u/IowaKidd97

TL;DR: Red voters get one planet, blue voters the other. Majority winner keeps earth, minority gets new planet. Which planet/society you choosing? Thats the question, Rest of the post is specific details and backstory in case you need it or are interested.

Hyper advanced aliens who have proven to be both honest, but also completely malevolent and without any real ethics besides respecting referendum results (referendums they put forward and force humanity to take mind you). The latest one was the Red-Blue button dilemma:

Everyone in the world has to take a private vote by pressing a red or blue button. If more than 50% of people press the blue button, everyone survives. If less than 50% of people press the blue button, only people who pressed the red button survive. Which button would you press?

Note, they take time to clarify everyone still means everyone who is physically capable of pushing a button with no requirement for understanding the vote. And only people who pressed the red button survive a red victory, so anyone who might be granted an exception to voting based on that criteria (like coma patients or literal new borns incapable of pushing a button) still dies in a red victory.

They give humanity a small amount of time to think it through. This is enough time for all the major arguments (both good and bad) to be put forth and understood by you and most others. However it was not enough time for any sort of serious coordination to be proposed and accepted, let alone implemented. So the vote will happen with the same uncertainly of no coordination, but with most (albeit not everyone) having taken the time to understand the arguements.

After you vote, the aliens scoop you up and inform you that they have no intention of killing anyone regardless of results. Instead they prepared a planet 100 light years away that is earth like. Nearly identical in an astronomical sense (same star type and age, solar system make up, earth like planet same distance from star, have same mass, water to land ratio, same atmospheric composition, etc), but none of the existing human infrastructure. They also wiped out any life that was on there a while ago, and seeded every earth species thats not extinct there (besides humans of course) in the proper environments and population levels. Its not a carbon copy of earth as it is right now, but is equal in its baseline ability for human survival and societal thrival. They will leave 2 years worth of rations and limited but sufficient tools and supplies to provide basic housing for everyone there. Basically everything needed to get started, if supplies and time are utilized correctly.

After the vote is tallied, the majority group inherits the earth, and the minority group is transported to the new planet. Anyone who was mentally incapable of voting is assigned to their primary caregiver(s), if said caregivers were split, then tie goes to how the incapable person voted. Same deal with pets however given pets didn't vote, whoever they consider their primary person is who they get assigned.

After the results are announced, the real plan will be revealed to everyone, and humanity gets 1 hour to say their goodbyes before the transport. After that, the aliens stop interfering with humanity at all. They will observe both societies of course as they are "curious", but not in any way that would be detectable, let alone provide for interference.

Before that however, they offer you a choice. You are not held to the results of your vote, and can chose which society you go to. You can also wait to see the results in you wish, but if you don't decide by the end of the given "final hour", it defaults to how you did vote. Either way its only you who gets this exception, any loved ones are held to their vote (except for the already provided exception I stated above).

Which society are you choosing and why? Is this based on the planet, or the voting population, or some combo of both?

Does this calculation change if your immediate loved ones can come with you despite their vote?

Which side do you think is getting sent?

If the preferred society gets assigned the non preferred planet, and the aliens give you the option of switching who gets which planet, do you do it?

Also, which society do you think has the best chances in the literal new world, vs this one with roughly half the people gone? Or is it equal?

Any prediction in the long and short terms for both?