The Impact of Input Rules and Ballot Options on Voting Error: An Experimental Analysis

When election reforms such as Ranked Choice Voting or the Alternative Vote are proposed to replace plurality voting, they offer lengthier instructions, more opportunities for political expression, and mistakes on ballot. Observational studies of voting error rely ecological inference from geographically aggregated data. Here we use an experimental approach instead, examine effect two different ballot conditions at individual level analysis: input rules that voter must number options presented voter’s choice. This experiment randomly assigned three (single-mark, ranking, grading) candidate lists (with six eight candidates) over 6,000 online respondents in USA, during American presidential primary elections 2020, simulating a single-winner election. With expressive (ranking grading), distinction between minor totally invalid votes—a inapplicable single‐mark ballots (1MB) voting—assumes new importance. Regression analysis indicates complicated candidates did not raise probability would cast void (uncountable) vote, despite raising least one violation instructions.