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Multi-Voting

Choosing fairly between many options

Have you ever felt short-changed because of the result of a traditional vote?

The democratic system of majority wins is usually a fair way to make a decision. So long as voters have sufficient information on which to make a choice, the system usually works well, just as long as there are only a few options from which to choose.

Do we nominate Mary or Bill as the team representative? Hands up of those in favor of Mary. 3 hands. Those in favor of Bill? 12. Great, Bill it is.

But what happens when the choices expand and each vote is then dispersed over a wider range? A winner emerges but there are many more people who didn't vote for the winning option than people who did.

Who should we nominate for employee of the month? Sara, Suzanne, Katherine, Joseph, or Charles? Sara gets 3 votes Suzanne gets 4 Katherine gets 3 Joseph gets 5 Charles gets 4

Here, Joseph is nominated by a hair, but only five people feel their opinions were taken into account. The remaining 14 people have had their choice cast aside like yesterday's news.

When there are many choices, simple majority rule voting is often not the best method for reaching decisions, if you want everyone to feel that they own the decision. Yet with idea sharing and brainstorming activities frequently taking place in workplaces today, voting is needed more and more. This is particularly the case where the decision is subjective, where different strong views are held, where many members of the group have power, or where strong commitment to the outcome is needed.

When group consensus is needed, multivoting is a simple process that helps you whittle down a large list of options to a manageable number. It works by using...(Sign in to read more.)

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