This new book by George Szpiro details the various systems people have used through the centuries to elect popes, presidents, mayors, and even #1 ranked sports teams. Voting theory has made an appearance on this blog previously, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made a switch in their voting tabulation system recently. Szpiro’s book received an excellent review in the New Yorker magazine, a review that itself does a very nice job of sketching the various voting systems that have been tried, and the problems and advantages of each.