LINKS — source-of-truth registry¶
The single place that maps a short name to a URL. Scripts and READMEs in this repo reference resources by short name only (never by raw URL), so when a link changes you fix it here once.
Convention: reference slides as [SLIDE] <Short name> — "slide title" and docs as <Short name>. Bump Last reviewed whenever you edit a source, then grep the scripts for its short name to catch stale references.
Last full review: 2026-06-21.
Two kinds of link on this page — only one of them is for you
Public sources — the External sites & tools and Software / code tables near the bottom — are open to anyone, citable, and safe to hand to an audience.
Everything on docs.google.com is the author's private working notes. Those documents are not published: clicking one without access gets you a "You need access" screen, so they are of no use to a reader of this site. They are listed here as a maintenance ledger — a record of where a claim originally came from and what still needs migrating — not as reading material.
The direction of travel: when a private note contains something worth keeping, it gets written up as a page in this repo and cited from there; the row below then survives only as provenance. Several already have been (the Purpose column says so). Nothing on this page is a dependency of the teaching material — every claim in the repo is meant to stand on a repo page or a public source.
Master index (start here)¶
The full topic-by-topic FAQ for the wider STAR/RCV knowledge base — every Google-doc note, organized. When a source isn't yet pulled into this repo, look here first.
| Short name | Purpose | Source | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Index FAQ | Master index of all topic-specific voting docs (computational social choice) | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
Presentations (decks)¶
| Short name | Purpose | Source | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Deck 2025 | Canonical slide library; covers nearly every segment | Google Slides ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Torrance LWV (Arend) | Cleanest single-talk flow + the method scorecard | Google Slides ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Automatic Runoff | Deep-dive visuals for the runoff (Segment 5) | Google Slides ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Scores vs Rankings | "What is the difference?" — ranks vs scores (Segment 3) | Google Slides ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| STAR-vs-RCV Template | Equal Vote's STAR-vs-RCV talk; source of the "Results" pie (Equal Support = supported both / neither) | Google Slides ↗ (private) | 2026-06-22 |
| Voting Methods 101 (DPO) | Methods-survey talk for the Democratic Party of Oregon's voting-methods committee — vote-splitting case, per-method pros/cons (cons for STAR included), Oregon reform timeline (Portland RCV+PR, Measure 117, Eugene, Oakridge, Astoria). Claim-checked in STAR_resources.md | Google Slides ↗ (private) | 2026-07-24 |
Core docs¶
| Short name | Purpose | Source | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dual Nature | "Strength vs numbers" framing for Segment 5 (build into a deck) | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Why STAR 1 | Public-facing "Why STAR Voting?" part 1 | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Why STAR 2 | Presentation bullets + tiered debate prep (mirrored in repo) | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| BV vs STARVOTE | Pros/cons of demo software (Segment tooling) | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
Rebuttal / objection-handling sources¶
| Short name | Purpose | Source | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discounted votes (FairVote) | Rebutting the "equal-score votes are discounted" claim — repo page on this claim: Are equal-score votes discounted? | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Equal Support / No Preference | Definition & framing of the no-preference runoff vote | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Exhausted Ballots (doc) | RCV-IRV exhausted-ballot explainer (the contrast case) — repo page on this topic: exhausted ballots | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| RCV false claims (doc) | Source list of common RCV-IRV claims; basis for the repo's false-claims index | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-24 |
| Exhausted Ballots (deck) | RCV-IRV exhausted-ballot slides | Google Slides ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
RCV-IRV exhausted-ballot source notes (research)¶
All RCV-IRV-specific — the research behind exhausted_ballots_301.md. Not STAR material; kept here so the critique stays sourced and separable.
| Short name | Purpose | Source | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| RCV-IRV wasted-votes glossary | Index of RCV-IRV wasted-vote terms (exhausted / inactive / spoiled / skipped / overvote / truncation) | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Exhausted Ballots (link index) | Curated link list behind the RCV-IRV exhausted-ballots topic | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Ranking Limit (ballot length) | RCV-IRV ballot-length caps → involuntary truncation / exhaustion of fully-ranked ballots | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Exhausted Ballot — definition | The precise RCV-IRV definitions + the red / blue / yellow box exhaustion types | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| RCV-IRV tabulation is confusing | RCV-IRV opacity: round-by-round rules, central tabulation, lack of transparency | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Exhausted ballots — commentary | Evenhanded critic-vs-proponent framing (Electowiki commentary) of RCV-IRV exhaustion | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
RCV-IRV monotonicity source notes (research)¶
RCV-IRV-specific — the research behind RCV_IRV_non_monotonicity.md. Not STAR material.
