Offering ‘none of the above’ on ballot can stop extreme candidates winning

A ‘none of the above’ option on a ballot paper can reduce the chances of extreme candidates winning elections, finds new research.

In a study of American and Austrian elections, a research team from Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) and Duke University found that presenting voters with a ‘none of the above’ option on the ballot cuts the vote share for extreme candidates, making it less likely that such candidates win an election.

Such an option also combats voter apathy by allowing an explicit protest choice to voters. Protest votes can convey important information to political parties, influencing their policy choices. A large number of such votes may also affect the perceived legitimacy of the winning candidate.

In an U.S. experiment, adding the option to the ballot paper increased voter participation and additionally drew votes away from non-establishment candidate Donald Trump.

“The effects were mainly driven by voters who were unhappy with the set of candidates and those who did not vote for a major party in the previous election.”, said Anita Zednik, an Assistant Professor at WU and co-author of the study.

In a second experiment on an Austrian election, which featured two extreme candidates, the option was used more often than in the United States, and drew from both candidates.

A ‘none of the above’ option can, however, also affect politicians’ behavior. The researchers showed in a lab experiment that the option lead establishment candidates caring less about the electorate, knowing that they are less likely to be voted out of office.

Adding a NOTA option has significant effects on voting and politicians’ behaviour, possibly affecting election outcomes.

The study was published in the Journal of Public Economics.

/ENDS

For more information, a copy of the report, or to speak to the researcher, contact Katie Hurley at BlueSky Education on khurley@bluesky-pr.com.