On the Role of Zealotry in the Voter Model

Abstract

We study the voter model with a finite density of zealots--voters than never change opinion. For equal numbers of zealots of each species, the distribution of magnetization (opinions) is Gaussian in the mean-field limit as well as in one and two dimensions, with a width that is proportional to 1/sqrt{Z}, where Z is the number of zealots, independent of the total number of voters. Thus just a few zealots can prevent consensus or even the formation of a robust majority.

9 pages, 7 figures, 2-column revtex4 format. Revision has a figure added and minor changes in response to referee comments. For publication in JSTAT