Democracy’s Hidden Weakness
India is the world’s largest democracy, yet our First‑Past‑the‑Post (FPTP) system often fails to deliver majority-supported winners. In many contests, victors win with only 30–35% of votes—meaning two‑thirds of voters preferred someone else. This is not “rule by the majority”; it is “rule by the largest minority.”
STAR Voting—short for Score Then Automatic Runoff—offers a remedy: modern, fair, and expressive, this system ensures leaders have majority support and reflect voter preferences more accurately.
History and Origins of STAR Voting
STAR Voting was first proposed in October 2014 by Mark Frohnmayer as “Score Runoff Voting,” born from deliberations at an electoral reform conference in Oregon that aimed to bridge score and ranked methods. The method found strong theoretical support through studies by the Center for Election Science, showing STAR outperformed both Ranked Choice and Approval Voting in accurately reflecting voter preferences and encouraging honest voting.
Since then, STAR has been piloted in internal elections by groups like the Multnomah County Democrats and the Independent Party of Oregon, and developed into a flagship reform of the Equal Vote Coalition, a nonprofit founded to promote “one person, one equal vote.”
How STAR Voting Works
– Score: Voters rate all candidates 0–5 (0 = worst, 5 = best).
– Automatic Runoff: Top two scorers advance; each ballot gives a runoff vote to whichever finalist was scored higher by that voter. The majority winner wins.
STAR-PR (Proportional Representation) is used for multi-seat elections, using the same scoring ballots but allocating seats proportionally among factions.
A Hypothetical Example: 10 Candidates, 100 Voters
In a ward with 10 candidates and 100 voters:
– Scores tally: A = 390, B = 360, C = 355 → A and B advance.
– Runoff: A leads 53–45 (2 ties).
– Star winner: A, supported by a majority of voters expressing a preference.
STAR‑PR in Cooperatives
Indian cooperatives (milk unions, credit societies, housing societies) typically elect boards of 11 or more trustees/directors, not a single leader. FPTP here allows one dominant faction to sweep all seats with just 40–45% support, leaving other members unrepresented.
With STAR‑PR, the outcome is proportional:
– Suppose 100 cooperative members vote for 15 candidates.
– Group A (40%) supports candidates 1–5, Group B (35%) supports 6–10, Group C (25%) supports 11–15.
– FPTP outcome: Group A could win nearly all 11 seats with just 40% backing.
– STAR‑PR outcome: Seats divide fairly: A ≈ 5 seats, B ≈ 4, C ≈ 2.
This ensures every faction sees itself represented on the board, creating cooperation instead of domination.
STAR in Lok Sabha Constituencies
Lok Sabha constituencies are single-winner elections, and STAR (not STAR-PR) is ideal.
Imagine a constituency with 5 candidates:
– Candidate A: 34 voters
– Candidate B: 30 voters
– Candidate C: 20 voters (lean toward B as second choice)
– Candidate D: 10 voters
– Candidate E: 6 voters
FPTP outcome: A wins with 34% despite 66% preferring others.
STAR outcome:
– A and B advance as top scorers.
– In the runoff, C’s, D’s, and E’s voters mostly prefer B.
– Final result: B wins 56–44.
Here, STAR delivers a true majority winner, strengthening legitimacy in every constituency.
STAR‑PR for the Rajya Sabha
At present, Rajya Sabha seats are indirectly elected by state assemblies using Single Transferable Vote (STV). The process is opaque, prone to horse-trading, and detached from citizens.
With STAR‑PR, the Rajya Sabha could be filled directly from Lok Sabha votes saving costs and logistics.
– Voters would score candidates on the Lok Sabha ballot.
– Those scores would simultaneously be aggregated proportionally to allocate Rajya Sabha seats.
– The chamber would then mirror the actual distribution of national support, giving smaller parties and independent voices fair representation.
This aligns perfectly with proposals for “One Nation, One Election”—a single ballot could elect both houses: majority-backed MPs in the Lok Sabha and proportionally representative members in the Rajya Sabha.
Roadmap for India
- Pilot STAR‑PR in cooperatives and local bodies (panchayats, municipalities).
- Use STAR in professional and student associations.
- Trial STAR in selective state assembly constituencies.
- National rollout: STAR for Lok Sabha, STAR‑PR for Rajya Sabha, under synchronized elections.
Addressing Common Concerns
- Complexity? Indians understand star ratings intuitively.
- Counting? STAR involves two tallies. STAR‑PR uses known formulas. EVMs or scanners can process both.
- Bullet scores? Allowed, but backups preserve runoff influence.
- Scale confusion? Ballots can show star icons (“5 stars = best, 0 stars = worst”) for clarity.
- Can even make it zero to three for brevity, and ease of rating.
A Democracy Worthy of Its People
India’s democracy needs renewal to truly reflect the people’s will. STAR Voting and STAR‑PR offer a path to:
– Majority rule in contested seats,
– Proportional representation in upper houses and boards,
– Honest, expressive voting without spoiling.
Conclusion
India pioneered electronic voting at scale; it can pioneer majority and proportional voting at scale.
STAR Voting for Lok Sabha constituencies would ensure that every MP truly speaks for a majority of constituents. STAR‑PR for Rajya Sabha would ensure that the Upper House reflects the real diversity of India’s political preferences. And cooperatives and local bodies can lead the way with practical, low-risk pilots.
In an era of One Nation, One Election, STAR offers a way to not only synchronise the calendar but also synchronise democracy with the will of the people.
It is time for India’s ballots to shine with stars.
References & Further Reading
– “STAR voting,” Wikipedia, method description and origin in 2014: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STAR_voting
– Equal Vote Coalition page, history and advocacy: https://www.equal.vote/origins
– Center for Election Science modeling STAR’s performance: https://www.equal.vote/origins
– STAR voting goals and voter empowerment philosophy: https://www.starvoting.org/star
– Multnomah County STAR vs RCV basics (Annie Kallen):