| Short name | Purpose | Source | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monotonicity (main) | Overview: monotonic vs non-monotonic methods; STAR satisfies it, IRV doesn't | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Monotonicity vs Later-No-Harm | Why the two criteria are distinct (a common conflation) | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Upward monotonicity paradox | Raising the winner can make them lose (Alaska 2022 worked case) | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Downward monotonicity paradox | Lowering a loser can make them win (San Francisco 2020 D7) | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
RCV-IRV center-squeeze & polarization source notes (research)¶
RCV-IRV-specific / context — research behind RCV_IRV_center_squeeze.md.
| Short name | Purpose | Source | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Center Squeeze & Vote Splitting | Main explainer: the squeeze vs vote splitting, spatial-model visuals | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Center squeeze: IRV vs STAR (case) | 9-voter compare — Condorcet winner squeezed by IRV, elected by STAR | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Core support (myth) | IRV's "lacked first-place votes" excuse rebutted (squeezed CW can have more) | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Spoiler: IRV vs STAR (5-cand) | 5-candidate Carmen consensus example across Plurality/IRV/Approval/STAR | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Polarization | Why center squeeze matters: primaries, gridlock, depolarization | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Candidate Incentive Distributions | Ogren 2023: which voters each method makes candidates court (depolarization) | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
Supporting docs (linked from the runoff materials)¶
| Short name | Purpose | Source | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runoff Examples | Numerical runoff examples — ballot images & calculations | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Top-Two Winner | The second round / top-two write-up | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| How STAR Works (YT transcript) | Transcript of the "How Does STAR Voting Work?" video | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Runoff Phase (YT script) | Video script: STAR Voting — The Automatic Runoff Phase | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Equal Support vs Equal Preference | Terminology for the no-preference runoff bucket | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| STAR's Hybrid Nature | Expressive scoring + majority-style runoff — repo page on this topic: STAR's hybrid nature | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
| Ratings, Rankings & Preferences | The cardinal-vs-ordinal main reference — repo pages on this topic: scores and ranks | Google Doc ↗ (private) | 2026-06-21 |
External sites & tools¶
Public — these are the links to cite and to share.
| Short name | Purpose | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Equal Vote | The coalition; overview & resources | equal.vote ↗ |
| STAR overview | STAR Voting overview page | equal.vote/star ↗ |
| Accuracy | Voting-method accuracy simulations | equal.vote/accuracy ↗ |
| STAR vs RCV | Side-by-side comparison | web.archive.org ↗ |
| Beyond RCV zine | "Beyond Ranked Choice Voting" | equal.vote/beyond_rcv_zine ↗ |
| STAR Voting org | Campaign / get involved | starvoting.org ↗ |
| STAR-PR (starvoting.org) | Proportional STAR explainer — what PR is, pros/cons, the case for STAR-PR (advocacy framing; our mechanics page is 03_STAR_PR/01_Learn/STAR_PR/) | starvoting.org/star-pr ↗ |
| BetterVoting — live ballot | Cast a real STAR ballot in one click, no sign-in: the featured public What Makes the Best Pet? election (BV id pet), which is also this repo's worked example. The four-method twin is meta_pets. |
bettervoting.com/pet/vote ↗ |
| BetterVoting | Run your own election or poll — the homepage is a create an election wizard, not a ballot (audience CTA) | bettervoting.com ↗ |
