Vote for everyone you like — Fargo tests approval voting


Fargo adopted ‘approval voting’ where residents can vote for as many candidates as they support per race. They do not rank order their choices, but simply select as many candidates as they like essentially voting ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for each candidate. All choices on a voter’s ballot carry equal weight and vote percentages are calculated by dividing a candidate’s total votes by the total number of ballots cast. The strategy has increased the percent by which winning candidates are selected and helps candidates who in the past would have received few votes because they weren’t seen as having a chance to win.

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