Electoral system
An electoral system or voting system is a set of rules that determine how elections and referendums are run and how their results are decided. They are used in politics to elect national and local governments. Elections also happen in businesses, and other sorts of organisations. These rules usually govern voting, when elections happen, who can vote, who can be a candidate, how the votes are counted, how votes decide the election, limits on campaign spending, and other things that can affect the result.
There are many different electoral systems. Sometimes different systems are used in different sorts of elections in the same country.
Voters may vote directly for candidates or their votes may elect an electoral college where their representatives may run a further election. Areas may be divided into constituencies with one or more representatives in each. Voters may vote directly for individual candidates or for a list of candidates.
The most common systems are first-past-the-post voting, multiple non-transferable vote, the two-round (runoff) system, party-list proportional representation and ranked or preferential voting as used in single-winner Instant-runoff voting or multi-winner Single transferable voting.[1]
Different voting systems may effect the results, and they may be changed to benefit those in power.
Electoral System Media
Map showing the electoral systems used to elect candidates to the lower or sole (unicameral) house of national legislatures, as of January 2022[update].Majoritarian system, single-winner districts* First-past-the-post voting (single-member plurality)* Two-round system (runoff)* Instant-runoff voting (alternative vote)*Majoritarian system, multi-winner districts* Plurality-at-large voting (block voting) * General ticket (party block voting)*Semi-proportional system* Limited voting or cumulative voting* Single non-transferable vote* Modified Borda count*Proportional system* Party-list proportional representation* Single transferable vote*Mixed system* Mixed-member proportional representation* Mixed-member majoritarian representation* Majority bonus/jackpot system*Other* No election* Varies by state* No information
Map showing the main types electoral systems used to elect candidates to the lower or sole (unicameral) house of national legislatures, as of January 2022[update]. Majoritarian representation (winner-take-all) Proportional representation Mixed-member majoritarian representation Mixed-member proportional representation Semi-proportional representation (non-mixed) No election (e.g. Monarchy)
Countries using first-past-the-post for legislatures.
Countries by electoral system used to (directly) elect their Head of State (President) Two-round system* First-past-the-post Instant-runoff voting
Countries by proportional electoral system (lower house or unicameral legislature): Party-list PR* Single transferable vote* Mixed member PR
Countries using a mixed electoral system (lower house or unicameral legislature):Non-compensatory Parallel voting (superposition): list-PR + FPTP Parallel voting: list-PR + PBV Parallel voting: list-PR + TRS Conditional: list-PR or PBV (above 50%) Majority bonus system (fusion): list-PR + PBVCompensatory Partially compensatory: list-PR + FPTP Additional member system: list-PR + FPTP Mixed-member proportional: list-PR + FPTP Majority jackpot (fusion): list-PR + PBV
Compulsory voting, enforced.* Compulsory voting, not enforced.* Compulsory voting, enforced (only men).* Compulsory voting, not enforced (only men).* Historical: the country had compulsory voting in the past.
References
- ↑ "Electoral Systems —". aceproject.org. Retrieved 2023-04-11.