Mathematics in the Modern World

Voting
Questions
•When is a person qualified to
vote?
•Is voting a responsibility? For
whom?
•Does our Constitution require
that every person’s vote count the
same as another person’s vote?
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Voting in the Philippines: 1987
Constitution (Suffrage)

Section 1. Suffrage may be exercised by all citizens of

the Philippines not otherwise disqualified by law, who
are at least eighteen years of age, and who shall have
resided in the Philippines for at least one year, and in
the place wherein they propose to vote, for at least
six months immediately preceding the election. No
literacy, property, or other substantive requirement
shall be imposed on the exercise of suffrage.

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Voting in the Philippines: 1987 Constitution
(Suffrage)
Section 2.
The Congress shall provide a system for securing the
secrecy and sanctity of the ballot as well as a system
for absentee voting by qualified Filipinos abroad.
The Congress shall also design a procedure for the
disabled and the illiterates to vote without the
assistance of other persons. Until then, they shall be
allowed to vote under existing laws and such rules as the
Commission on Elections may promulgate to protect the
secrecy of the ballot.

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When do we Consider Voting?
• An essential element of Democratic form of
Government
 Selection of Leaders
 Creation of Laws
 Deciding the Outcome of Issues
• A basic element in Decision Making
• Necessary to gather the group consensus

→ In deciding upon a winner, there is

always one main goal: to reflect the
preferences of the people in the most
fair way possible.
Copyright 2018: Mathematics in the Modern World by Winston S. Sirug, Ph.D.
Voting

the action or process of indicating choice,

opinion, or will on a question, such as
the choosing of a candidate, by or as if by
some recognized means, such as a ballot
Voting Methods

Plurality Method

Plurality with Elimination Method

Rank – Choice or Instant Runoff Method

Borda Count Method

Pairwise Comparison Method

A study was conducted to find
out which among the pressing
issues in the Philippines are the
people most concerned about.

“What issue(s) do Filipinos are

most concerned about?”
Plurality Method

Each person votes for his or

her favorite candidate (or
choice). The candidate (or
choice) who receives the most
votes is declared the winner.
(In case of a tie, special run-off
elections may be held.)
 Usually mistakenly considered as the
“Majority Rule” method.
Example
• Consider the preference schedule below, in which the voters in a
barangay is voting on five different candidates for Brgy. Captain. The
candidates are identified as A, B, C, D, and E for simplicity.
Number of Ballots Cast
150 340 240 360 200 300
1st choice B C B D B E
2nd choice C A D C E A
3rd choice A D C A A D
4th choice D B A E C B
5th choice E E E B D C

• Determine the winner under the plurality method. Refering to

the first choice votes, add the number of votes for each candidate. The
candidate with the most number of votes win.
Example

Number of Ballots Cast

150 340 240 360 200 300
1st choice B C B D B E
2nd choice C A D C E A
3rd choice A D C A A D
4th choice D B A E C B
5th choice E E E B D C

• Determine the winner under the plurality

method. Refering to the first choice votes, add the number
of votes for each candidate. The candidate with the most
number of votes win.
• .
Plurality with Elimination Method

 Each person votes for his or her favorite

candidate (or choice). If a candidate receives
a majority of votes, that candidate is declared
the winner. If no candidate receives a
majority, then the candidate with the fewest
votes is eliminated and a new election is held.
This process continues until a candidate
receives a majority of the votes.
Example

• A company is planning a company outing next summer.

There are three possible locations for the outing: Amanpulo
in Palawan, Pandan Island in Mindoro, and Bella Rocca
Island in Marinduque. The 1000 employees including
managers and department heads have to decide based on
costs, amenities, and safety. The results of the election is
given in the following table.
Amanpulo Bella Rocca Pandan
Number of Votes 364 336 300

• Using the plurality method of voting, which location wins?

