A Fairer, More Representative
Way to Elect Our Leaders.
Consensus Choice ensures that every vote carries the same weight and that winning candidates are accountable to all voters, not just the loudest faction.
Instead of being forced to pick just one candidate, voters rank their choices, and the results are determined by comparing candidates head-to-head. Consensus Choice uses every voter's entire ranking - not just their top choice - to find the candidate with the widest appeal.
Consensus Choice is also perfect for any group decision.
Schools & Universities
Student elections, class representatives, academic awards, club officers
Organizations
Board elections, project prioritization, team decisions, strategic planning
Communities
HOA decisions, community projects, event planning, group activities
Try it for yourself by creating a new poll below or by using our app!
HOW CONSENSUS CHOICE WORKS
Step 1: Candidates from all parties compete in an open qualifying race.
An open qualifying election—without party restrictions—determines at least four of the strongest candidates who advance to the general election. The general election may often feature more than one candidate from each of the major parties.
Step 2: Voters rank candidates in order of preference.
In the general election, voters rank candidates in order of preference—1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so on.
Voters don’t have to rank every candidate, but ranking more candidates allows the voter to reward less divisive and more balanced candidates in the opposition party.
Step 3: Candidates are compared head-to-head.
Once all ballots have been cast, candidates are compared in head-to-head matchups, in a manner similar to a round-robin sports tournament. Consensus Choice Voting asks:
If it were just Ann vs. Bob, who would win?
If it were just Carol vs. David, who would win?
And so on for every candidate pair.
The voter’s rankings are used to determine the winner of each head-to-head matchup. For example, if a voter ranks Ann above Bob, then the voter's ballot counts for Ann in her head-to-head matchup with Bob. If a majority of voters rank Ann over Bob, then Ann wins that matchup. Watch a video to learn more about how ballots are counted.
Step 4: The candidate who defeats every other candidate wins the election.
The winning candidate is the candidate who defeats every other candidate head-to-head. This ensures that the winner is someone who balances the views of the electorate—not just a narrow group of partisans. In Consensus Choice, the winner is the consensus choice of the voters.
For example, if Carol wins her matchups against Ann, Bob, and David, then Carol is the winner. No matter who she is compared against, a majority of voters prefer her—making her the Consensus Choice.
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