Bigger neighborhoods have more residents, so they'd rack up more raw votes no matter what. To keep this a fair fight, every neighborhood gets a handicap — like in golf — based on its size. Smaller neighborhoods get a boost; larger ones are scaled down. The winner is whoever rallies the biggest share of their community, not whoever simply has the most people.

score = round(votes × handicap) + side-quest points

• John Ball Park: ×0.64 · 3,379 residential parcels
• Shawmut Hills: ×0.63 · 3,492 residential parcels

The handicap is set from neighborhood size (home count) only — never from who lives there. It's locked in when the bracket starts and is the same for every matchup.