Ranked Voting in Medieval England

In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, King Arthur ventures out into the far reaches of 10^th century England to find knights for his Round Table when he stumbles upon an “anarcho-syndicalist commune” created to redistribute power to the working classes and create economic equality within their domain. He specifically encounters some very forward-thinking Middle-Age peasants, Dennis and his mother, who explain to a confused Arthur the problems of the economic and social state preserved within Medieval England.

This commune doesn’t have a lord. Instead of having a one leader living in a castle, this group of Britons takes turns as executive officer each week, and every decision has to be ratified by all the people through means of a simple majority in some cases and a two-thirds majority in more complex situations.

Is this the best way the commune can vote though? Are simple majority and two-thirds majority the best voting methods for the commune?

Whoever sets up a vote at the biweekly meeting can influence the outcome. The executive office chosen at random, which isn’t the smartest way to choose a leader, can influence policy simply by asking the right questions in the right order. Considering the voting systems described by Dennis, a simple majority and a two-thirds majority, a Condorcet winner may not be chosen frequently.

How can this commune improve their outcome?

Changing the voting system to a Borda count, or at the least a ranked vote of some kind, could offer a Condorcet winner with much higher frequency. While modern day Americans might have less incentive to put in the effort required for a ranked vote due to the unlikelihood of affecting election outcomes, each individual within the commune has a much higher chance of being a decisive voter; the population of England during the 10^th century is estimated to be roughly two million people, and the commune only represents a small portion of the nation’s population. The number of people in the commune is relatively small. Because each individual’s vote counts more and the commune is seeking to bring about well-thought social and economic change, the commune should consider changing their voting system to a Borda count for improved efficiency.