Finding Our True Political Center: Through the Coming Revolution in Voting

Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interaction among rational decision-makers. Game theory problems are not easily summed up in neat little packages (E = mc2). They involve the uncertainty of human behavior, strategic responses, and just too many elusive variables. Now when Kevin designed his game ＂Napoleon’s Wheel＂, historical accuracy dictated that the odds would favor Napoleon; but it was still a zero-sum game, meaning it would end with winners and losers.... no ties, no compromises, no peace negotiations. That’s pretty much the way everyone from mathematicians to politicians to voters think about voting algorithms. No one considered designing outcomes where everyone comes out ahead. A better model is economics where despite some concessions, everyone gains from the trade-offs. As extreme polarization paralyzes the American political landscape, I would be remiss not to tell the story of how designer algorithms can change that terrain (the field of candidates) so the pieces and the players align to form the better outcomes for the electorate as a whole, the story of ＂inclusive voting.＂