Speaker takes on the topic of voting mathematics

“How to Rig an Election without Breaking the Law,” was be the provocatively titled talk hosted by Concordia University, Nebraska on Wednesday, Feb. 23.  Melissa Eardmann, associate professor of mathematics at Nebraska Wesleyan University, discussed how the math involved with different voting methods can lead to different election outcomes.  

Eardmann explained how plurality voting, the Borda count, Condorcet’s method and sequential pairwise voting can yield very different winners. “After this talk, you should be well-equipped to manipulate the election of your choice,” joked Dr. John Snow, assistant professor of math. The presentation was sponsored by Concordia’s math club.

Eardmann earned her bachelor’s in math and German from Luther College and her master’s from Colorado State University.  She began investigating voting methods during a sabbatical in 2008-09.