Vote is a word used to formally express one’s preferences in a democratic organization such as a country, a company, or a deliberative assembly. Voting may be done via ballots, voice votes, or show-of-hands.
In most modern liberal democracies, voting takes place primarily during periodic elections. In some, such as the United States, voting is mandatory for eligible citizens. In other countries, such as Switzerland, it is optional. Voting is also used to approve proposals or resolutions.
Some political systems use multiple methods to identify winners based on votes, such as single-winner proportional representation (PR), a form of majority rule; multi-winner ranked choice voting (RCV); and block voting for at-large positions like city councils and county commissions. These types of voting systems are studied by social choice theory.
It is also possible to vote blank or null, carrying out the act of voting without selecting any candidate or option, typically as a protest or to indicate that no preference is available. Some voters choose to do this as part of a secret ballot, which is designed to prevent people from being influenced by others or to protect their privacy.
New Yorkers can use the NYC Votes website to learn about voter registration, party enrollment and voting by mail in their neighborhood. Additionally, the site has a translation feature that makes it easy to navigate in languages such as Spanish, Bengali, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, and Korean. Interpreters are also available to help voters at select poll sites based on local census data.