There has been some discussion about bullet voting ahead of Monday’s election. While I understood the concept, I found it difficult to explain clearly. I decided to work on that, and this is my attempt to explain bullet voting.

As Hopkinton voters know, there are a couple of contested races on Monday’s ballot at Hopkinton Middle School. One of them gives voters a choice that can be made in more than one way.

That option, choosing to vote for fewer candidates than the number of available seats, is commonly called bullet voting. It is a legal and long-standing voting strategy. It also has a real mathematical effect on the outcome of multi-seat races.

Monday’s school committee race features one contested race where bullet voting comes into play.

What is Bullet Voting?

If you’re not familiar, here’s the idea: You might see instructions that say, “vote for not more than two.” That doesn’t mean you have to pick two. You can vote for just one candidate or even skip the race altogether. Your ballot stays valid.

So, what’s bullet voting? It means choosing only one candidate in a race where you’re allowed to pick more than one. The term comes from the idea of firing a single shot—putting all your support behind just one person instead of spreading it around.

Here’s Why It Matters

In a multi-seat race, every candidate wants the top spots. Competition is intense across the board. If you have a clear favorite and someone else you just sort of like, giving your second vote to that other person doesn’t just help them—it can undermine your preferred choice.

This is Where Bullet Voting Comes Into Play

When you choose your top pick and skip the rest, you give your favorite the strongest possible push. This makes a difference if you think your second choice might sneak past your first. The single vote then counts at full strength without lifting any rival.

The trade-off is that the voter gives up the chance to influence the second seat. If the voter has a clear second preference, bullet voting means leaving that preference unspoken.

Where It Applies and Where it Doesn’t on Monday’s Ballot

Of the contested races on the May 18 ballot, the School Committee is the one where bullet voting applies in the traditional sense. There are two seats available and three candidates running: incumbent Kyla McSweeney, Sandra Irwin, and Sravana Krishna. Voters may select up to two.

Candidate Statements can be found HERE
Contested Race Candidates found HERE

The Board of Health race is also contested, with incumbent Nasiba Mannan facing challenger Dimitry Zuckerman, but there is only one seat available. Voters may select only one candidate, so bullet voting does not apply.

Other races on the ballot, including Select Board, Board of Assessors, Board of Library Trustees, Planning Board, and Parks & Recreation Commission, are uncontested. In multi-seat uncontested races, bullet voting has no strategic effect on the outcome, though some voters use it to register a preference or express dissatisfaction.

Arguments in Favor

Supporters of bullet voting describe it as an honest expression of preference. A voter who believes one candidate is clearly the strongest, and who is not enthusiastic about the others, is not obligated to fill in additional bubbles. Casting a vote for a candidate the voter does not actually support, simply because the ballot allows it, may dilute the voter’s first choice.

Bullet voting can also be used by minority groups or factions to concentrate their voting power. Civil rights litigation in other states has examined bullet voting as a way for underrepresented communities to win seats on multi-member boards where they might otherwise be outvoted.

Arguments Against

Critics of bullet voting note that it leaves a portion of the voter’s ballot blank. In a “vote for two” race, a voter who casts only one vote has surrendered any influence over which of the remaining candidates wins the second seat. If the voter has any preference between those candidates, even a mild one, withholding the vote means accepting whatever the rest of the electorate decides.

Some also argue that bullet voting, when used widely, can produce outcomes that do not reflect the broader will of the electorate. If many voters in one faction bullet vote while others spread their votes evenly, the bullet-voting group can gain an outsized share of seats relative to its actual support.

How to Bullet Vote

There is nothing special a voter needs to do. A voter who wants to bullet vote simply fills in the bubble next to their chosen candidate and leaves the others blank. The ballot is still valid. The unused vote is not transferred or redistributed. It is, in effect, not cast.

Voters who change their minds after marking the ballot may request a new one from a poll worker. Spoiled ballots are not counted.

Polling Information

Polls are open at the Hopkinton Middle School Brown Gym, 88 Hayden Rowe Street, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, May 18.

Residents who have requested a vote-by-mail ballot must return it to the Town Clerk’s office or to a designated drop box by the close of polls.