We propose a family of novel social choice functions. Our goal is to explore social choice functions for which ease of auditing is a primary design goal, instead of being ignored or left as a puzzle to solve later. Our proposal, “BatchVote,” creates a social choice function f from an arbitrary “inner” social choice function g, such as instant-runoff voting (IRV), and an integer B, the number of...

We characterise multi-candidate pure-strategy equilibria in the Hotelling-Downs spatial election model for the class of best-worst voting rules, in which each voter is endowed with both a positive and a negative vote, i.e., each voter can vote in favour of one candidate and against another one. The weights attached to positive and negative votes in calculating a candidate's net score may be dif...

We have implemented a model of decision making based on the goals and relationships of agents in the domain of Congressional roll call voting. The VOTE program simulates voting decisions of members of the United States House of Representatives on given bills. VOTE not only makes decisions, but also generates a natural language justiication for its decision that takes into account both the views...

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Contingent Valuation panel recommended that a response category be included along with the vote in favor and vote against options associated with a referendum contingent valuation question that allows individuals to express lack of a well defined opinion. However, the recommendation did not include guidance on how to analyze such responses. In...

Despite all the methodological problems in defining the proper variables and methods to estimate it, an association between economic perceptions and vote choice or vote outcomes in the expected direction seems to be a regular feature of voting behavior. Nonetheless, there is important instability among elections and countries that tends to be attributed to methodological flaws or to contextual ...