Smarter Ballots

J.S. Maloy is Professor and Kaliste Saloom Endowed Chair of Political Science at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, USA.

• 1. Introduction: Electoral Dysfunction and Political Realism.- 2. What Research Reveals: Deficits of Electoral Accountability.- 3. What Research Overlooks: Voters’ Dilemma of Disempowerment.- 4. Lessons from Theory: The Blunted Blade of One-Mark Ballots.- 5. Lessons from Experience: The Cutting Edge of Ranking and Grading Ballots.- 6. America Re-Votes, 2016: Retrospective Simulations with Smarter Ballots.- 7. Conclusion: A Realist’s Agenda for Research and Reform.