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Election methods and political polarization

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  • Barbaro, Salvatore

Abstract

Political polarization poses a significant challenge to democratic societies. While much of the scholarly focus has been on the socio-demographic factors that drive polarization, this paper focuses on voting rules and their effects on the incentives for candidates to be moderate or polarizing. It addresses the question: Which voting methods most impede the success of a polarizing candidate? Through a comparative analysis of plurality voting, the Condorcet method, and Borda’s rule, we find the Borda rule to be the most effective at discouraging extreme platforms. In a generalization, we show that a scoring rule is more effective at hindering the success of polarizing candidates the more weight that it places on voters’ second preferences in the tallying process.

Suggested Citation

  • Barbaro, Salvatore, 2025. "Election methods and political polarization," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:matsoc:v:135:y:2025:i:c:s0165489625000320
    DOI: 10.1016/j.mathsocsci.2025.102417
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Elections; Voting rules; Political polarization; Scoring rules;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D71 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Social Choice; Clubs; Committees; Associations

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