Approval Voting:

Approval Voting is the simplest top-shelf voting method out there. Voters vote for any and all candidates they support in the race, and the candidate who receives the most votes wins. Using Approval Voting in a primary followed by a top-two general election yields highly representative results.

Try Approval Voting:

You can host your own elections using Approval Voting with the BetterVoting.com web app. 

Approval Advantages:

• Simplicity. An Approval ballot can look the same as a traditional ballot if desired, and Approval is tallied the exact same way, by adding up the votes. 
• It's always safe to vote for your honest favorite. 
• Prevents vote-splitting by allowing voters to support all the candidates on their side, while ensuring that each vote is equally weighted.
• Significantly more fair and accurate than the traditional Choose-One-Only Plurality method used in most of the world. With expected voting behavior, Approval outperforms the Instant Runoff (Ranked Choice) method in terms of electing the most representative winner, especially in larger fields of candidates or competitive elections. 
• Nearly impossible to mess up, void, or spoil your ballot. 
• Promotes consensus politics and positive campaigning. Combats polarization.
• Can be used for single-winner or multi-winner elections and can be adapted for proportional representation.
• Approval Voting, unlike some other methods like Instant Runoff (Ranked Choice) Voting, is highly compatible with most existing state and municipal election codes.

Approval Disadvantages:

• Voters may be unsure which candidates they should approve, how many they should approve, and if they need to be strategic with their vote to get the best outcome. The best strategy is to approve your favorite and other candidates you think are acceptable, while making sure to include at least one front-runner on your side. 
• There is no way to show you prefer your true favorite over an okay candidate, especially if you aren't sure your favorite can win. 
• Voters whose favorite is one of the front-runners may have little incentive to approve others on their side. If this behavior was widespread, it could give candidates who are seen as more electable an advantage.
  
  
  

No voting method is perfect and every possible voting method comes with pros and cons to weigh. After a full deep-dive, the Equal Vote Coalition has determined that Approval Voting is as good as it gets for a simple method, and we endorse it wholeheartedly over "Choose-One" Plurality and Ranked Choice Voting. 

The case for Approval:

Approval Voting fills a unique and important role in the voting reform space. For people who are currently using the traditional Choose-One Plurality voting system, or a Choose-One primary election paired with a Top-2 runoff, there's no reason not to just switch over to Approval Voting right now. The logistical changes needed are extremely minimal and Approval yields clear and significant benefits. Additionally, Approval voting is compatible with more expressive voting methods and can pair well with either a five-star or a ranked ballot. For these reasons, there's a good argument to be made that Approval Voting should be the default voting method.

The bottom line is that we need to stop using Choose-One voting as fast as possible and take major steps in the right direction now. Approval Voting is an important arrow in the quiver.