VoteKit Lite is a browser-based tool that lets you simulate voter rankings and see how different systems of election would convert those preferences to representation. For most purposes, we recommend that you construct preferences based on two groups of voters (called blocs) that have different sets of preferred candidates (called slates). You will get to adjust how large the groups are, how many candidates are in their slate, how cohesive the groups are, and whether there are strong candidates.
Name your groups
First, give names to the two groups of voters (blocs). These names will also be used for their preferred candidate slates.
Group attributes
Group size
Set the size of each group and optionally their turnout rate.
- Bloc name Number of voters
- Green
- Purple
Candidate pools
Set the number of candidates for each group, up to a maximum of 12.
- Slate name Number of candidates
- Green preferred candidatesNumber of candidates
- Purple preferred candidatesNumber of candidates
Voter behavior
The impulsive voter setting uses the Slate Plackett-Luce model.
The deliberative voter setting uses the Slate Bradley-Terry model.
The Cambridge voter uses real voter behavior data from the Cambridge-Sampler. This behavior can produce short ballots. Note: This behavior profile must have two slates and two blocs, which must be aligned to the same groups. The second bloc will correspond to voting behaviors for People of Color in Cambridge, MA.
Voter cohesion
Cohesion parameters determine how voters alternate between the slates when they rank.
If the cohesion of group A is high, this means A voters are more likely to rank A candidates above B candidates. If it is low, they are more likely to "cross over" and rank Bs higher.
How cohesive is each bloc -- i.e., how consistently do they lean towards the candidates preferred by the group?
- Green voters
- Purple voters
Candidate strength
Candidate strength describes whether voters agree on the strong candidates within slates.
If you answer "yes", this means that voters tend to agree that a certain candidate comes first within the slate.
If you answer "no", this means the voters will tend to be more indifferent within the slate.
If you answer "unknown", then we'll pick at random -- there could be a consensus strong candidate, indifference, or something in between.
When voters from each bloc consider candidates from each slate, do they tend to view one strong candidate or are they indifferent between the options?
- In the view of Green voters, is there a clear strongest candidate among...
- In the view of Purple voters, is there a clear strongest candidate among...
Election properties
Choose the election system, number of seats, and maximum ballot length.
Election method
Run details
Name your run to identify later, e.g., Basic1
Please fix the following errors before running the simulation:
- Please provide a name for your simulation run.
- Please verify you are not a robot.
General
| Name | |
| Trials | 100 |
Groups
| Group | Voters | Preferred candidates |
|---|---|---|
| Green | 50 | 3 |
| Purple | 50 | 3 |
Voter behavior
| Voter profile: | Impulsive voter |
| Name | Voters | Cohesion | Strong Candidate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | 50 | Green: 100% Purple: 0% | Green: Unknown Purple: Unknown |
| Purple | 50 | Green: 0% Purple: 100% | Green: Unknown Purple: Unknown |
Election properties
| Election method | Single Transferable Vote (STV) |
| Number of seats | 5 |
| Max ballot length | 6 |