Legal Definitions - bullet vote

A bullet vote occurs when a voter chooses to cast their ballot for only one candidate, even when the election allows them to vote for multiple candidates or fill multiple open positions. This strategy is often employed to concentrate support for a single preferred candidate, aiming to maximize their chances of winning by not distributing votes among other candidates.

• Example 1: City Council Election

  In a local election for the city council, there are three open seats, and voters are permitted to cast up to three votes for different candidates. A voter is particularly passionate about Candidate A and believes Candidate A is the best choice for the city. To give Candidate A the strongest possible support, the voter decides to only mark Candidate A on their ballot, leaving the other two available choices blank.

  Explanation: This is a bullet vote because the voter had the option to vote for two additional candidates but intentionally chose to cast only one vote, focusing all their electoral power on their most preferred candidate.

• Example 2: Corporate Board of Directors Election

  During an annual shareholder meeting, a company is electing five new members to its board of directors. Each shareholder has the right to vote for up to five candidates. A group of activist shareholders is determined to get their nominated candidate, Ms. Chen, elected to advocate for specific environmental policies. They instruct all their members to cast all their available votes exclusively for Ms. Chen, even though they could have voted for four other candidates.

  Explanation: This scenario illustrates a bullet vote because the shareholders are deliberately limiting their choices to a single candidate, despite having the capacity to vote for multiple individuals, in order to maximize Ms. Chen's chances of securing a board seat.

• Example 3: School Board Election

  A community is holding an election for its school board, with two positions open. Voters can select up to two candidates. Mr. Rodriguez is a strong advocate for increased funding for arts programs and believes Candidate B is the only candidate who truly shares his vision. To ensure Candidate B has the best chance of winning, Mr. Rodriguez votes only for Candidate B, leaving the second choice blank, even though there were other candidates running for the second seat.

  Explanation: This is an example of a bullet vote because Mr. Rodriguez had the opportunity to vote for a second candidate but chose to cast only one vote, thereby concentrating his support on Candidate B.