An undervote occurs when a voter selects fewer options in a contest than the minimum number required or makes no selection at all for a particular election. Undervotes may be intentional or unintentional.
Intentional undervotes can arise from protest voting, tactical voting, or deliberate abstention. In some cases, they reflect voter disaffection, where an individual participates in the election but declines to support any candidate in a specific contest. For example, a voter might select a presidential candidate but abstain from voting in a concurrent county commissioner election.
Unintentional undervotes may result from factors such as poor ballot design or voter misunderstanding. For instance, a voter mistakenly marking a preference ballot by selecting the same candidate for multiple positions could lead to an undervote.
Undervotes, together with overvotes (where a voter selects more options than allowed), are collectively referred to as residual votes. These are used in academic studies to assess the accuracy and reliability of voting systems in capturing voter intent.
References
- "2005 Voluntary Voting System Guidelines". Election Assistance Commission. p. A-18. Archived from the original on 13 June 2008. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ "WNT: Explaining the Undervotes". ABC News. 30 November 2000. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020.
- Bump, Philip (14 December 2016). "1.7 million people in 33 states and DC cast a ballot without voting in the presidential race". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 14 December 2016.
- ^ Alvarez, R. Michael; Katz, Jonathan N.; Hill, Jonathan N. (September 20, 2005). "Machines Versus Humans: The Counting and Recounting of Pre-scored Punchcard Ballots" (PDF). VTP Working Paper #32. Caltech/ MIT Voting Technology Project. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
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