  This study considers a simple variation of the voter model with two competing
parties. In particular, we represent the case of political elections, where
people can choose to support one of the two candidates or to remain neutral.
People operate within a social network and their opinions depend on those of
the people with whom they interact. Therefore, they may change their opinions
over time, which may mean supporting one particular candidate or none.
Candidates attempt to gain people's support by interacting with them, whether
they are in the same social circle (i.e. neighbors) or not. In particular,
candidates follow a strategy of interacting for a time with people they do not
know (that is, people who are not their neighbors). Our analysis of the
proposed model sought to establish which network strategies are the most
effective for candidates to gain popular support. We found that the most
suitable strategy depends on the topology of the social network. Finally, we
investigated the role of charisma in these dynamics. Charisma is relevant in
several social contexts, since charismatic people usually exercise a strong
influence over others. Our results showed that candidates' charisma is an
important contributory factor to a successful network strategy in election
campaigns.
