Is Cumulative Voting Understood and Accepted?
Ten of the sixteen jurisdictions were holding elections under cumulative voting for the first time; five for only the second time. Beyond the success of minority candidates, we wanted to know how all voters responded to the cumulative voting system. Did they understand the new voting system? How do both minority and white voters perceive cumulative voting? Since all sixteen jurisdictions polled had been sued for minority vote dilution, it is likely that white voters harbored much resentment at being forced to adopt a settlement over which they had no control. Yet our exit polls found greater understanding and acceptance of cumulative voting than might be expected. More than nine in ten voters of each ethnic group knew they could concentrate all of their votes on a single candidate. Asked to compare cumulative voting with previous election systems, more said that cumulative voting was easier than said it was more difficult. There were large ethnic differences in evaluations of cumulativ
