Behind the standard one man-one vote formula lies a labyrinth of bizarre dysfunction, according to this engaging study of the science of voting. America's system is “the least sensible way to vote,” argues Poundstone (Fortune's Formula
), prone to vote-splitting fiascoes like the 2000 election. Unfortunately, according to the author, a famous “impossibility theorem” states that no voting procedure can accurately gauge the will of the people without failures and paradoxes. (More optimistically, Poundstone contends that important problems are solved by “range voting,” in which voters score each candidate independently on a 1–10 scale.) Poundstone provides a lucid survey of electoral systems and their eccentric proponents (Charles Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, loved voting novelties), studded with colorful stories of election skullduggery by campaign consultants, whom he likens to “terrorists... exploiting the mathematical vulnerabilities of voting itself.” His lively, accessible mix of high theory and low politics merits a thumbs-up. Illus. (Feb.)
