Electoral Systems

Electoral Systems Chapter 5- P. 85-89

We’ll look at several Systems • First Past the Post (FPTP) • Aka Single-Member District Plurality Election Rule (SMDP) • Proportional Representation (PR) • Hybrid System (FPTP/PR) • Preferential Ballot System

First Past the Post The Traditional System vs. the Two Round System

First Past the Post (FPTP) First Past the Post (FPTP): • Yup, a racing term…. • To win, you finish ahead of the others…. • The candidate with the most number of votes in their riding wins a seat in parliament • The Political Party that wins the most number of seats wins the election and forms the government. • The electoral system currently used in 49 nations. The Candidate who crosses the Finish line wins the election!

What explains FPTP Better than…. • Canadian Songs: • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKAAq_8Poqo

FPTP—Tennessee Example • Imagine that Tennessee is having an election on the location of its capital. The population of Tennessee is concentrated around its four major cities, which are spread throughout the state. For this example, suppose that the entire electorate lives in these four cities, and that everyone wants to live as near to the capital as possible. • The candidates for the capital are: • Memphis, the state's largest city, with 42% of the voters, but located far from the other cities • Nashville, with 26% of the voters, near the center of Tennessee • Knoxville, with 17% of the voters • Chattanooga, with 15% of the voters

FPTP—Tennessee Example Voting is accomplished whereby each voter in each city selects one city on the ballot (Memphis voters select Memphis, Nashville voters select Nashville, etc.) Votes are tabulated; Memphis is selected with the most votes (42%). Note that this system does not require that the winner have a majority, but only a plurality. Memphis wins because it has the most votes, even though 58% of the voters in this example preferred Memphis least.

Positive Aspects of FPTP • Tends to produce Majority governments. As a result, it creates political stability. • The system is simple. The candidate with the most votes (first passes the post) wins! • Prevents extremist groups from gaining a voice inside the legislatures (e.g. a Neo-Nazi Party with .3% of popular vote will not get any seats in the House of Commons!)

Negative Aspects of FPTP • Candidates can win elections without a clear mandate. If you have 10 Candidates, you could hypothetically win an election with 11% of the vote (you passed the post first!). • Majority governments are created without a clear mandate. In recent Canadian elections, governments have received solid majority governments with less than 35% of the popular vote. Is this democracy? • Smaller parties do not have a voice. Smaller parties who cannot pass the post first are completely shut out of the political system since they cannot gain representation in the parliament. • Voters may want to vote for a smaller party, but will decline because they might feel that it is a “wasted vote” He likes it! She doesn’t!

The Two Round System • The two-round system (also known as the second ballot, runoff votingor ballotage) is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate. • However, if no candidate receives the required number of votes (usually the absolute majority or 40-45% with a winning margin of 5-15%), then those candidates having less than a certain proportion of the votes, or all but the two candidates receiving the most votes, are eliminated, and a second round of voting occurs.

The Two Round System

The Two Round System—Tennessee Example • Round 1: In the first round of voting the results will be as follows: • Memphis: 42% • Nashville: 26% • Knoxville: 17% • Chattanooga: 15%

The Two Round System—Tennessee Example • Round 2: No candidate has an absolute majority in the first round (this would be greater than 50%), so Memphis and Nashville proceed to the next round, while Knoxville and Chattanooga are excluded. • Both eliminated cities are closer to Nashville than they are to Memphis. Therefore all of those who vote for either of the eliminated cities chose to vote for Nashville in the second round. • None of the Memphis or Nashville supporters change their votes. The results are therefore: • Nashville: 58% • Memphis: 42% • Result: After round two Nashville has an absolute majority and is the winner.

Proportional Representation

Proportional Representation • This system is widely used in Europe in countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Holland • A Proportional Representation (PR) System allocates seats in the parliament based on a political party’s share of the popular vote. If your party receives 10% of the votes, you receive 10% of the seats. • Smaller political parties favor this system • Voters vote for the political parties; not the local representatives. In an election, the MPs are selected by the political parties from party lists.

John Cleese on PR • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSUKMa1cYHk

M-M PR • Mixed Member Proportional Representation • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT0I-sdoSXU

Positive Aspects of PR • The voting decisions of the electorate is represented in the parliament (e.g. 4.5% vote for the Green Party so they get 4.5% of the seats in the House of Commons.) • There is a wider selection of political parties (political spectrum) represented in our political institutions. An overall increase in political diversity. We are the World

Negative Aspects of PR • With so many parties represented in our political institutions, it is very difficult for parliament to function. Encourages political infighting • Tends to create minority governments. Elections need to be held on a yearly basis since minority governments can easily fall. This creates political instability. • Allows for extremist groups to gain access to our respected political institutions (e.g. if a neo-Nazi party gets .5% of vote they get .5% of the seats in parliament). A brawl breaks out in Taiwan’s Legislature: Instability! Extremism

Negative Aspects of PR • A lack of local representation. Members of the House of Commons would be selected by the Political Parties themselves. You only vote for the party; not the local representative. Areas like Georgetown would not have local representation. Parties would not necessarily understand our issues if there is no local representative to speak for us. • Lack of accountability. MPs are selected by the party. Local citizens do not have a say in who gets to represent them. You wouldn’t get him. You’d get this Guy (I don’t know him either)

The Alternative Vote

The Alternative Vote • Website • http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/interactive/2010/may/10/proportional-representation-alternative-vote-plus • Video • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoKlE1_vrYU

Duverger’s Law

The Hypotheses • A plurality rule election system tends to favor a two-party system. 2. The double ballot majority system and proportional representation tend to multipartism.

Your Assignment • In your country groups: A. Identify what type of electoral system your country has. B. Number of parties. C. Platform of parties. D. Find electoral data from the last 10 elections. E. Analyze Duverger's law in the electoral patters of your countries. Is it accurate or inaccurate, why?

Electoral Systems