In fact, six state constitutions mandate this form of voting for corporate boards, and many other states allow its use for this purpose. The aim is to allow minority stockholders to elect some representatives to these governing bodies. How It Works. The cumulative vote is really just a variation of at-large voting. Candidates run in multi-member districts.
Voters have as many votes as there are seats.
Voters cast their votes for individual candidates and the winners are the ones with the most votes. In other words, voters may distribute their votes among the candidates in any way they prefer. For example, in elections for the county commission in Chilton County, Alabama, voters have seven votes to use to elect the seven commissioners. Voters can cast all seven for one candidate, one vote for each of seven candidates, four for one and three for another, or any other combination they desire. As illustrated in the ballot below, the ballot for the cumulative vote resembles somewhat the one used for at-large voting.