This year, a group of friends and I want to spend our last spring break together all on the same trip. However, after a short discussion, we quickly realized many of us have different utility functions when it comes to spring break locations and activities. Some want cold, some want warm, some want active, and some want relaxing. The only thing we really have in common is that we want to do a group trip.
We decided to have our group present ideas to everyone on why they thought the group should go to each location. After hearing all the ideas, we would vote on where to go. Taking public choice, I knew a majority runoff voting method has many undesirable characteristics, so I proposed something to my friends that we talked a great deal about in class.
I proposed the Borda-counts voting method instead. I talked about how a majority run-off system often does not pick the Condorcet winner and how a rank choice voting system has the best chance of doing so, if one exists. My final point was that a system like this gives incentives to ideas that have more general appeal as well as ones that are less polarizing. Simply put, the greater degree someone dislikes an idea, the less of a chance that idea has of being the winner. Ideas that appeal to everyone and not a small majority fraction will have more success in this system.
After a little discussion, everyone agreed rank choice voting would lead to the idea, and thus spring break, that everyone would enjoy most. Now that our voting method is agreed upon, the only thing left is to work on my presentation.
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