Sincere favorite criterion

[1] It protects voters from having to engage in lesser-evil voting or a strategy called "decapitation" (removing the "head" off a ballot).

However, in certain voting systems, this strategy can lead to suboptimal results, which makes the criterion less applicable.

This is due to the Electoral College system, which is structured as a "first-past-the-post" (FPTP) election within each state.

Several sources discuss how the FPTP system (like the one used in U.S. presidential elections) can disincentivize the use of sincere voting strategies: 1.

William H. Riker's "Liberalism against Populism" provides an analysis of the implications of various voting systems on strategic behaviors, including in U.S. elections.

These references can provide a deeper theoretical grounding on why the sincere favorite criterion is frequently not practical in FPTP and U.S. presidential elections.

[1] The Center for Election Science argues systems that violate the favorite betrayal criterion strongly incentivize voters to cast dishonest ballots, which can make voters feel unsatisfied or frustrated with the results despite having the opportunity to participate in the election.

[7][8][9][10] Other commentators have argued that failing the favorite-betrayal criterion can increase the effectiveness of misinformation campaigns, by allowing major-party candidates to sow doubt as to whether voting honestly for one's favorite is actually the best strategy.