Borda Count: An Alternate Voting System

The Borda count is a unique voting system that takes into consideration as many of voters’ preferences as possible. Each voter ranks all the candidates on the ballot, with their first-choice candidate being number one, their second-choice candidate being number two, and so on. Votes are tallied in a way that takes all of these rankings into account.

How Does the Borda Count Work?

The Borda count is a type of preferential or ranked voting. The system is fairly simple for voters, who simply have to rank the options on the ballot in order of preference. For example, if five candidates are running for one city council seat, a voter could rank all five candidates in the order of their preference.

When election officials tally the results of the election, a bit of math comes into play. Instead of only considering voters’ first-choice candidates, election officials take all of the voters’ rankings into consideration. Mathematically, each candidate is assigned a number of points based on their ranking on each ballot. If n is the total number of candidates, then a voter’s first-choice candidate will receive n - 1 points, their second-choice candidate will receive n - 2 points, and so on. The winner is the candidate who receives the most points in total.

Let’s consider the above example, where five candidates are competing for one city council seat. Imagine that one voter’s ballot looks like this:

The voter has ranked the five candidates in the order of their preference. Candidate B has been marked as their first choice, Candidate D as their second choice, and so on.

When the votes are tallied, here is how the points will be assigned based on this voter’s rankings:

During the tallying of votes, this voter’s ballot will be added to the rest of the ballots, with each candidate’s number of votes tallied across all ballots. Whichever candidate receives the highest number of votes will win the election.

This style of vote tallying is called “tournament-style counting.”

Where Is the Borda Count Used?

The Borda count is not as commonly used as some other voting systems, such as plurality voting or ranked choice voting.

Origins of the Borda Count

The Borda count process was named after Jean-Charles de Borda, who proposed the system in 1770 in his work "Mémoire sur les élections au scrutin" ("Memoir on Elections by Scrutiny"). He felt that this voting system aggregated individual preferences to determine the collective will of a group. 

In Borda’s originally proposed system, votes are tallied slightly differently than in the above example. Instead of using the formula n - 1 for a voter’s first-choice candidate, Borda’s original system would use the formula n for a voter’s first choice. This way, the voter’s highest-ranked candidate would receive a number of points equal to the total number of candidates.

Contemporary Examples

The Borda count is not currently used in any major U.S. political elections. However, the system is used around the world in a few smaller countries.

One example is Slovenia, where two of the members of the country’s parliament, the National Assembly, are elected using this system. In Slovenia, the Borda count is used to ensure fair representation of majority and minority ethnic groups.

The other prominent example comes from Micronesia, where the two nations of Nauru and Kiribati use the Borda count in elections.

Members of parliament in Nauru, a small island country in the Pacific Ocean south of the Marshall Islands, are elected with a modified Borda system. In the Nauruan electoral system, voters cast their preferences by ranking contenders on the ballot. If a candidate receives enough votes to meet a predetermined quota, they are elected. Any surplus votes beyond the quota are transferred to other hopefuls based on voters' subsequent preferences. If no candidate meets the quota in the first round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed to other candidates based on voters' subsequent preferences. This process continues until all seats are filled.

The Borda count is used to choose candidates for the office of president in Kiribati, an island country in the central Pacific Ocean. Voters choose three or four people to run for the office of president using the Borda system. Then, voters elect the president using the majority voting system.

The Borda count has also been used in Ireland and Northern Ireland, both for non-governmental purposes at peace conferences and within political parties.

Additionally, the Borda count has been used for certain non-government elections in the United States. Some colleges and universities have used the Borda count for internal elections, as have certain professional and technical societies. The Borda count is also used when determining the winner of some American sports awards.

The Borda Count vs. Other Voting Systems

Comparing the Borda system with other voting systems that you are more familiar with may help you understand more about what makes this system unique.

Borda Count vs. First-Past-the-Post

Most U.S. elections are run using the first-past-the-post system, which awards the office to the person receiving the most votes. A voter casting a vote under this system gives all of their vote to one candidate. Under the Borda system, voters' other preferences are also considered.

The main difference between the Borda count and the first-past-the-post system is that the Borda count lets voters express their opinions about multiple candidates, rather than having to choose only one candidate to vote for.

Borda Count vs. Ranked Choice Voting

Under the ranked choice voting system, voters also rank their preferences, like they do in the Borda system. However, the vote counting process is different for these two electoral systems.

In ranked choice voting, if no candidate receives an outright majority of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed to the remaining candidates based on the next preference indicated on voters’ ballots. The major difference between the Borda count and ranked choice voting is the process of eliminating the candidate with the fewest votes and redistributing their votes until one candidate achieves a majority and is declared the winner. 

Under both systems, voters expect that their other preferences will be considered when votes are being tallied. Some voters may find the Borda count simpler to understand than ranked choice voting, also known as instant runoff voting. Supporters of ranked choice voting, on the other hand, might point out that ranked choice voting seeks greater nuance by seeking out the candidate who can capture the majority of voters’ approval.

Pros and Cons of the Borda Count

As with any voting system, the Borda count comes with both pros and cons:

Pros of the Borda Count

• The Borda count’s style of ballot can help voters feel that their preferences matter. Even if their top choice does not win the election, they can know that their ranking was considered when the final tally was calculated.

• By allowing voters to express their preferences for multiple candidates, the Borda system can reduce voters’ fear of wasting their vote.

• Since there is minimal payoff for strategic voting, voters can list their true preferences in order. Without the need to strategically vote for a perceived front-runner, voters can freely express their genuine preferences without concerns about their vote being wasted or having unintended consequences on the outcome of the election.

Cons of the Borda Count

• Under the Borda voting system, counting votes is more complex than in first-past-the-post systems. This complexity may pose challenges for election administrators and increase the likelihood of errors. It may also lead to more disputes in the counting process.

• It usually takes longer for voters to vote under the Borda system. Some voters may not be willing to spend the time to indicate all of their preferences, or they may not have the time to research all candidates as carefully as the Borda count requires.

• As with any alternative voting system, implementing the Borda count in a place that has not previously used this system would require extensive voter education.

Alternate Voting Systems and Beyond

The Borda count is just one type of alternate election system. Other common alternative voting systems include ranked choice voting, approval voting, and STAR voting. Each electoral system has its own unique advantages and disadvantages, and some systems are better suited to specific contexts than others.

Exploring the different options that alternative voting systems present is part of the wider effort for electoral reform. The goal of electoral reform is to revise electoral systems so that elections produce fairer representation in government.

Want to learn more about the movement for electoral reform? Check out our full collection of resources related to electoral reform here. You can also get involved by joining GoodParty.org’s growing community of independent thinkers and changemakers.