But the thing is that's beside the point. Even if they do that, it still allows them to express approval of multiple candidates, instead of just one in pluralit

But the thing is that's beside the point. Even if they do that, it still allows them to express approval of multiple candidates, instead of just one in plurality voting. And the fact that there's no weird elimination rounds means that: - it's easier to teach people ("most votes wins") - it's easy to double check the results ("most votes wins") - it's incentive compatible (you never put someone you hope loses above someone you hope wins) Even if you never use 2 – 4 on a 1 – 5 scale, it's still better because you're making the same decision for multiple candidates. Only using the max and min scores in score voting / range voting has a name: approval voting. For each candidate, you're answering the question: "Would I be ok with this person being elected?"