| BetterVoting Docs | Help & FAQ — paper ballots, hand count, ties, security options, preliminary results | docs.bettervoting.com ↗ |
| Better elections (video) | Equal Vote intro; STV / proportional 3-seat example (basis for 03a/03b) | youtu.be ↗ |
| FairVote: displaying RCV results | Best practices for showing RCV-IRV results (round-by-round table / bar series); basis for the display notes in tabulation_star_vs_irv.md | fairvote.org ↗ |
| Center for Civic Design — RCV | Researched best practices for RCV results display & ballot design | civicdesign.org ↗ |
| Center for Election Science (Discord) | Community chat for CES — the Approval Voting advocacy org (electionscience.org). A friendly-rival camp (Approval-leaning, not STAR/Equal Vote); good for cross-community discussion. Invite had an expiry (Aug 2026) when added — refresh with a permanent/vanity invite if it lapses | Discord invite ↗ |
| Round-robin voting (Wikipedia) | The general family — pairwise/Condorcet ("tournament") methods. The umbrella above Ranked Robin; use for the family, not the specific method | Wikipedia ↗ |
| Copeland's method (Wikipedia) | The algorithm under Ranked Robin — most head-to-head wins (ties = ½) | Wikipedia ↗ |
| Ranked Robin (electowiki) | The branded method definition (name coined by Sara Wolk, Equal Vote, 2021). Community wiki + Equal-Vote-adjacent — cite as definition, not authority; prefer academic sources for critical claims | electowiki ↗ |
| Ranked Robin (Equal Vote) | Equal Vote's own Ranked Robin page (advocacy framing) | equal.vote/ranked_robin ↗ |
| Ballotpedia — RCV | Encyclopedia overview; source of the Atkinson/Foley/Ganz (U. Ill. L. Rev.) Condorcet quote used in ranked_robin.md | Ballotpedia ↗ |
| Nicky Case — better ballot | Interactive, playable guide to alternative voting systems (plurality/IRV/approval/score, spatial simulations). Excellent newcomer explainer — reform-friendly but even-handed across methods | ncase.me/ballot ↗ |
| Darlington — Condorcet/Minimax "best"? | Academic argument for Condorcet/Minimax over IRV and score methods (arXiv 1807.01366) — a pro-Condorcet steelman; read alongside edelman_condorcet_myth and the Condorcet hub | arXiv ↗ |
Software / code¶
Public — these are the links to cite and to share.
| Short name | Purpose | Link |
|---|---|---|
| starvote (upstream) | Larry Hastings' original STAR tabulation library | larryhastings/starvote ↗ |
| YAML fork (Adam) | This repo — CSV parsing + extra reporting/options | masiarek/star-voting-library ↗ |
| NIST VotingMethods | US NIST reference tabulation implementations + election-data interoperability (Common Data Format) work. Neutral government source; the interop angle pairs with this repo's ABIF / ballot-format notes (abif_format.md) | usnistgov/VotingMethods ↗ |
| RCVis | RCV-IRV results visualizer (Sankey / bar / table). A visualizer, not a tabulator — so it renders a result, it never corroborates one. GPL-3.0 (not AGPL, as this row previously said): use the hosted site, don't vendor the code into this MIT repo. Full page: rcvis.md | rcvis.com ↗ |
| rcvformats | RCVis's parsing library, split out and MIT — readers/validators for Universal RCV Tabulator JSON, Opavote, ElectionBuddy and three Dominion formats. Safe to depend on (pip install rcvformats), unlike RCVis itself |
artoonie/rcvformats ↗ |
| maxhully/rcv | BSD-3 Python RCV tabulation library (safe to borrow from, if ever needed) | maxhully/rcv ↗ |
Repo cross-references (canonical, version-controlled)¶
These live in this repo and stay exactly in sync — prefer them for live demos, and prefer citing them over anything above.
| Short name | Page |
|---|---|
| Start Here | 07_Concepts/00_START_HERE.md |
| Why STAR (repo) | 07_Concepts/topics/Why_STAR_Voting.md |
| Glossary | 07_Concepts/GLOSSARY.md |
| Curriculum | 07_Concepts/CURRICULUM.md |
| Flagship script | whats_so_good_about_STAR_Voting.md |
| Spoiler demos | split_voting/ |
| Two-round demo | page · 01b_c2_b2_two-candidates.yaml |
Note: deep links of the form
…/edit#slide=id.g…break when a slide is copied or duplicated. Prefer searching the slide title inside the deck over saving a deep link.