 3 candidates.






THE VOTING CONTROL BUTTONS

The voting control buttons in the election simulator test the entered electorate values and parameters, and cause the election to be run:

  1. TEST

    The TEST button tests and corrects the values in the electorate table so all of the values are in the proper ranges for the election to take place:

    This also provides values to cells that have non-numeric entries.

  2. RESET TO DEFAULT PARAMETERS

    Sets 5 settings to the default values the Election Simulator opens with. These are parameters used to simulate approval voting, independent voting, and when to indicate a recount could occur.

  3. TEST PARAMETERS

    Tests and corrects the parameter values table so all of the values are in the proper ranges for the election to take place. This also provides values to entries that have non-numeric entries.

  4. VOTE

    VOTE actually runs the election simulation. It tests the values before it runs the election. It is placed so the results can be seen while the button is on the screen.

  5. RAN-VOTE

    RAN-VOTE has the effect of pushing the NEW RANDOM CASE button followed by the VOTE button. It is placed so the results can be seen while the button is on the screen.






RESULTS, PERCENTAGE, AND STATISTICS

This section covers the ELECTION RESULTS TABLE, the ELECTION RESULTS PERCENTAGE TABLE, and the STATISTICS TABLE:

  1. VOTE SYSTEM

    This shows which voting system is used for each row in the table.

    Look here for more on the Election Systems.

  2. INDICATORS

    Indicators allow you to see the electorate size.

  3. SCORE

    Scores are measures of voter satisfaction for the outcomes of each election type.

  4. SCORE COLORS

    These are indicators of performance:

  5. PERCENTAGES

    Properties of the percentages

  6. HISTOGRAM

    The histogram shows the distribution of how much voters like or dislike the winning candidate.

  7. HAPPY-SAD

    The histogram is used to produce the values for Sad and Happy.

  8. MEAN AND SCORE SELECTION

    The checkbox above MEAN selects the type of mean and score.






THE ANALYSIS PANEL

  1. The BUTTONS

    The following are the meanings of the buttons:

  2. The COLUMNS

    The meanings of the columns are:






THE SCRATCHPAD AREA

This section covers the SCRATCHPAD AREA:

  1. CALCULATED CANDIDATE RANKING TABLE

    This shows how the various factions rank the candidates.

  2. INSTANT RUNOFF TABLE

    This shows successive stages in the Instant Runoff and Iowa Caucus elections.

  3. CONDORCET TABLE

    This contains the Condorcet pairs used to count the election.

  4. INDEPENDENT VOTING TABLE

    This table shows the YES votes, the NO votes, and the YES-NO sums.

  5. VOTER UTILITY INDEX   (rangevoting.org)

    This shows the calculation of the Voter Utility Index (VUI).