Democracy seems simple: let the people choose. But the mathematics of social choice reveals deep paradoxes. Arrow's impossibility theorem proves that no voting system can satisfy all reasonable fairness criteria simultaneously. Different voting methods — plurality, ranked choice, approval — can produce different winners from the same voters. And gerrymandering shows how drawing district lines can predetermine election outcomes.
These simulations explore the fascinating mathematics of democratic choice. Watch how the same election produces different winners under different voting rules, see gerrymandering create unfair outcomes from fair votes, discover why Condorcet cycles make 'the will of the people' incoherent, and explore how proportional representation changes political landscapes.