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Voting methods

Choosing a voting method means deciding how people express themselves and how votes are counted: simple majority or Condorcet ranking, number of seats, ballot rules.

Out of the box: simple majority, a single seat, no blank vote. These settings are chosen when you create the election, then frozen at launch and published on the public register.

What freezes, and when
The heart of the platform

Discover Condorcet preferential ranking

It is what Condorcet.Vote is built around: by ranking the options, voters bring out the most widely accepted choice, where a simple majority can be split.

Why rank rather than choose
01 · Voting mode

Tick one box, or rank the options.

Two voting modes, both ending in a complete ranking of the options. Vote weighting can be added to either of them.

Single choice (simple majority)

What it does
Each voter picks one option; the one with the most votes wins. This is the default mode.
When to choose it
For a yes-or-no question, an everyday decision, or when your bylaws call for a majority vote.
What it changes
The quickest for voters. But when several close options split the vote, the winner may have convinced only a minority.
In detail

With two options, simple majority and Condorcet ranking pick the same winner. From three options on, close choices can split the vote: that is where ranking changes the result.

Why rank rather than choose Votes in general assemblies

Condorcet preferential ranking

What it does
Each voter ranks the options in order of preference. The winner is the option that beats every other one head to head, when there is one.
When to choose it
When several close options might split the vote: electing a board, choosing a name, a project or a date.
What it changes
Ranking takes a little more thought than ticking a box. In return, the result takes every preference into account, not just first choices.
Discover Condorcet preferential ranking
In detail

Each ballot reads as a series of duels: for every pair of options, we count how many voters prefer one to the other. The option that wins all its duels is the Condorcet winner.

Sometimes no option wins them all — A beats B, B beats C, and C beats A. The tally method, set further down, then settles it.

Electing a nonprofit's board

Weighted voting

Official offer
What it does
Not a third mode, but an option added to single choice or ranking alike: each voter carries a whole-number weight, applied at the tally.
When to choose it
Co-ownerships, assemblies where voting rights are unequal: ownership shares, rights set by the bylaws.
What it changes
Each voter still casts a single ballot. Their weight is published on the public register, and anyone can still recount the result.
In detail

The weight is set voter by voter, when you import the electoral roll or on their row. Left off, every voter counts for one vote.

In an anonymous vote, a near-unique weight can give away its holder's ballot: you are warned when you turn the option on.

All about vote weighting Weighted voting in condos and HOAs Anonymity and weighted votes Weighted voting in the Official offer
Understand Condorcet ranking Weight your voters' votes
02 · The tally

How a winner is found, and how many are elected.

For a ranking, the tally method settles the cases where no option wins all its duels. In both modes, you decide how many options are declared elected.

Tally method

What it does
For a ranking only. When no option beats all the others, the chosen method settles it; Schulze is the default.
When to choose it
Keep Schulze, unless your rules require another method.
What it changes
Every method offered is deterministic: same ballots, same result. The rankings the other methods would have given are shown alongside, for comparison.
In detail

6 methods to choose from, each explained in detail on the Condorcet page:

For experts: tally and recount

Number of seats

What it does
How many options are declared elected: one by default. They are the top of the final ranking; the ballot itself does not change.
When to choose it
To elect a board, a council or several delegates in a single vote.
What it changes
This is not proportional representation: a cohesive majority can take every seat.
In detail

The number of seats ranges from 1 to the number of options minus one: electing every option would make no sense.

The ranking is computed exactly as for a single seat, then cut after the last seat. Anyone can therefore find the elected options from the published ranking.

If a tie straddles the last seat, the platform does not invent a tie-break: nobody is elected beyond it, and you settle it with a new vote.

One vote per post: election groups Ties at the tally, in detail
Compare the tally methods
03 · The ballot

What voters may, or must, express.

The ballot rules guide voters as they vote. The results then tell valid, blank and invalid ballots apart.

Ties and partial ranking

What it does
For a ranking: voters may place several options at the same rank, and rank only the ones that matter to them; the others count as tied last.
When to choose it
The defaults — ties and partial ranking allowed — fit most cases: nobody is forced to separate options they hardly know.
What it changes
Requiring a complete ranking does the opposite: every option must be ranked, with no ties. Useful when your rules demand that every option be ordered.
In detail

The three settings, as they appear when you create the election:

Ties allowed
Voters can place several candidates at the same rank, tied, without deciding between them. Turning ties off also turns partial ranking off.
Partial ranking allowed
Voters can rank only some of the candidates: the unranked ones count last, tied with each other. Requires ties.
Complete ranking required
Strict mode: every voter must rank all candidates, with no ties. Enabling this option disables ties and partial ranking.
The ranked ballot, illustrated For experts: ballots invalid by constraint

Blank vote

What it does
In both modes, the ballot can offer a "blank vote" choice, to take part without favouring any option. Off by default.
When to choose it
When your bylaws count blank votes, or to measure a deliberate abstention rather than mere silence.
What it changes
Blank ballots are counted separately from valid and invalid ones; they favour no option.
In detail

A blank ballot is a ballot in its own right: signed, published on the public register and recountable by anyone. It simply counts for no option.

Valid, blank and invalid ballots in the results Ballot secrecy and the public register

Options and presentation

What it does
From 2 to 30 options or candidates, each with a unique label and, if you wish, a photo. Around them: a description, your logo and a thank-you message shown after voting.
When to choose it
So that voters recognise your organisation and understand what is at stake before they vote.
What it changes
None of this affects the tally, not even the order in which you enter the options. Only the thank-you message can still be edited after launch.
In detail

The organizer name, which is required, is published on the public register along with the vote title and the option labels. The logo, the photos and the thank-you message are not.

The creation steps, one by one For experts: what the register publishes

Frequently asked questions

How do I elect several people at once?
Set the number of seats when you create the election: the top options of the final ranking are declared elected, in both voting modes. This is not proportional representation — a cohesive majority can take every seat. To fill distinct posts (chair, treasurer…), one vote per post works better.
Simple majority or Condorcet: which should I choose?
For a yes-or-no question, or a choice between two options, simple majority is enough: both modes then pick the same winner. As soon as three or more options are in play, Condorcet ranking stops them from splitting the vote, and picks the option a majority prefers to each of the others, when there is one.
Can the voting method be changed during the vote?
No. The voting mode, the tally method, the number of seats and the ballot rules can be edited while the election is a draft. At launch they are frozen and published on the public register: nobody, not even you, can change them while the vote is running.

Lots of options? We'll guide you.

No worries: tell us about your vote and we will help you set it up step by step, from the voting method to the voter list.

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Ready to choose your voting method?

The default settings are enough to get started, and everything can still be edited while the election is a draft.

Create a free election See how to create an election All frequently asked questions

The other options

Security, public register and proofs How ballot secrecy and verifiability hold together: signatures, public register, blockchain, verification. See security All the advanced options