Exoplanet naming, electoral competition and strategic failure

The novel context of the IAU's NameExoWorlds contest presented the opportunity to analyze electoral returns from 20 one time only contests under a First Past the Post electoral system in which strategic entry costs were low and voters possessed little information about the preferences of other voters. In addition to high levels of both exoplanetary name proposals and voter participation from the wealthy democracies and low levels of voter participation in the Global South, with the exception of India, the election presented two electoral pathologies: wasted votes and strategic failure. The appropriateness of the proposed name, humanitarian sentiment, and voter mobilization by proposing clubs based on national affinity appear crucial in the success of the winning proposed names.