The Making Electoral Democracy Work research team has launched the website voteforpope.net.
voteforpope.net has two objectives: (1) inform the public about the various electoral systems that exist in the world to elect state leaders, and (2) collect data on voters’ behaviour under these systems. The study focuses on the election of the next Pope.
The website is available in six languages (French, English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and German) and provides information about four electoral systems that can be utilized for the election of a head of state: one round plurality, two round runoff, alternative vote, and approval vote. The electoral system that is used for the election of the Pope is also described (see Snapshot 1).
Snapshot 1: Description of the alternative vote.
The visitor is then invited to imagine how he/she would vote if the Pope was elected under each of these four electoral systems. The interactive section of the website allows people to cast a vote under each system (see Snapshot 2). Information is also provided about some of the main candidates for the succession of Benedict XVI.
Snapshot 2: Voting under the alternative vote.
Similar websites have been developed for recent elections in France and Iceland, as well as the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
For more information, please contact the research team in charge of voteforpope.net:
- André Blais (University of Montreal, Canada)
- Jean-François Laslier (CNRS and Polytechnique, France)
- Damien Bol (Canada Research Chair in Electoral Studies)
