in a modified borda count (mbc), the number of points given for a voter's first and subsequent preferences is determined by the total number of options or candidates they have actually ranked, rather than the total number listed. this is to say, typically, on a ballot of "n" options/candidates, if a voter casts only "m" preferences (where "n"≥"m"≥1), a first preference gets "m" points, a second preference "m"–1 points, and so on. in more general terms, an 'x'th preference, if cast, gets one more point than an 'x+1'th preference (whether cast or not). the mbc involves no special weighting: the difference is always just one point.