Exploring The Differences In Democratic Electoral systems

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Exploring The Differences In Democratic Electoral
systems

• Institutional Variations, Outcomes, Implications
  and Future Possibilities

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Why is comparing electoral systems so important?

• Choice of an electoral system conditions the
  chances of success for parties and candidates
• Affects voting behavior (turnout, who votes, who
  doesnt)
• Affects whos represented in government
• Changes in the electoral system can change the
  outcome

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Electoral systems -3 major types
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Type 1 Plurality system

• Earliest electoral system developed and used
• Sometimes simply referred to as first past the
  post (FPTP)
• single member districts
• winner takes all or first past the post
  candidate needs more votes than any other
  candidate to be declared the winner
• Favors a two party system
• Includes Argentina, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil,
  Canada, Chile, Czech Rep, India, Nepal,
  Philippines, Thailand, U.S. , U.K
• Some form of Plurality used in 54 of the Worlds
  countries (presidential elections)

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Plurality Systems Pros and Cons

• Simplicity, cost effective?
• Voters choices simple
• Sense of accountability
• Creates Stability/ more efficient
  government-less deadlock-no worries over
  maintaining a coalition

• - Duvergers Law i.e. Plurality
• encourages/favors a two party
• system less voter choices, little minority party
  representation- thus less rep. for minorities and
  women
• - Votes are wasted- minority parties receive
  votes but no seats/voice, parties/candidates can
  theoretically receive nearly half the vote-but no
  rep in gov
• / unified opposition ?

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Majority Systems

• Variation on plurality system candidate is
  required to receive more than 50 of the vote in
  order to win
• Sometimes 2nd or 3rd elections necessary
• 3 commonly employed systemic methods to solve
  this problem
• Majority Runoff
• When no majority is obtained by the first ballot,
  a second election (runoff) is held between the
  two candidates who received the highest number of
  votes in the first round
• Majority Plurality
• No reduction in the number of candidates if
  majority is not achieved, instead the second
  election uses a plurality rule to determine the
  winner
• Alternative Vote
• No need for a second round or runoff instead of
  casting a single vote, voters are asked to rank
  candidates in order of preference. First
  preferences are tallied- if this produces no
  majority winner-than the candidate with the
  fewest first preference votes is eliminated and
  the second preference marks are redistributed or
  transferred to the other candidates accordingly.
  This process is continually repeated until it
  produces a majority winner. Ex Ireland for
  presidential, Australia for the HR

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Pros and Cons Comparing majority electoral
systems

• Ensures a government will operate closer to a
  mandate
• AV less costly-avoids successive elections
• -Transfers of votes can result in a winner who
  did not receive the most first place votes
  explain
• -AV may disenfranchise poorer, less educated
  voters-difficult to understand/ may confuse
  voters-deterring them from participating
• takes longer to establish a winner/leader/gover
  nment

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Proportional Representation (PR) systems

• multimember districts
• percentage of votes won percentage of seats in
  the legislature
• Thresholds (hurdles)
• List system
• Closed/ranked lists
• Preferential votes on lists

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PR Thresholds (hurdles) consequences

• Set limitations on equal representation
• Parties must receive certain of the vote to
  enter legislature
• PR theoretically establishes more equality, but
  those in power will rarely follow a principal up
  to its full logical conclusion- bonus to stronger
  parties at expense of the weak
• Small parties often excluded
• Examples
• Germany - 5 3 elected members
• Turkey - 10
• Russian Duma 1995 -40 parties fail to pass 5
  threshold, 49.5 of votes wasted

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Pros and Cons PR

• no votes wasted-representative seats
  distributed proportionally to votes-encourages
  multiparty participation
• Because of this-higher voter turnout-people
  more likely to vote when their votes count
• government voice more diverse

• - rarely get a majority party- coalitions formed
  after the vote
• - Gives excessive power to extreme voices
• - Often create unstable governments

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Takeaways/Key concepts

• many variations in electoral systems
• When using the exact same voter preferences, by
  changing the electoral system the outcome is
  dramatically affected
• Incumbents and those in power before democratic
  transitions select the type of electoral system
  used -- almost always to their benefit