This survey closed February 28. Click here to view the results. Feel free to explore the form and learn about the voting methods, but additional responses won't be analyzed with the rest of the results.
Try out voting for Chicago's mayor in polls using 4 different voting methods: the current method plus 3 popular alternatives. Please respond to all 4 polls so we can compare the results of the same set of voters using different methods. (Responses are anonymous.)
The actual election will take place February 28, 2023 (register to vote)(download sample ballot). This form will remain open until approximately 8pm on February 28.
Why alternatives?
In the 2019 Chicago mayoral election, 14 candidates ran (excluding write-ins). Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle advanced to the runoff even though two thirds of voters (66.5%) did not vote for either candidate in the first round: Lightfoot won only 17.5% and Preckwinkle only 16.0%. It was a historic election – but did the outcome really reflect the desires of Chicago voters?
Chicago's mayor is elected every four years in a nonpartisan election. With the current voting method, called plurality voting, you can only vote for one candidate; if no candidate receives a majority, the top two vote-getters advance to a runoff election.
The problem with plurality voting is that when there are many candidates, vote splitting can unfairly disadvantage certain candidates or groups of voters. Additionally, candidates can advance to the runoff with very low levels of support.
The 2023 election has 9 candidates running – fewer than in 2019, but still a crowded field with plenty of potential for vote splitting. Would alternative voting methods yield different outcomes? Would they paint a different picture of popular opinion and the degree of support for various candidates and policies?
Scroll down to learn about 3 alternative methods and try them out for yourself!
Additional notes
- Feel free to participate in these polls even if you’re not old enough to vote and even if you’re not a Chicago resident. If you have enough interest in Chicago to research the candidates and vote like you would in a real election, go right ahead!
- Please respond to all 4 polls so we all can see how the results compare among the different methods with the same pool of voters.
- Please submit serious responses – don't just fill in the form randomly to see how the voting method works. (Actually, feel free to do that, just please don't click "submit" afterwards.) Try to vote as honestly OR as strategically as you would in a real election held today using each method.
- Only submit this form once per person.
- If you have any questions or comments about this survey, please contact me (Sam) at samhyson@gmail.com.
- After the election, I will post results & analysis at samhyson.medium.com. (You'll be able to view preliminary results immediately after submitting.)
