Pierce County Fair Bridge the Divide Mock Election Results

Thank you to everyone who came to the Pierce County Fair and participated in our mock elections. Here are the results and how we got them:

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Explanation by: Bob Maline

Cheese curds were the favorite fair food by a wide margin which should not be a surprise to anyone given the fair was held in the cheese curd capital of the world; Ellsworth, WI. It took 3 rounds for cheese curds to earn a majority of votes, with mini donuts and corn dogs the closest runners-up. Cotton candy was eliminated as the last place candidate following the first round and funnel cakes were eliminated following the second. 90 People voted so 46 votes were required to win a majority.

We held two elections for your favorite Starburst flavor; both with the main four flavors of strawberry, lemon, orange, and cherry, but one with fruit punch as an option, and one with watermelon as the final option. In both cases, Strawberry jumped out to an initial lead and won a true majority after 4 rounds of analysis. In both cases, the extra flavors (fruit punch and watermelon) took second, with cherry, orange, and lemon getting eliminated in that order. 264 people took part in these elections.

Just like in real governmental elections, the candidate that would have won with a traditional election can also win in a Final Five Election. But even with the same winner, the incentives for re-election change with Final Five Voting and drive different behavior during campaign season and while governing. This leaves only one question remaining: what incentive drives a curd of cheese that is already quite delicious to jump into a vat of scalding hot oil?? We may never know.