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(Adding link to File:Balanced Approval ballot.svg, and noting that it's possible for approval ballots to also allow voting against candidates.) |
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{{see also|Approval voting}}
{{wikipedia|Approval ballot}}
[[File:
An '''approval ballot'''<ref>{{Cite
Candidates that are selected in a voter's ballot are said to be ''approved'' by the voter; the other candidates are said to be ''disapproved'' or ''rejected''. Approval ballots do not let the voters specify a preference-order among the candidates they approve; hence this ballot is sometimes called an '''unordered ballot''' (in contrast to [[Ballot|other ballot types]]).<ref name=":0">{{cite arXiv|last=Janson|first=Svante|date=2018-10-12|title=Phragmen's and Thiele's election methods|class=math.HO|eprint=1611.08826}}</ref>
Approval ballots are used by [[approval voting]], [[explicit approval voting]], [[proportional approval voting]], and [[combined approval voting]], among other systems.
== Description ==
Approval voting ballots show a list of the candidates running for that seat for each office being contested. Next to each name is a checkbox (or another similar way to mark "Yes" or "No" for that candidate).
Each candidate may be treated as a separate question: "Do you approve of this person for the job?" Approval voting lets each voter indicate support for one, some, or all candidates.
Each ballot separates candidates into two groups: those supported and those that are not. Each candidate approved is considered preferred to any candidate not approved, while the voter's preferences among approved candidates is unspecified, and likewise, the voter's preferences among unapproved candidates is also unspecified.
[[File:Balanced Approval ballot.svg|thumb|right|It is possible to have ballot that allows voters to explicitly vote ''against'' candidates]]▼
== Example ==
In typical approval elections, voters may express support for multiple candidates. For example, if Alicia, Brandon, Charlie, David, and Eileen are running against each other, a voter may express support for Alicia and Eileen with the following ballot. <blockquote>Alicia☑ Brandon☐ Charlie☐ David☐ Eileen☑</blockquote>
== Usage ==
There are several [[electoral system]]s that use approval balloting; they differ in the way in which the election outcome is determined:
* In [[approval voting]], there is a single winner, and he/she is the candidate with the largest number of votes.
* In [[bloc voting]], (sometimes called "multiple non-transferable vote") there is a fixed number (say ''k'') of winners, and they are the ''k'' candidates with the largest number of votes.
* In other multiwinner approval voting systems, there is a fixed numbe ''k'' of winners, but they are determined by more complex procedures, in order to guarantee such properties as [[justified representation]].
Approval ballots let the voters express simple "yes" or "no" preferences (sometimes referred to as "[[W:Dichotomous preferences|dichotomous preferences]]")
== Ballot types ==
▲[[File:Balanced Approval ballot.svg|thumb|right|It is possible to have ballot that allows voters to explicitly vote ''against'' candidates]]
Approval ballots can be of at least four semi-distinct forms. The simplest form is a blank ballot on which voters hand-write the names of the candidates they support. A more structured ballot lists all candidates, and voters mark each candidate they support. A more explicit structured ballot can list the candidates and provide two choices by each. (Candidate list ballots can include spaces for write-in candidates as well.)
All four ballots are theoretically equivalent. The more structured ballots may aid voters in offering clear votes so they explicitly know all their choices. The Yes/No format can help to detect an "undervote" when a candidate is left unmarked and allow the voter a second chance to confirm the ballot markings are correct. The "single bubble" format is incapable of producing invalid ballots (which might otherwise be rejected in counting).
Unless the second or fourth format is used, fraudulently adding votes to an approval voting ballot does not invalidate the ballot (that is, it does not make it appear inconsistent). Thus, approval voting raises the importance of ensuring that the "chain of custody" of ballots is secure.
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== References ==
<references/>
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