SIMULATION OF WEIGHTED VOTING: THE BANZHAF INDEX.

In the election year it is fascinating to try to determine how major political parties choose their candidates and get them elected. The candidates must please as many people as possible and make involved political deals and trades. The Banzhaf index, an approximation of voting power, explains how the dark horse can end up as the front runner. The Banzhaf index is explained as the probability that a particular voter or party will be a pivotal member in a winning coalition (when all coalitions are assumed equally probable). The index becomes more interesting in weighted voting situations, where members or parties have different numbers of votes. The program is described and examples of weighted voting are given. Various other applications are proposed.