Looking for the President of all
Prezident 21 was a voting game where Czech citizens could vote for presidential candidates whom they would like to see as the head of state. Thanks to the modern D21 - Janeček method, three plus and one minus vote were available compared to the real elections.
About the project
The voting game Prezident 21 was a pilot project of the Institute for Democracy 21. (now Institute H21). The aim was to familiarise the general public with functioning of the D21 - Janeček method and also to increase the general interest in the presidential election and start up a debate on alternative voting systems and the role of new technologies in politics.
The game Prezident 21 began on 21st December 2016 when the Czech Republic started looking for candidates
for their next President. In the first phase, Czech users could nominate public figures to the highest position. Over 600 names were nominated! From 24th November 2017 Czech citizens could vote only for the official candidates. The D21 - Janeček method with multiple votes was used in both phases. The Game of Presidents ended with the first round of the real presidential election on 13th January 2018, and its winner was Jiří Drahoš.
The website was also the place to find all information regarding the presidential election – detailed profiles of all official candidates and relevant reports from the media. All candidates were personally engaged in the game.
The only exception was Miloš Zeman, the incumbent Czech President, who refused to participate directly. Leading up to the elections, so-called Voting Advisor was created. This feature allowed users to compare their own and candidates’ opinions to assess who they agree with the most.
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What is the outcome of the Czech elections?
The difference in the results of the game Prezident 21 and the real elections showed how multiple votes can change public choices dramatically. Miloš Zeman was the candidate who defended the presidential mandate and his biggest rival was Jiří Drahoš.

Jiří Drahoš
69 y/o, former President of Czech Academy of Sciences
of Prezident 21

Miloš Zeman
73 y/o, President of the Czech Republic
Jiří Drahoš won the online elections according to the D21 - Janeček method because there was the widest social consensus upon him. This assumption was also verified in the field research on a representative sample during election days. However, it was Miloš Zeman who became the new Czech president despite being the most controversial figure in Prezident 21.
Results of the online election game Prezident 21
The goal of the game was to present D21 - Janeček voting method (also known as Democracy 21) to the general public and let them try out the method in practice and see how the presidential election 2018 could have come out if they had three plus and one minus vote instead of just one vote.

1. Jiří Drahoš
69 y/o, former President of Czech Academy of Sciences
of Prezident 21

2. Marek Hilšer
42 y/o, physician and civil activist

3. Pavel Fischer
53 y/o, former ambassador

4. Michal Horáček
66 y/o, lyricist, journalist, anthropologist

5. Mirek Topolánek
73 y/o, manager and former politician

6. Vratislav Kulhánek
62 y/o, manager and former Chairman of Skoda Auto

7. Jiří Hynek
74 y/o, founder of Realists Party and the President of Defense and Security Industry Association of the Czech Republic

8. Petr Hannig
57 y/o, singer, composer and politician

9. Miloš Zeman
72 y/o, Czech president
The multivote effect brought wider consensus
With more votes available people can choose according to their real conviction. Voters do not need to look for the lesser evil, use tactic or support stronger but less suitable candidates. Other votes help express everybody’s opinions more precisely and show the will to agree with others.
Comparing the results of the real Czech elections with the multiple votes system in this chart is based on the results of terrain survey conducted on 12th and 13th January 2018 on a representative sample of the Czech population that voted in the first round.
How does the D21 - Janeček method work?
Karel Janeček, a Czech mathematician and social innovator, established his voting method (formerly known as Democracy 21) on the prerequisite that each voter can give more votes than the number of winning options. All votes have the same weight and the voter can but does not have to use all of them. It is not possible to vote twice for the same option. Furthermore, when using a minus vote, two plus votes must be used.
Thanks to the multiple votes effect, the possibility most people can agree on wins. On the other hand, minus votes reveal controversial options, which may have many supporters but also opponents.
Awards we have received
The expert public have appreciated Institute for Democracy 21 (now Institute H21) for its effort to raise awareness about the D21 - Janeček method and to increase the general interest in the presidential election in the Czech Republic.
Who is behind the project
Institute H21 is a non-profit organisation that was founded in 2016 with the mission of spreading the idea of voting system Democracy 21 (today D21 - Janeček method) in the Czech Republic and abroad. In our team, there are mathematicians, journalists, political scientists, communication experts, psychologists and other scientists. We believe that the D21 - Janeček method has tremendous potential both in the process of returning people's trust in democracy and in increasing interest and desire to participate in public decision-making.
Learn more at www.ihd21.org
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