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Summary chapter 12 comparative political institutions
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This is a summary of chapter 12 of the comparative political institutions course about constituencies.
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Hannah OngenaeLes 12: electoral systems
Topics:
- Electoral laws and systems
- Voting systems
- Direct democracy is part of the decision-making process in some countries (eg: Brexit)
Video: 4 different ways to count votes: talks about ‘Fairness’ = normative statement, what is good
and what is bad? This course only talks about anormative statements
- plurality voting = first-past-the-post system (is this the fairest way of voting?)
- instant runoff voting
- multiple round voting: incentives lying about your preferences
- Condorcet voting (relevant atm)
Types of electoral systems: single-seat vs. multimember constituencies:
1) Single-seat constituencies
= only one candidate wins
1.1 Single-member plurality (FPTP) + 2 Round System (more disproportional)
- Single-member plurality = you need the relevant majority to win the election
First-past-the-post voting (FPTP or FPP) is a plurality voting system wherein voters cast a vote for a
single candidate, and the candidate with the most votes wins the election. Analogous systems for
multi-winner contests are known as plurality block voting or "block voting" systems; both FPTP and
block voting are "plurality" systems in that the winner needs only a plurality of the votes and not an
absolute majority (greater than half).
- 2 round system = you always need the absolute majority of the votes
1
, Hannah Ongenae
= double-ballot or run-off system, France, first simple majority then absolute majority voting with
remaining candidates (from 4 to 2). If in the first round the candidate gets absolute majority there is
no second round.
The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting
method used to elect a single candidate. The first round is held using simple plurality to choose the
top-two candidates, and then in the second round the winner is chosen by majority vote. The
two-round system is widely used in the election of legislative bodies and directly elected presidents.
Second rounds may be held on the same day in smaller settings, or up to one month later, as in the
US state of Georgia. France traditionally has a two-week break before the second round.
- Alternative vote Australia (most difficult system)
Alternative vote is similar to STV, but only one candidate is elected; in STV more than one candidate
is elected. More sophisticated than FPTP. The candidate must get a majority (50%+1) of the votes.
Voters fill in a ballot paper where they number the candidates in order of preference – that is, they
put 1 for their first preference; and 2 for their second choice… We count all the first (top)
preferences that voters have given, as now. If one candidate gets majority support, he/she wins the
seat. If not, the candidate who has the fewest 1st preference votes is knocked out of the contest, and
we look at the second preferences of their voters, redistributing these votes to the remaining
candidates in line with these voters’ number 2 choice. Reward candidates that are not disliked by the
electorate.
Alternative vote is een kiessysteem waarbij de kiezers niet één stem uitbrengen, maar alle
kandidaten in een volgorde plaatsen. Daardoor kan in één stemronde, maar zo nodig met meerdere
telrondes, een meerderheidskandidaat gekozen worden. Voorstanders van deze methode wijzen er
op dat zo de meest breed gedragen kandidaat wordt gekozen. Tegenstanders vinden dat hiermee dus
niet de meest uitgesproken, maar juist de beste tweede keus wordt gekozen. Onbetwist is dat slechts
één keer gestemd behoeft te worden om een kandidaat te kiezen die minstens de helft van de
uitgebrachte geldige stemmen heeft gekregen. Ook is er veel minder aanleiding tot strategisch
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