Determining resource requirements for elections using indifference-zone generalized binary search
Determining resource requirements for elections using indifference-zone generalized binary search
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DOI：
10.1016/j.cie.2019.106243
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发表时间：
2020-02
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
T. Allen;Muer Yang;Shijie Huang;Olivia K. Hernandez
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
T. Allen;Muer Yang;Shijie Huang;Olivia K. Hernandez
选举队伍不只是一种麻烦。在最近的选举中，需要排队让数十万人不敢投票，并可能在多起案件中改变获胜者。挑战的一部分是，即使在一些地方的选民到达队伍的前面，投票也可能需要十几到二十分钟。此外，由于额外的公投和征税，一个选区的选票长度可能是同一县另一个选区的两倍。我们考虑选举官员和其他领导人面临的决策问题：应该为每个地点分配多少资源(投票簿、工作人员、投票站或投票机)，以便合理地预期排队人数最少？我们制定了一个模拟优化问题，以确定在保证可接受的用户定义服务水平的同时最小化资源需求的组合。我们提出了一种对解质量有严格保证的无差别区域广义二进制搜索(IZGBS)方法，并以2016年总统选举为例进行了验证。在那次选举中，我们描述了这些方法如何帮助至少一个地点的等待时间减少了三个多小时，影响了数千名选民，并可能增加投票率。
Election lines are more than a nuisance. In recent elections, needing to wait in lines deterred hundreds of thousands from voting and likely changed the winner in multiple cases. Part of the challenge is that even after the voter reaches the front of the line in some locations, it can require more than ten or twenty minutes to cast a ballot. Moreover, the ballot in one precinct might be twice the length of another precinct's in the same county because of additional referenda and levies. We consider the decision problem faced by election officials and other leaders: How many resources (poll books, workers, booths, or voting machines) should be allocated to each location so that lines can reasonably be expected to be minimal? We formulate a simulation optimization problem to identify the combinations that minimize resource requirements while guaranteeing acceptable user-defined service levels. We propose an Indifference Zone Generalized Binary Search (IZGBS) method with rigorous assurances on solution quality, and demonstrate it using the 2016 presidential election. In that election, we describe how the methods helped to reduce waiting times by more than three hours in at least one location affecting thousands of voters and likely increasing turnout.