A made-up three-candidate plurality contest: evidence account
In plain words
The count under instant runoff elected Ames because in round 2, 650 of the 1,000 ballots still counting counted for Ames, more than half.
No audit ran.
No container custody was supplied.
Outcome status: preliminary. Software tallies stay preliminary until an audit on the record confirms them or a full hand count of the record replaces them.
The contest
Title: A made-up three-candidate plurality contest
Candidates: Ames, Baird, Cortez.
Records in this count: 1,000.
Ballot file: plurality-3
Source: Invented for this package. No real election.
Ames has 450 first choices (45%), Baird has 350 (35%), Cortez has 200 (20%).
Nobody has a majority, but Ames has a plurality. Used to test BRAVO ballot polling.
Where the records sat:
One stack of 1,000 records. There is no ballot manifest of sealed containers.
No container custody was supplied.
What was configured
Configuration version: plurality-3-plurality-v1-under-instant-runoff.
Configuration fingerprint (SHA-256): a4ca97092b0136ac8e9386f9e8b7a78f333757b5e0f495d5dc13c407ed0b9d53.
Counting rule: instant runoff.
Ballot rules used: Two or more marks at one rank end the ballot there; 2 ranks in a row left blank end the ballot; a candidate marked again lower down counts as a rank left blank.
Ballot file: plurality-3. A third party with this file can rerun the count.
Audit: none. No seed was used.
Configured audit risk limit: 10%.
Plain-language configuration (check against statute intent):
Configuration version: plurality-3-plurality-v1-under-instant-runoff
Fingerprint (SHA-256): a4ca97092b0136ac8e9386f9e8b7a78f333757b5e0f495d5dc13c407ed0b9d53
Election: A made-up three-candidate plurality contest, counted under instant runoff
A demonstration configuration over committed fixture records, counting the same ballots under another rule. No audit ran under it, and no real election was counted under it.
Contests and candidates:
A made-up three-candidate plurality contest (plurality-3): Ames; Baird; Cortez.
Counting rule: instant runoff.
Tiebreak: not used under this counting rule.
Ballot rules (how marks become a ranking):
Two or more marks at one rank: the ballot counts up to that rank and no further.
A candidate marked again lower down: that rank counts as a rank left blank.
2 ranks in a row left blank: the ballot counts up to there and no further.
A mark for anyone not on the ballot: a mark, so the rank is not blank, but never a vote.
Audit risk limit: 10%. A risk-limiting audit that runs under this configuration stops when the sample confirms the outcome at that limit, or sends the contest to a full hand count.
How a ballot is counted and how an audit stops are fixed by this version. Changing any of the lines above requires a new version id.
The count
What follows is the counting account under instant runoff, including every intermediate step.
What was counted
Ballots in this count: 1,000.
Ballots from: Invented for this package. No real election.
Ames has 450 first choices (45%), Baird has 350 (35%), Cortez has 200 (20%).
Nobody has a majority, but Ames has a plurality. Used to test BRAVO ballot polling.
How the marks on a ballot were read:
Two or more marks at one rank: the ballot counts up to that rank and no further.
A candidate marked again lower down: that rank counts as a rank left blank.
2 ranks in a row left blank: the ballot counts up to there and no further.
A mark for anyone not on the ballot: a mark, so the rank is not blank, but never a vote.
The rankings the ballots form, and how many ballots form each. A candidate a ranking does not name is ranked last on those ballots.
| Ranking | Ballots |
|---|---|
| Ames > Baird > Cortez | 450 |
| Baird > Ames > Cortez | 350 |
| Cortez > Ames > Baird | 200 |
Round 1
| Candidate | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Ames | 450 | 45.00% |
| Baird | 350 | 35.00% |
| Cortez | 200 | 20.00% |
Ballots counting this round: 1,000.
Ballots counting for nobody: no candidate marked 0; ran out of rankings 0; two or more marks at one rank 0.
More than half of 1,000 is 501.
Nobody has 501, so the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated.
Cortez is eliminated with 200 votes, fewest in this round.
Where those 200 ballots go:
| Next in the count | Ballots |
|---|---|
| Ames | 200 |
Round 2
| Candidate | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Ames | 650 | 65.00% |
| Baird | 350 | 35.00% |
Ballots counting this round: 1,000.
Ballots counting for nobody: no candidate marked 0; ran out of rankings 0; two or more marks at one rank 0.
More than half of 1,000 is 501.
Ames has 650 votes, more than half of 1,000, and is elected.
Outcome
Ames is elected: after 2 rounds, 650 of the 1,000 ballots still counting rank Ames above every candidate left.
Records with no mark, by contest and by machine
At the close of polls, the share of records with no mark in each contest, by contest and by machine. Leaving a contest blank is a voter's right; an outlier below is a question about the ballot or the machine, not a verdict.
| Contest | Records | With no mark | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| plurality-3 | 1,000 | 0 | 0.00% |
The audit
No audit ran.
What was found
No audit ran, so there are no sample findings.
Custody: none supplied. No container custody chain was recorded or verified.
Why it stopped
Decision: no audit.
No audit ran.
Outcome status: preliminary. Software tallies stay preliminary until an audit on the record confirms them or a full hand count of the record replaces them.