• Using the plurality with elimination method of voting,
which location wins?
Example

Assuming the result of the new voting, with Pandan Island

being eliminated is given below. Using Plurality with Elimination
Method, where will the company outing be held?
Amanpulo Bella Rocca Pandan
Number of Votes 584 416 0
Rank Choice or Instant Runoff Method

• Each voter ranks all of the candidates; that is, each

voter selects his or her first choice, second choice,
third choice, and so on. If a candidate receives a
majority of first-choice votes, that candidate is
declared the winner. If no candidate receives a
majority, then the candidate with the fewest first
choice votes is eliminated and those votes are given to
the next preferred candidate. If a candidate now has a
majority of first-choice votes, that candidate is
declared the winner. If no candidate receives a
majority, this process continues until a candidate
receives a majority.

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Example
• Consider the voting of the 1000 employees to
choose the island for their company outing. They
were asked to write their 1st choice, 2nd choice and
3rd choice. The results are shown in the following
table preference table.
Number of Ballots Cast
168 202 215 105 90 220
1st choice A A B B P P
2nd choice B P A P A B
3rd choice P B P A B A

a) Use the plurality method to determine the winner

b) Use the instant runoff method to determine the
winner.

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Example 1 (Solution)

b) Use the instant runoff method to determine the winner.

Because P (Pandan Island) received the fewest
number of first-choice votes (310), Pandan island
is eliminated, and a modified voter preference
schedule has to be made. The modified table is
given below after eliminating C.
Number of Ballots Cast

168 202 215 105 90 220

1st choice A A B B A B

2nd choice B B A A B A

• Inspecting the table for first-choice row: A got 168 + 202 +90 = 460
votes, and B got 215 + 105 + 220 = 540 votes. So, B is the winner with
540 votes, or 54%, which is a majority.

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Example
Borda 1 (Solution)
Count Method

• Each voter ranks all of the candidates; that is

each voter selects his or her first choice, second
choice, third choice, and so on. If there are k
candidates, each candidate receives k points for
each first-choice vote, (k-1) points for each
second-choice vote, (k-2) points for each third-
choice vote, and so on. The candidate with the
most total points is declared the winner.

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Copyright 2018: Mathematics in the Modern World by Winston S. Sirug, Ph.D.
Example

• Consider the voting of the 1000 employees to

choose the island for their company outing. They
were asked to write their 1st choice, 2nd choice and
3rd choice. The results are shown in the following
table preference table.
Number of Ballots Cast
168 202 215 105 90 220
1st choice A A B B P P
2nd choice B P A P A B
3rd choice P B P A B A

a) Use Borda Count Method in coming up with a winner.

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Example
• Consider the voting of the 1000 employees to choose the island for their
company outing. They were asked to write their 1st choice, 2nd choice and
3rd choice. The results are shown in the following table preference table.
Number of Ballots Cast
168 202 215 105 90 220
1st choice A A B B P P
2nd choice B P A P A B
3rd choice P B P A B A

a) Use Borda Count Method in coming up with a winner.

Note: In the first column, Candidate A will receive 168x3 points; Candidate B will receive
168x2 points; Candidate C will receive 168x1 points. This pattern should be observed in
the other columns. Then compare the total points. The candidate with the majority vote
wins.

