An overvote occurs when one votes for more than the maximum number of selections allowed in a contest. The result is a
spoiled vote which is not included in the final tally.
One example of an overvote would be voting for two candidates in a single race with the instruction "Vote for not more than one." ''
Robert's Rules of Order
''Robert's Rules of Order'', often simply referred to as ''Robert's Rules'', is a manual of parliamentary procedure by U.S. Army officer Henry Martyn Robert (1837–1923). "The object of Rules of Order is to assist an assembly to accomplish the ...
'' notes that such votes are illegal.
Undervotes combined with overvotes (known as
residual votes) can be an academic indicator in evaluating the accuracy of a voting system when recording
voter intent.
While an overvote in a
plurality voting system
Plurality voting refers to electoral systems in which the candidates in an electoral district who poll more than any other (that is, receive a plurality) are elected.
Under single-winner plurality voting, and in systems based on single-member ...
or
limited voting
Limited voting (also known as partial block voting) is a voting system in which electors have fewer votes than there are positions available. The positions are awarded to the candidates who receive the most votes. In the special case in which th ...
is always illegal, in certain other
electoral methods including
approval voting
Approval voting is a single-winner rated voting system where voters can approve of all the candidates as they like instead of Plurality voting, choosing one. The method is designed to eliminate vote-splitting while keeping election administration ...
, this style of voting is valid, and thus invalid overvotes are not possible.
In the corporate world, the term "overvote" describes a situation in which someone votes more proxies than they are authorized to, or for more shares than they hold of record.
References
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External links
USAToday.com – How USA Today and others examined overvote
Elections
Voting theory