SAMPLE BALLOT¶

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 1 (Single-Member)¶

General Election - November 2, 2032¶

INSTRUCTIONS: STAR Voting (Score - Then - Automatic - Runoff)¶

This district elects 1 Representative to the United States House of Representatives.

How to Vote:

Give your favorite candidate(s) five stars (⑤)
Give your least favorite candidate(s) zero stars (⓪) or leave blank
Score other candidates as desired based on your level of support
You may give the same score to multiple candidates
Equal scores indicate equal support

How Your Ballot is Counted:

Scoring Round: Your scores are totaled for each candidate. The two candidates with the highest total scores become finalists.
Automatic Runoff: Your full vote goes to whichever finalist you scored higher. The finalist preferred by more voters wins the election.

This two-step process ensures the winner has both high overall support (scoring round) and majority preference (runoff).

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - GENERAL ELECTION¶

Congressional District 1 - 1 seat

Rate each candidate from 0 to 5 stars

Candidate	Party Registration	Party Endorsements	FCAO Exam	Rating (Worst → Best)
Lisa Nguyen	Democratic	Democratic, Working Families	93%	⓪ ① ② ③ ④ ⑤
Marcus Williams	Republican	Republican	87%	⓪ ① ② ③ ④ ⑤
Kevin Patterson	Libertarian	Libertarian, Forward	94%	⓪ ① ② ③ ④ ⑤
Alexandra Santos	none	Independent	89%	⓪ ① ② ③ ④ ⑤
Michelle Robinson	Democratic	none	85%	⓪ ① ② ③ ④ ⑤

CANDIDATE INFORMATION¶

Lisa Nguyen¶

Party Registration: Democratic | Party Endorsements: Democratic, Working Families | FCAO Exam: 93%

Public school teacher and education policy advocate with 15 years classroom experience. Priorities include education funding, teacher pay, student mental health services, and expanding career technical education. Second-highest FCAO score.

Coalition Support: Working Families Party endorsement indicates strong labor and progressive coalition support.

Marcus Williams¶

Party Registration: Republican | Party Endorsements: Republican | FCAO Exam: 87%

Small business owner and Chamber of Commerce president. Emphasizes economic development, reduced regulatory burden, and infrastructure investment. Supports public-private partnerships and workforce training programs.

Notable Position: Business-focused moderate Republican; emphasizes economic growth and practical solutions over social issues.

Kevin Patterson¶

Party Registration: Libertarian | Party Endorsements: Libertarian, Forward | FCAO Exam: 94%

Constitutional law attorney and civil liberties advocate. Highest FCAO score among all candidates. Priorities include individual freedom, limited government, criminal justice reform, and ending qualified immunity. Opposes government overreach across all policy areas.

Coalition Support: Forward Party endorsement signals appeal to reform-minded voters beyond traditional Libertarian base.

Alexandra Santos¶

Party Registration: none | Party Endorsements: Independent | FCAO Exam: 89%

Healthcare administrator and patient advocacy director. Independent candidate focused on healthcare access, prescription drug costs, insurance reform, and rural healthcare infrastructure. Not affiliated with any political party.

Notable Position: True independent with no party registration or major party endorsement -- appeals to voters seeking alternatives to the two-party system.

Michelle Robinson¶

Party Registration: Democratic | Party Endorsements: none | FCAO Exam: 85%

Environmental engineer and clean energy entrepreneur. Emphasizes climate action, renewable energy development, environmental protection, and green jobs creation. Supports science-based environmental policy and sustainable development.

Notable Position: Registered Democrat but has not received party endorsement, possibly due to multiple Democratic candidates in the race. Strong appeal to climate-focused voters.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR BALLOT¶

Party Registration vs. Party Endorsements¶

Party Registration (shown in the table): - Shows which party, if any, the candidate is registered with - Examples: Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, none

Party Endorsements (shown in the table): - Shows which parties formally endorsed this candidate - Candidates may receive up to three endorsements - Some candidates may have no party endorsements

What the Endorsements Tell You:

Democratic | Democratic, Working Families (Nguyen) = Democrat with progressive coalition support
Republican | Republican (Williams) = Republican with party endorsement
Libertarian | Libertarian, Forward (Patterson) = Libertarian with additional Forward Party endorsement showing cross-coalition reform appeal
none | Independent (Santos) = True independent without party registration
Democratic | none (Robinson) = Registered Democrat but party chose not to endorse (or endorsed another candidate)

Why Some Candidates Have No Endorsements:

Robinson is a registered Democrat but doesn't have her party's endorsement. This could mean the party chose to endorse a different candidate, the candidate is running without seeking party endorsement, or there are internal party disagreements. This information helps you understand party dynamics and coalition relationships.

About the FCAO Exam¶

All candidates for federal office are required to take the Federal Candidate Assessment Office (FCAO) examination, which tests knowledge of:

U.S. Constitutional structure and principles
Federal government powers and limitations
Bill of Rights and civil liberties
Legislative, executive, and judicial branch functions
Historical context of American governance

The FCAO examination is a transparency mechanism, not a qualification barrier. No minimum score is required -- candidates scoring 0% may still run and serve if voters choose them. Scores are displayed on ballots to help voters assess candidates' understanding of constitutional governance and federal office responsibilities.

