Approval and Score Voting: How They Work and When to Use Them
Approval voting lets people tick every option they accept, score voting lets them rate each one. How both work, a worked example and a quick decision guide.
Voting methodsPublished
Approval voting asks each voter to mark every option they can accept; the option with the most approvals wins. Score voting (also called range voting) asks voters to rate each option on a scale, such as 0 to 5 stars, and the option with the highest total or average wins. Both are simple to explain, quick to count and well suited to choosing between several options where there is no single ‘right’ answer.
If you have ever used a scheduling poll to find a meeting date, you have already used approval voting.
Approval voting step by step
- List all options (candidates, dates, project ideas).
- Each voter ticks as many options as they find acceptable: one, several or all.
- Count the ticks per option.
- The option with the most ticks wins. For several seats, the top n options win.
The key difference from a normal vote is that supporting one option does not take anything away from another.
Score voting step by step
- Fix a scale and label it clearly, for example 0 = ‘no’, 5 = ‘strongly yes’.
- Each voter rates every option. Decide whether unrated options count as 0 or are left out.
- Add up (or average) the scores per option.
- The highest total or average wins.
Averages are fairer when not everyone rates every option; totals are simpler when everyone must rate all of them.
Worked example: picking a project
Invented example for illustration. Ten committee members choose one of three projects for next year.
| Method | Project A | Project B | Project C | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single choice (one tick each) | 4 | 3 | 3 | A |
| Approval (tick all acceptable) | 5 | 8 | 4 | B |
| Score (0–5, total) | 26 | 33 | 18 | B |
Project A has the most first choices but divides the group: half of the committee would not accept it at all. Project B is everyone’s second best and almost everyone’s acceptable option. Approval and score voting both reveal that broad support; a single-choice vote hides it.
Strengths and weaknesses
| Approval voting | Score voting | |
|---|---|---|
| Ballot | Tick boxes | Rating scale per option |
| Easy to explain | Very | Fairly |
| Counting by hand | Very easy | Easy |
| Shows intensity of preference | No | Yes |
| Tactical voting | Possible (tick only your favourite) | Possible (give only 0 or max) |
| Typical uses | Dates, shortlists, multi-option choices | Ideas, prioritising, awards, juries |
Both methods tend to reward broadly acceptable options. That is often exactly what a club, team or committee needs. For electing a single person where strong first preferences matter, ranked-choice voting is often the better fit.
Which method fits? A short decision guide
- Yes or no on one motion? Use an ordinary majority vote. See majority and quorum.
- Finding a date? Approval voting, as in a scheduling poll.
- Choosing one of several ideas, names or venues? Approval voting if speed matters, score voting if you want to see how strongly people feel.
- Electing one person from three or more candidates? Ranked choice (instant runoff), or approval voting if your rules allow it and you want a simple ballot.
- Filling several seats with fair minority representation? Single transferable vote.
- Gathering a mood in a live meeting? A rating scale in a live poll works well; see live polling tools.
Practical tips
- Word the options neutrally and make them mutually exclusive. Our guide to writing ballot questions has examples.
- Label the scale so that everyone reads ‘3’ the same way.
- Decide on tie-breaks before you start, for example a short runoff between the tied options.
- For formal elections, check that your constitution permits the method. Where the rules simply say ‘majority’, an approval count may not satisfy them without an additional threshold, for instance that the winner must be approved by more than half of the voters.
- Publish the full count, not just the winner, so the result is transparent.
Approval voting has been used in some professional societies and, in recent years, in a few US city elections. It is rare in European public elections, but common in everyday decisions, often without being called by its name.
Frequently asked questions
Is a scheduling poll a form of approval voting?
Yes, in effect. When everyone ticks all the dates they can make and the date with the most ticks is chosen, that is approval voting. Some scheduling tools add an ‘if need be’ option, which turns it into a simple three-level score vote.
Can approval voting produce a winner nobody really wants?
It can favour broadly acceptable compromise options over polarising favourites. Whether that is a weakness or a strength depends on what your group needs. For a decision that should reflect strong first preferences, a ranked method may suit better.
What is the difference between score voting and majority judgment?
Both use ratings. Score voting adds up or averages the scores. Majority judgment uses verbal grades (for example ‘excellent’ to ‘reject’) and picks the option with the best median grade, which makes it less sensitive to extreme ratings.
More in Voting methods
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What Is a Double Majority? EU Council, Switzerland, Clubs
A double majority needs two different majorities at once, such as people and states. How it works in the EU Council and Swiss referendums, with a worked example.