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Unusual electoral systems

Julian D. A. Wiseman

Contents: The Mayor of Cuckfield; Honorary Members of SEPTIC.

Abstract: This paper lists bizarre, unusual, or merely odd electoral systems. The author would like to be told of others.

Publication history: Only here. Usual disclaimer and copyright terms apply.


The Mayor of Cuckfield

Cuckfield is a small village in West Sussex, on the southern coast of England. Cuckfield has a mayor, a ceremonial post, elected each year using a simple system as follows:

Typically, a few tens of thousands of votes has been enough to become mayor.


Honorary Members of SEPTIC

The Cambridge University Tiddlywinks Club is, as one might expect, a student club dedicated to the arts of winks and drinks. CUTwC has a subsidiary club, an elite, the Society of Ex-Presidential Tiddlywinkers In Cambridge, composed primarily of ex-presidents of CUTwC residing in Cambridge. SEPTIC sometimes elects an honorary member, and does so as follows:

The actual course of voting is of course secret, but it is widely speculated that early (junior) voters pour red wine into the jug, and perhaps also white. If this is true, then more senior voters would have to choose between rejecting the candidate and drinking the contents of the jug. Hitherto-fore they have always chosen the path of more drinking — presumably the intention of the junior voters. This hypothesis is supported by the observation that the junior members’ voting is often much quicker than that of the senior voters.

It is believed that this voting system would not scale to a national level.

Comments on this voting system can be posted on the CUTwC bulletin board.


If you know of other bizarre, unusual, or merely odd electoral systems, please tell the author.

Julian D. A. Wiseman, November 2005


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