%0 Journal Article
%T The Power of None
%A John Neatrour
%A Neal D. Hulkower
%J SAGE Open
%@ 2158-2440
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/2158244019837468
%X Borda with None (BwN) adds the binding option of ¡°None of these candidates,¡± N, to the Borda Count (BC), differing from a method of Dodgson in the scoring of ties. The method incorporates the benefits of approval voting, which allows a simple yes/no vote on each candidate and avoids the disadvantages of adding N as a binding outcome to plurality voting. We prove that BwN uniquely satisfies five rational properties which can be viewed as potential axioms that provide a theoretical basis for the method. It allows individual voters to express a personal veto over all or part of the slate which could, with sufficient numbers, become a veto by the electorate. The power of none, then, is offering a voice to otherwise disaffected voters. We introduce a metric similar to one used in the Bak¨CSneppen Evolutionary model, candidate fitness, a number between 0 and 1, which measures a candidate¡¯s ranking relative to N. We illustrate its evolution with a hypothetical example. We examine courses of action if N is ranked in the first place. Using BwN to accommodate partial voting is proposed. We explore the general applicability of BwN. Finally, we address the practical considerations for introducing BwN
%K Borda Count
%K Dodgson¡¯s method
%K Arrow¡¯s Theorem
%K none of these candidates
%K Bak¨CSneppen Evolutionary model
%K decision science
%K social choice
%K election studies
%K political science
%K mathematical and quantitative methods in economics
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244019837468