STAR voting in practice, with its tradeoffs and mitigations
A voter at the top marks the ballot and feeds into the engine, a container labeled "Single-winner voting method: STAR voting" holding the ballot above the counting algorithm. The ballot gives each candidate a score on a fixed scale, capturing strength, not just order; the counting algorithm adds up scores to find the two highest candidates, then on every ballot counts each for whichever of those two it scored higher, and the one ahead on more ballots wins. Below the engine, a box names the single winner: preferred head-to-head between the two highest-scoring candidates. To the right, a Tradeoffs box lists positives (captures strength of preference in the scoring round, confirms majority preference in the runoff round, no vote-splitting since scoring one candidate never lowers another, every ballot counts through the final round with none discarded, and the runoff blunts strategic exaggeration) and negatives (the two-step count is less familiar than choose-one, and it leaves a narrow burial incentive where min-scoring a strong rival can help in the runoff). Below it, a Mitigations box lists voter education on the two rounds, the runoff making exaggeration risky, and burial being hard to coordinate, noting no method removes strategic incentives entirely.
Voter
Marks the ballot
Single-winner voting method
STAR voting
Ballot
Each candidate given a score
on a fixed scale. Captures
strength, not just order.
Counting algorithm
Add up scores to find the two
highest. Then each ballot backs
the one it scored higher.
Single winner
Preferred head-to-head between
the two highest scorers.
Tradeoffs
+ Captures strength of
preference (scoring round)
+ Confirms majority preference
head-to-head (runoff round)
+ No vote-splitting — scoring
one never lowers another
+ Every ballot counts through
the final round — none dropped
+ Runoff blunts strategic
exaggeration
− Two-step count less familiar
− Narrow burial incentive
Mitigations
• Voter education on the
two rounds
• Runoff makes exaggeration
risky (can backfire)
• Burial is hard to coordinate
and can backfire
No method removes strategic
incentives entirely.