Voting

This document consists of two modules. The first studies a variety of multicandidate voting systems, including approval, Borda, and cumulative, voting, using a model which takes account of a voter's intensity ot preference for candidates. The voter's optimal strategy is investigated for each voting system using decision criteria under uncertainty (Savage regret and Laplace criteria) and under risk (e,..pected utility). Voting systems are compared with regard to the relative ease with which the voter can approximate his or her optimal strategy, the relative freedom of the voting system from offering superfluous strategies, and the empirical impact as determined by survey data. The second module is designed to help the user gain an understanding of how a simple theory of voting can be used to analyze strategic voting in Congress. It is noted that voting in the United States Congress is frequently strategic. A mode