Abstract
Prior research indicates that individuals prefer greater freedom of choice, but also that they experience choice overload such that they are better off when they face fewer options. I investigate the inherent motivational conflict with respect to choice in an election context. My data consist of a rich array of measures of voting behaviors and corresponding ballot and voter population characteristics for a panel of electoral districts from three Australian federal election cycles. Using these, I examine how the number of candidates, parties, and voting tickets on the ballot affect the share of voters (1) opting for a simplified (and choice-limited) alternative to the baseline voting process; and (2) intentionally casting an invalid ballot. The results suggest that the individual voter’s utility observes an inverted U-shaped relationship to the number of options faced. My findings also reveal that voters act rationally to trade off choice variety against choice simplification.
Published Version
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