Is it OK to vote for a business we don't know?
When Iwas in graduate school, I lived in an dormitory residence on campus. Inaddition to our bedrooms, there were shared bathrooms on each floor, a commonroom with couches and a television, a historical chapel upstairs and an old kitchenin the basement with several old ovens and refrigerators and a few long tables.
It was a great place to live not only for itsproximity to classes and classmates, but also because it provided a relativelyaffordable alternative to pricey housing in the area. (The dormitory has sincebeen taken over by administrative offices, though the chapel remains.)
Each year, we’d vote on two positions to be held byresidents. One was someone to manage the kitchen. The other was the dormproctor, who was in charge of keeping keys, reporting emergencies, andgenerally helping keep the place and its residents safe. The proctor received afree room in exchange for holding the position, but it could eat up a lot oftime, so not everyone wanted to take it on.
When the vote came one year, a classmate commentedon a mutual friend who was running for the kitchen organizer position. Thefriend was notoriously disorganized and not someone you’d peg as being idealfor such a spot. “You always vote for your friends,” my classmate said when Iasked if she had any reservation about casting a vote for her.
I was reminded of that comment after receiving anemail from a reader I’m calling Madeline seeking advice on whether she shouldcast a vote for a friend’s daughter’s cake decorating business through a socialmedia link sent to her.
“I don’t know the daughter,” wrote Madeline. “I’venever tasted her cakes, although the photos of them online look nice.”
Madeline wonders if it’s wrong to vote for thedaughter simply because her friend asked her to. “Shouldn’t my vote be based onactually knowing if her work is any good?”
Ideally, Madeline is right. But such votes rarelyreflect an accurate reflection of judgment by those who actually know thegoods. Many “best of” votes in communities don’t require voters to haveactually shopped or dined at the places they vote for. It’s often just as easyfor someone residing on the other side of the country who never stepped foot inthe community let alone taste the food as a local joint to cast a vote for whatthey believe to be “the best.”
Is that right? If the guidelines for voting madeclear that only those who engaged in business with the establishments shouldcast a vote, then no, voting without actual knowledge is not right. But moreoften than not, these votes devolve into campaigns to get the most votespossible from anyone in hopes that winning will generate more business. As longas it’s clear that the votes don’t represent actual customers’ views, there’sno harm in casting the vote for the friend’s daughter’s cakes.
The right thing would be for Madeline and others toread the guidelines for the competition to make sure they aren’t violating therules for voting. And the right thing for the readers of such competition’sresults is to recognize that whatever businesses top the list may or may notebe “the best.” All they can be assured of is that they got the most votes.
Jeffrey L. Seglin, author of "The Simple Art of Business Etiquette: How to Rise to the Top by Playing Nice," is a senior lecturer in public policy, emeritus, at Harvard's Kennedy School. He is also the administrator of www.jeffreyseglin.com, a blog focused on ethical issues.
Do you have ethical questions that you need to have answered? Send them to jeffreyseglin@gmail.com.
Follow him on Twitter @jseglin
(c) 2023 JEFFREY L. SEGLIN. Distributed by TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.
