Democracy in Action: A Sickos Borda Count

As a big fan of voting (early and often), I was fascinated by the alternative voting rules we learned about earlier this month. The one that stood out to me most was the Borda method, ranking candidates and assigning descending point totals for each (with k candidates, choice 1 gets k, choice k gets 1). This is the preferred method for economists, sports writers, and, most importantly, the Sickos Committee, a group of self-described depraved college football fans with a penchant for the wild and wacky moments in college football. 

Each month, the Committee asks its followers to vote on the most Sicko team in college football, using the Borda method to rank its points similarly to the AP Poll and other collegiate ranking systems. The system has shown success in choosing the most Sicko team every year. Last year, Iowa took the prize for having one of the best defenses and worst offenses in college football -- at one point, their defense had more points than their offense, which is truly Sicko. This year's front-runner is Florida State, who started the year ranked near the top 10 before falling to 1-7 to start the season. And fans aren't limited to just college football teams -- the Chicago White Sox finished 18th last month due to the sheer Sicko nature of their season. All of this is to say that the Borda method reveals the Sicko preferences of college fans very well. If you want to participate in this poll and reveal your preferences to the Sickos Committee, you can vote here. Polls close Tuesday 11/5 at 9pm.