The mathematics we use to process the information in votes does not allocate power and resources in accordance with the wishes of voters. This can be seen starkly in the 2024 UK and French general elections, where voters have found themselves forced to vote for a candidate other than the one they most like in order to a block candidate they most dislike. In the UK, 40% of voters simply chose to abstain.
Chiralkine counting can be used to construct a new kind of voting system that enables voters to identify the option they are most for separate from the option they are most against and in each case provides voters with a choice between selecting that option, actively abstaining and passively abstaining. Passive abstention indicates the voter does not care. Active abstention indicates that the voter is opposed to having to choose between the options given, for example because the voter wants a different option.
Here are two examples of completed ballot sheets for a vote on the choice of green and purple for a school wall.
The ballot guards against a candidate being elected that is disliked by a majority of the voters and also empowers voters, if in a majority, to reject the ballot altogether, for example because they want to be able to vote for a candidate not on the list. A vote could be repeated using a fresh ballot sheet until a clear winner emerges that is accepted, liked and not disliked, for example after adding one or more new candidates and/or eliminating one or more old candidates.
The voting system can readily be adapted for referendums, decision making, opinion polling, consumer surveys and dispute resolution. It is a powerful tool for cutting through to what really matters to people.