A system of voting in which each voter ranks the alternatives. Assume there are n alternative choices available. Each voter submits a ranking of these alternatives. The first choice of each voter is given n points, the second choice n – 1, and so on. Any alternative not included in the ranking is awarded 0 points. The points awarded to each alternative are then summed across voters and the alternative with the most points in total is chosen. Borda voting always selects a winning alternative (or tied alternatives) but the outcome can be affected by the introduction of alternatives that cannot win. See also collective choice; majority voting.