An undervote occurs when the number of distinct choices selected by a voter in a contest is less than the maximum number allowed for a contest or when no selection is made for a particular election. [1] Undervotes can be intentional or unintentional. [2]
An undervote can be intentional for purposes including protest votes, tactical voting, or abstention. In a contested election, an undervote can be construed as active voter disaffection: a voter engaged enough to cast a vote without the willingness to give the vote to any candidate. [2] Undervotes can also occur if a voter casting a ballot does not make choices in all available contests. An example is if, during a presidential election, a voter chooses a presidential candidate but does not select a candidate for a concurrently running election for county commissioner. [3]
Alternately, undervotes can be unintentional and caused by many factors including poor ballot design. Undervotes caused by voting for a single candidate in multiple positions is usually caused by a voter's misunderstanding of the mechanics of the preference ballot. [4] [2]
Undervotes combined with overvotes (known as residual votes) can be an academic indicator in evaluating the accuracy of a voting system when recording voter intent. [4]
References
- ^ "2005 Voluntary Voting System Guidelines". Election Assistance Commission. p. A-18. Archived from the original on 13 June 2008. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ a b c "WNT: Explaining the Undervotes". ABC News. 30 November 2000. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020.
- ^ Bump, Philip (14 December 2016). "1.7 million people in 33 states and DC cast a ballot without voting in the presidential race". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 14 December 2016.
- ^ a b Alvarez, R. Michael; Katz, Jonathan N.; Hill, Jonathan N. (September 20, 2005). "Machines Versus Humans: The Counting and Recounting of Pre-scored Punchcard Ballots" (PDF). VTP Working Paper #32. Caltech/ MIT Voting Technology Project. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
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