📚 Math in Society
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2.16 Exercises

  1. To decide on a new website design, the designer asks people to rank three designs that have been created (labeled A, B, and C). The individual ballots are shown below. Create a preference table.

ABC, ABC, ACB, BAC, BCA, BCA, ACB, CAB, CAB, BCA, ACB, ABC

  1. To decide on a movie to watch, a group of friends all vote for one of the choices (labeled A, B, and C). The individual ballots are shown below. Create a preference table.

CAB, CBA, BAC, BCA, CBA, ABC, ABC, CBA, BCA, CAB, CAB, BAC

  1. The planning committee for a renewable energy trade show is trying to decide what city to hold their next show in. The votes are shown below.

Number of voters919118
1st choiceBuffaloAtlantaChicagoBuffalo
2nd choiceAtlantaBuffaloBuffaloChicago
3rd choiceChicagoChicagoAtlantaAtlanta

  1. How many voters voted in this election?
  2. How many votes are needed for a majority? A plurality?
  3. Find the winner under the plurality method.
  4. Find the winner under the Borda Count Method.
  5. Find the winner under the Instant Runoff Voting method.
  6. Find the winner under Copeland’s method.
  1. A non-profit agency is electing a new chair of the board. The votes are shown below.

Number of voters1 151 03
1st choiceAtkinsCortezBurkeAtkins
2nd choiceCortezBurkeCortezBurke
3rd choiceBurkeAtkinsAtkinsCortez

  1. How many voters voted in this election?
  2. How many votes are needed for a majority? A plurality?
  3. Find the winner under the plurality method.
  4. Find the winner under the Borda Count Method.
  5. Find the winner under the Instant Runoff Voting method.
  6. Find the winner under Copeland’s method.
  1. The student government is holding elections for president. There are four candidates (labeled A, B, C, and D for convenience). The preference schedule for the election is:

Number of voters1 2 05 04 09 06 01 0 0
1st choiceCBDAAD
2nd choiceDCACDB
3rd choiceBABBCA
4th choiceADCDBC

  1. How many voters voted in this election?
  2. How many votes are needed for a majority? A plurality?
  3. Find the winner under the plurality method.
  4. Find the winner under the Borda Count Method.
  5. Find the winner under the Instant Runoff Voting method.
  6. Find the winner under Copeland’s method.
  1. The homeowners association is deciding a new set of neighborhood standards for architecture, yard maintenance, etc. Four options have been proposed. The votes are:

Number of voters891 1775
1st choiceBADABC
2nd choiceCDBBAD
3rd choiceACCDCA
4th choiceDBACDB

  1. How many voters voted in this election?
  2. How many votes are needed for a majority? A plurality?
  3. Find the winner under the plurality method.
  4. Find the winner under the Borda Count Method.
  5. Find the winner under the Instant Runoff Voting method.
  6. Find the winner under Copeland’s method.
  1. Consider an election with 129 votes.
    1. If there are 4 candidates, what is the smallest number of votes that a plurality candidate could have?
    2. If there are 8 candidates, what is the smallest number of votes that a plurality candidate could have?
  1. Consider an election with 953 votes.
    1. If there are 7 candidates, what is the smallest number of votes that a plurality candidate could have?
    2. If there are 8 candidates, what is the smallest number of votes that a plurality candidate could have?
  1. Does this voting system having a Condorcet Candidate? If so, find it.

Number of voters1 41 52
1st choiceACB
2nd choiceBBC
3rd choiceCAA

  1. Does this voting system having a Condorcet Candidate? If so, find it.
Preference schedule with header row Number of voters 8, 7 and 6; first choices A, C and B; second choices B, B and C; third choices C, A and A.
  1. The marketing committee at a company decides to vote on a new company logo. They decide to use approval voting. Their results are tallied below. Each column shows the number of voters with the particular approval vote. Which logo wins under approval voting?

Number of voters876
1st choiceACB
2nd choiceBBC
3rd choiceCAA

  1. The downtown business association is electing a new chairperson, and decides to use approval voting. The tally is below, where each column shows the number of voters with the particular approval vote. Which candidate wins under approval voting?

Number of voters8763425
AXXXX
BXXXX
CXXXX
DXXXX

Adapted from Math in Society by David Lippman, hosted on LibreTexts (math.libretexts.org) and licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Changes were made. License: CC-BY-SA-3.0.

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