Voting Systems: From Method to Algorithm

Abstract

Voting and choice aggregation are used widely not just in politics but in business decision making processes and other areas such as competitive bidding procurement. Stakeholders and others who rely on these systems require them to be fast, efficient, and, most importantly, fair. The focus of this thesis is to illustrate the complexities inherent in voting systems. The algorithms intrinsic in several voting systems are made explicit as a way to simplify choices among these systems. The systematic evaluation of the algorithms associated with choice aggregation will provide a groundwork for future research and the implementation of these tools across public and private spheres.