Uncontested Elections or Acclamations - Ballot Samples

Voters choose to either approve or reject the candidate. The candidate can be rejected if an organization's bylaws permit the denial of an acclamation.

To facilitate the approval or rejection of the candidate, Plurality Voting is used, set up with one vacancy and two options. This allows the vote administrator to obtain a “yes” or “no” response from their voters to confirm or reject the acclamation. Optionally, an abstain option allows votes to vote without confirming the acclamation, but the tally is similar to voting "no" in this case, as by abstaining, voters have not confirmed the candidate.  A write-in option can also be used, to facilitate last-minute nominations.

Voters confirm an unopposed candidate when bylaws dictate an election by ballot,  allowing the recording and official acceptance of all the candidates.

In this situation, the election setup is similar to a Single Position election [link to ballot type page] using Plurality Voting, but with the single candidate as the only listed option. An abstain option allows votes to vote without confirming the acclamation, but the tally is similar to voting no, as by abstaining, voters have not confirmed the candidate.

Voters confirm multiple unopposed candidates when bylaws dictate an election by ballot, allowing the recording and official acceptance of all the candidates.

A multiple-candidate acclamation setup is similar to choosing multiple candidates using Plurality Voting, with the number of candidates listed equal to the number of open positions, along with the capability to abstain. With a multiple-candidate acclamation, the voter can confirm one or more of the candidates or abstain from voting. Omitting an abstain option or allowing voters to select an equal number candidates to the number of vacancies may impact voter turnout, as voters who feel passionately that the presented candidates are unfit for the position cannot convey their choice. So they may simply choose not to vote.