CES came to support approval voting after years of research and analysis. There are many democracy reforms to choose from, including different forms of voting. However, CES determined whether to support a method like approval voting based on these criteria:

1. Clear & Accessible Voting Processes

   • We firmly believe any new way to vote must keep voting as simple and accessible as possible for voters. No single voter should be lost in the name of progress. There should be absolute clarity in the voters' understanding of the process and how the final outcome is determined. 

     
     

2. Accurate, Prompt & Transparent Results

   • Accuracy, speed and transparency are key elements to trusting election results. Any new method needs to avoid adding delays, inviting errors, or causing uncertainty in the outcome. It's imperative that counting and auditing procedures are incredibly simple and transparent to ensure the integrity of the results.

     
     

3. Representativeness & Fairness

   • The voting method should not inherently show bias, for or against, any group. Instead, the outcome should purely reflect the consensus choice of the broadest segment of voters.

     
     

4. Compatibility & Cost

   • Lawmakers often cite compatibility concerns and potential costs as key reasons for not pursuing voting reform. We believe a reform is viable when it faces the least resource, logistical and legal hurdles as possible.

     
     

5. Takes Away the Hyperpartisan’s Advantages

   • Hyperpartisan candidates win when they pit their small, yet devoted base against a disunited mainstream majority. A new way to vote must eliminate this advantage by allowing voters to express support for multiple candidates who align with their values, and clear opposition to those who don’t. 

     
     

6. Makes a Vote Meaningful & Voters More Powerful

   • A new way to vote must free voters to express their true values and beliefs, and in doing so upend the current power dynamic between voters and politicians. In this new system, candidates cannot afford to ignore a single voter, as each one wields real and significant influence over their election.

     
     

7. Stops Vote Splitting

   • Voters need to be empowered to fully express themselves at the ballot. Candidates need to engage with and listen to all voters. Hyperpartisans need to lose their electoral advantage. All of this cannot happen while vote splitting exists, therefore any new way to vote must stop vote splitting. 

CES’ analysis of approval voting theory led us to the conclusion that it could be successful in these areas, and the results from real-world approval voting elections have only supported our hypothesis. Approval voting can drastically improve elections for voters and electorates, instantly, for incredibly low cost in money and effort - that’s why we support it.