Who cares about the mathematics of elections?
We all should, of course — especially now.
An informative, even entertaining way to learn about this topic is to watch the videos of CGP Grey. For a scary example, take a look at his second video about the Electoral College, published right after the 2016 election, in which Donald Trump won despite losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton. But that fact is not what’s scary about it. Take a look at the image. Then watch the video to see what’s going on.
Grey explains a variety of topics in the area of the mathematics of elections, from the Electoral College to First Past the Post to Two-Round Runoffs to Rank Choice Voting, the last of which I linked to in a previous blog post. You could start with Quick and Easy Voting for Normal People, which is a “quick and easy” explanation of Approval Voting and a ringing endorsement for it. (And there’s another method for you.)
Oh. There’s also gerrymandering, another vital and relevant topic for today! If you want to learn about voting and the mathematics of elections, CGP Grey is the answer. Voting isn’t just black and white, after all.
Learning Strategies 