borda

Borda is a surname of French origin. It is associated with several individuals, most notably Jean-Charles de Borda, an 18th‑century French mathematician, physicist, and naval officer who contributed to geometry, hydrodynamics, and navigation. The name also appears in various historical and scientific contexts and is borne by multiple people in Francophone regions.

The Borda count is a rank‑order voting method devised by Jean-Charles de Borda in the 18th century. In an election with n candidates, voters rank the candidates from most to least preferred. Points are assigned inversely to rank (for example, a voter’s top choice receives n−1 points, the second receives n−2, and so on, down to 0 for the last). The candidate with the highest total across all ballots wins. Variants exist, including different scoring schemes and rules for incomplete ballots. The method captures a broad sense of voter preferences but is vulnerable to strategic voting and to the presence of similar candidates; it can yield outcomes different from Condorcet methods and may be influenced by how candidates are arranged on ballots.

Origins and significance: The Borda count is one of the earliest ranked‑choice systems and remains a topic of study in social choice theory. Proponents highlight its ability to reflect overall approval across the electorate, while critics point to its susceptibility to strategic manipulation and to potential paradoxes in aggregating preferences.

Other uses: Beyond politics, the surname Borda appears in scientific and mathematical literature and in place names tied to historical figures bearing the name.