Sequential Choice and Fund Voting
With sequential choice, the question is not one of a majority of votes but of a majority of points, which are calculated according to the order in which the voter ranks the candidates or alternative proposals. A candidate or alternative receives a point each time he or it is ranked ahead of a rival candidate or alternative by the voter.
With fund voting, the question is which of the alternatives on offer receives the most votes. They are all put to the vote in a single round in competition with each other, each voter giving them varying numbers of votes from his fund.
Fund Voting – the arrangement
Each voter has votes put at his disposal. They are paid into his account (or fund), an equal number for each issue to be dealt with.
Each voter stakes various numbers of votes on each individual issue – lots on issues he feels are important, none on those in which he has no interest.
In each issue, there may be two or more alternatives. The voter first decides how many votes he is willing to stake to secure the victory of the alternative he regards as best over that which he regards as worst. He does the same with the remaining alternatives.
The alternative that receives the most votes wins.
Those who supported the winning alternative have to pay the same number of votes as were staked by those who opposed it. An issue that everyone supports will therefore not cost anyone any votes.
It should be noted that those who support the alternative that wins pay only for what they staked on the winning alternative. Therefore, it is not necessary to add up the numbers of the votes which the voter has staked on all the individual alternatives to find out whether the sum exceeds his fund of votes. Unfortunately, people tend to assume that the voter has to divide the votes in his fund between the alternatives in a particular issue. It is therefore vital that this point is clear. In other respects, experience has shown that ordinary people are capable of using fund voting.
External links
The Sequential choice: the Gjábakki Road Construction Project
Lýðræðissetrið Demokratisentret Democracy Center Studies and Advice on Electoral and Voting Methods
is:Raðval og sjóðval
no:Radvalg og fondsvalg