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The first purpose of voting for candidates in elections is to select the individual the majority of voters want. But a secondary purpose, which also contributes to the first, should be to gauge the true level of support of all the candidates. In this, we fail miserably.

Simple plurality voting, which predominates, allows voters to vote for one candidate only.

Approval Voting should be adopted. This simple, inexpensive, and easy-to-understand, voting method allows citizens to vote for all the candidates they "approve." Voters would not be forced to choose between voting for an independent or minority party candidate that they favor, or for voting for the better major party candidate.

As it stands, voting for an independent candidate "splits the vote," effectively becoming a vote for the majority party candidate the voter dislikes. With Approval Voting, the voter could vote for the independent candidate, and the preferred majority party candidate. The true level of support for all candidates would be reflected by the results. The candidate who receives the most votes would still win.