# 9. Strategic voting ## 9.5. Methodology/Refinements/Sub-species ### Mischief Vote This is a type of tactical voting in which a voter ranks a perceived weak alternative higher, but not in the hopes of getting it elected. This usually occurs in runoff voting where a voter already believes that their favoured candidate will make it to the next round. The voter then ranks an unwanted, but easily beatable, candidate higher so that their preferred candidate can win later. It may involve a voter ranking an alternative lower in the hope of getting it elected, or ranking an alternative higher in the hope of defeating it. This is also called paradoxical voting.