Bison herds use a democratic 'voting' process to decide where to go

(Image credit: Michael Smith/Newsmakers)

last updated 28 December 2015

Americans aren't the only ones who will be casting their votes in 2016; in the animal kingdom, it turns out European bison also use majority rule to make decisions.

To be fair, bison don't have primaries or an Electoral College and their voting isn't regularly scheduled in November each year. But when it comes to making decisions about travel, ecologist Amandine Ramos of the French National Center for Scientific Research discovered that bison will point their heads in the direction they want to go in order to "cast their vote."

If [bison] want to graze in a meadow, they face the meadow. If they would rather slake their thirst, they turn toward a water hole. Eventually one bison makes a move. If the initiator advances in the direction preferred by most herd members, the group follows. If the initiator chooses a less popular option, few follow, and the group might split for a brief period. Anyone can initiate a movement, although adult females typically garner the largest number of followers. In essence, the initiator with the most votes wins and ends up leading most of the herd. [Scientific American]

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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