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Pairwise Comparison Method

• Each voter ranks all of the candidates; that is

each voter selects his or her first choice, second
choice, third choice, and so on. For each
possible pairing of candidates, the candidate
with the most votes receives 1 point; if there is
a tie, each candidate receives ½ point. The
candidate who receives the most points is
declared the winner.
Example: The Pairwise Comparison Method
• Let us consider again the decision of a company to
determine the island destination to have their
summer outing.
Number of Ballots Cast
168 202 215 105 90 220
1st choice A A B B P P
2nd choice B P A P A B
3rd choice P B P A B A
 • Because there are candidates, there must be 3
pairwise comparisons; that is
• Specifically, we investigate A versus B, A versus P,
and B versus P.
Example: The Pairwise Comparison Method
• A (Amanpulo) versus B (Bella Rocca):
• In the 1st column, we see that A is preferred over B. So, A
receives the168 votes. In the 2nd column, A is preferred
over B, so A receives the 202 votes. In the 5th column, A is
preferred over B, so A receives 90 votes. In the 3rd
column, B is preferred over A, so B receives the 215 votes.
In the 4th column, B is preferred over A, so B is preferred
over A, so B receives the 105 votes. Also, in the 6th, B is
preferred over A, so B receives the 220 votes.
• Tallying the results, we obtain the following totals:
votes for A = 168 + 202 +90 = 460
votes for B = 215 + 105 + 220 =540
• For the comparison between A and B, voters preferred B over A.
So, B receives 1 point.
Example: The Pairwise Comparison Method
• A (Amanpulo) versus P (Pandan Island):
• In the 1st column, we see that A is preferred over P. So, A
receives the168 votes. In the 2nd column, A is preferred
over B, so A receives the 202 votes. In the 3rd column, A is
preferred over P, so A receives 215 votes. In the 4th
column, P is preferred over A, so P receives the 105
votes. In the 5th column, P is preferred over A, so P
receives the 90 votes. Also, in the 6th column, P is
preferred over A, so P receives the 220 votes.
• Tallying the results, we obtain the following totals:
votes for A = 168 + 202 + 215 = 585
votes for P = 105 + 90 + 220 = 415
• For the comparison between A and P, voters preferred A over P.
So, A receives 1 point.
Example: The Pairwise Comparison Method
• B (Bella Rocca) versus P (Pandan Island):
• In the 1st column, we see that B is preferred over P. So, B
receives the168 votes. In the 2nd column, P is preferred
over B, so P receives the 202 votes. In the 3rd column, B is
preferred over P, so B receives 215 votes. In the 4th
column, B is preferred over P, so B receives the 105
votes. In the 5th column, P is preferred over B, so P
receives the 90 votes. Also, in the 6th column, P is
preferred over B, so P receives the 220 votes.
• Tallying the results, we obtain the following totals:
votes for B = 168 + 215 + 105 = 488
votes for P = 202 + 90 + 220 = 512
• For the comparison between B and P, voters preferred P over B.
So, P receives 1 point.
Example: The Pairwise Comparison Method

• Tallying the points, we see that A received 1

point, B received 1 point, and P received 1
point.
• Since, none of the destination islands got the
higher number of points, there is no
declared winner.
• Another method must be used to declare the
winner.
Exercise: The Pairwise Comparison Method

• Now suppose the preference table is as

follows:
Number of Ballots Cast
168 202 215 105 225 220
1st choice A A B B P P
2nd B P A P A B
choice
3rd P B P A B A
choice
Example: The Pairwise Comparison Method

• Now suppose the preference table is as

follows:
Number of Ballots Cast

168 202 215 105 225 220

1st choice A A B B P P

2nd choice B P A P A B

3rd choice P B P A B A

• Comparing: A versus B
A got ___ + ____ + ____ = ____
B got ___ + ____ + ____ = ____
• So, ___ gets 1 point
Example: The Pairwise Comparison Method

• Now suppose the preference table is as

follows:
Number of Ballots Cast

168 202 215 105 225 220

1st choice A A B B P P

2nd choice B P A P A B

3rd choice P B P A B A

• Comparing: A versus P
A got ___ + ___ + ___ =___
P got ___ + ____+ ___= __
• So, ________gets 1 point
Example: The Pairwise Comparison Method

• Now suppose the preference table is as

follows:
Number of Ballots Cast

168 202 215 105 225 220

1st choice A A B B P P

2nd choice B P A P A B

3rd choice P B P A B A

• Comparing: B versus P
B got ___+ ___ + ___= ___
P got ___ + ___+ ___= ___
• So, ____ gets 1 point
Example: The Pairwise Comparison Method
Number of Ballots Cast

168 202 215 105 225 220

1st choice A A B B P P

2nd choice B P A P A B

3rd choice P B P A B A

•Tallying the points:

___ got 2 points
___ got 1 point
Consequently, ____is declared the winner.
end

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