Candidates may retake the exam unlimited times, with only their highest score reported.

FCAO Exam Scores in This Election: - 90%+ (2 candidates): Patterson (94%), Nguyen (93%) - 85-89% (2 candidates): Santos (89%), Williams (87%), Robinson (85%) - Below 85% (0 candidates)

HOW STAR VOTING WORKS WITH MULTIPLE CANDIDATES¶

With five candidates on this ballot, STAR voting ensures the winner has broad support -- not just a plurality of a fragmented vote.

The Two-Step Process¶

Step 1: Scoring Round - All your scores for all five candidates are totaled across all ballots - The two candidates with the highest total scores become finalists - This ensures the finalists have broad appeal, not just intense support from a narrow base

Step 2: Automatic Runoff - Your ballot is examined to see which finalist you scored higher - Your full vote goes to that finalist - The finalist preferred by more voters wins the election - This ensures the winner has majority support between the top two

Why This Matters with Five Candidates¶

Under the old plurality system, five candidates could split the vote. A candidate could win with 25-30% support while 70-75% of voters preferred someone else.

STAR voting solves this: - Your honest scores all count toward determining the finalists - No vote-splitting -- supporting similar candidates doesn't hurt your side - The winner must be broadly acceptable -- high total scores require appeal beyond your base - Majority preference guaranteed -- the runoff ensures the winner beats the other finalist head-to-head

Example¶

Imagine your scores are: - Patterson: ⑤ - Santos: ④ - Williams: ③ - Nguyen: ① - Robinson: ⓪

Scoring Round: All five scores count toward determining the two finalists.

If Patterson and Santos are the finalists: Your vote goes to Patterson (you scored Patterson 5, Santos 4)

If Santos and Williams are the finalists: Your vote goes to Santos (you scored Santos 4, Williams 3)

If Nguyen and Williams are the finalists: Your vote goes to Williams (you scored Williams 3, Nguyen 1)

Your ratings ensure your preferences count no matter which two candidates make the runoff.

WHY RATE ALL CANDIDATES?¶

Rating all five candidates is important because:

You don't know who the finalists will be: Your scores for all candidates help determine which two advance to the runoff
Prevent unwanted outcomes: Rating candidates you oppose as ⓪ reduces their chances of becoming finalists
Express nuanced preferences: You can show different levels of support (or opposition) rather than just picking one
Ensure your runoff vote counts: When the two finalists are determined, your preference between them determines where your vote goes

You can't hurt your favorite by rating others! Your favorite getting ⑤ is absolute support. Rating others honestly only helps ensure acceptable candidates make the runoff.

CANDIDATE COMPARISON¶

By Party Registration¶

Democratic (2): Nguyen (endorsed + WF), Robinson (no endorsement)
Republican (1): Williams (endorsed)
Libertarian (1): Patterson (endorsed + Forward)
Independent (1): Santos

By FCAO Exam Performance¶

90%+ (2 candidates): Patterson (94%), Nguyen (93%)
85-89% (3 candidates): Santos (89%), Williams (87%), Robinson (85%)

By Coalition/Endorsement Pattern¶

Cross-party coalition: Patterson (Libertarian + Forward)
Progressive coalition: Nguyen (Democratic + Working Families)
Single party endorsement: Williams (Republican), Santos (Independent)
No endorsement: Robinson (Democratic registered)

By Issue Focus¶

Education/Labor: Nguyen
Business/Economic Development: Williams
Civil Liberties/Reform: Patterson
Healthcare: Santos
Climate/Environment: Robinson

POSSIBLE RUNOFF SCENARIOS¶

With five candidates, several runoff combinations are possible. Here are some likely scenarios:

Reform vs. Progressive: Patterson vs. Nguyen - Tests whether voters prioritize civil liberties and limited government or education and worker protections - Both have the highest FCAO scores; represents clear ideological choice

Traditional Partisan: Nguyen vs. Williams - Classic Democratic vs. Republican contest - Tests the district's overall partisan lean

Independent Breakthrough: Santos vs. any partisan candidate - Tests voter appetite for true independent, non-partisan governance

Democratic Contest: Nguyen vs. Robinson - Tests whether Democratic-leaning voters prefer the endorsed progressive or the climate-focused candidate without party backing

Your ratings for all five candidates will help determine which scenario unfolds and who wins.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE ELECTION¶

The winner of this election will represent Congressional District 1 in the U.S. House of Representatives for a two-year term beginning January 3, 2033.

This district is one of two single-member congressional districts in this state. Under the Federal Elections Modernization Act, states with two Representatives elect from two districts drawn by the algorithmically neutral method certified by the Electoral Science Office. Both districts use single-winner STAR voting.

VOTE BOTH SIDES OF BALLOT Turn ballot over for additional races →

This is a mock ballot created for educational purposes to demonstrate STAR Voting in general elections for single-member districts in states with two Representatives, Joint Endorsement Lists, and Federal Candidate Assessment Office (FCAO) examination requirements as proposed in the Federal Elections Modernization Act (FEMA).

Download this document (opens on GitHub -- click the download button)

Prepared by Albert Ramos for The American Policy Architecture Institute