Does Your Vote Matter? Game Theory Can Answer That

When we skip the polls because it's in our own self-interest, we end up with outcomes nobody wants.

With Election Day just around the corner, the buzz is everywhere—on your feed, in group chats, and all over social media. Yet, despite the hype, a lot of people still wonder: Does my vote actually matter? When you’re just one of millions, it can be easy to think your single vote won’t change anything. But this kind of thinking is a classic case of what game theory calls the Prisoner's Dilemma, and it’s more relevant to voting than you might realize.

The Prisoner's Dilemma: A Quick Breakdown

Picture this: two people are caught for a crime and interrogated separately. They have two choices—either snitch on each other or keep quiet. If they both stay silent, they get a lighter punishment. If one snitches and the other doesn’t, the snitch walks free while the other faces a harsh penalty. But if both snitch, they both get a heavy sentence.

Here’s the twist: without knowing what the other person will do, the safest bet is to look out for yourself and snitch.

But when they both do that, they en…