Electoral Systems

Features

• District Magnitude
• how many people are elected per district
• Ballot Structure
• what are voters expected to do
• Electoral Formula
• how is the winner determined

Single Member Plurality - Definition

• District Magnitude
• one member per district
• Ballot Structure
• voters select one candidate for their district
• Electoral Formula
• party that gets a plurality of votes in a region wins the seat

Single Member Plurality - Benefits

• Simple to count votes
• Each person and region has a representative in government
• Produces majority governments, which simplifies accountability and creates stability
• Strengthens regional parties, if strong in a region a party can concentrate their votes and get more seats
• Encourages national interest parties

Single Member Plurality - Weaknesses

• Difficult for new parties and parties with small national support base to get started
• Votes are wasted often
• Limited choice, can't pick separate party for local and national leader
• Seat distribution is not representative of allocation of votes
• Parties can be shut out in certain regions, unrepresentative caucuses
• Encourages strategic voting not voting based on belief
• Hard to balance representation, only one MP per region
• Occasionally winning party does not receive plurality of total votes

Mixed Member Proportional

• Combines proportional and SMP
• Often advocated in Canada
• Some members elected with SMP but set aside amount of seats for proportionality
• Voters select their local MP and select their party preference
• Larger houses
• Easier for small parties to get elected, just need minimum percentage of votes to get proportional seat
• Increase representation as can have alternating party lists for gender etc
• Hard to get rid of bad MPs, can get elected on party list
• Voters have no say in party list
• Use proportional seats, get percentage of seats based on this regardless of SMP outcomes
• slightly more complicated
• all regions can be represented

Alternative Vote

• Australia
• district magnitude of 1
• majority rule
• another vote taken if no one gets majority
• rank order of preferred candidates
• not easier for start up parties
• not proportional
• favours center parties

Proportional Representation

• get seats based on percentage of votes
• more parties can win seats
• only one large district
• vote based on party not candidate
• no local representatives