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Electoral Systems Women and Elections

This resource provides an introduction to electoral systems, their advantages and disadvantages from a gender perspective, and an overview of proportional representation and majoritarian systems. It covers topics such as open/closed party lists and gender quotas.

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Electoral Systems Women and Elections

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  1. Electoral SystemsWomen and Elections The National Democratic Institute

  2. INTRODUCTIONS/ GROUND RULES • Introductions • Ground rules • Ice breaker exercise Photo: NDI

  3. ELECTORAL SYSTEMS OBJECTIVES • To understand the different types of electoral systems • To increase awareness of the potential advantages and disadvantages to these systems from a gender perspective

  4. ELECTORAL SYSTEMS TOPICS • Electoral Systems: • Proportional Representation • Majoritarian • Mixed Photo: Kathy Gest

  5. KEY TERMS • Electoral System • Proportional Representation • Majoritarian System • Open/Closed Party List • Gender Quota Photo: NDI

  6. What Do They Do? At the most basic level, electoral systems translate the votes cast in a general election into seats won by parties and candidates. ~ IDEA Electoral System Design Handbook

  7. TYPES OF ELECTORAL SYSTEMS Parallel MMP

  8. PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION • Disadvantages • Coalition governments, • which can be unstable • Small parties have • disproportionate power • Accountability • Advantages • Proportionality • Encourage formation of • parties • Facilitate diverse • representation • Candidates need to get • votes from all over, not • just from a particular • region

  9. PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATIONList PR • Multi-member districts • Parties create candidate lists • Voters select a party • Parties are allocated seats based on percentage of vote received • “Open” or “closed” lists • Thresholds very important

  10. BALLOT EXAMPLE Photo: ACE Project

  11. PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATIONList PR • Criticisms • Need more developed • parties • Requires greater • coordination by parties, • concentrates power in • hands of central party • organization • Weakens link between parties • and constituents • Advantages • Reflects proportionality • Allows smaller parties to • compete • Minority and women’s • quotas are easier to • implement • Encourages developed • parties

  12. PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATIONSingle Transferable Vote (STV) • Multi-member districts • Results through series of vote counts • If no one gets quota, candidate with lowest total votes is eliminated and votes redistributed • Continues until all seats are filled

  13. PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATIONSingle Transferable Vote (STV) • Advantages • Voters choose individuals • and parties • Fairly proportional • results • Strengthens party- • constituent connection • Criticisms • Complex/requires higher • literacy • Party members compete • against each other • Party with a plurality of • votes can end up getting • fewer seats

  14. MAJORITARIAN • Also known as “plurality system” • Whoever wins the most votes, wins the election. Photo: Marie-Eve_NDI-Pakistan

  15. MAJORITARIAN TYPES • First Past the Post • Two-Round System • Block Vote • Party Block Vote • Alternate Vote

  16. MAJORITARIANFirst Past the Post (FPTP) • Citizens divided into districts cast a single vote for their candidate • Whoever gets the most votes, wins • More typical of countries where a single individual represents a geographic area

  17. MAJORITARIANFirst Past the Post • Advantages • Simple • Clear choices between candidates • Encourages links between constituents and MPs • Can foster more broad-based politics where there is not a majority ethnic group • Criticisms • Excludes smaller parties • Can lead to exclusion of ethnic minorities • Dependent on electoral boundaries (gerrymandering)

  18. MAJORITARIANTwo-Round System • Similar to FPTP; Candidates require absolute majority • First round of FPTP voting. If someone gets a majority, s/he wins • If not, some candidates may be eliminated and a second vote takes place

  19. MAJORITARIANTwo-Round System • Advantages • Gives voters a second • chance • Encourages bargains and • tradeoffs • Minimizes vote-splitting • Criticisms • Expensive • Similar disadvantages to • FPTP • Can trigger conflict

  20. MAJORITARIANBlock Vote • Multi-member districts • Voters get as many votes as there are candidates—can use all, some or none • “X” number of candidates with highest vote totals elected

  21. MAJORITARIANBlock Vote • Advantages • Voters can pick • individuals • Parties can have a more • active role than in FPTP • Rewards organized • parties • Criticisms • Can exaggerate FPTP • problems • Can fragment parties • Candidate selection must produce a strategic number of candidates with broad appeal

  22. MAJORITARIANParty Block Vote • Multi-member districts • Parties build lists of candidates • Voters choose party list not an individual • Party list gets elected

  23. Advantages Simple Encourages strong parties Can facilitate minority representation Criticisms Suffers from problems of FPTP, particularly disproportionality MAJORITARIAN Party Block Vote

  24. MAJORITARIAN Alternative Vote • Single-member districts • Voters rank candidate preferences • If candidate secures an absolute majority of first choice votes, s/he is elected • If not, candidate with the lowest votes is eliminated, and votes reallocated

  25. MAJORITARIAN Alternative Vote • Criticisms • Complex/ requires higher level of literacy • Centrist outcomes depend more on political context than electoral system • Doesn’t work well with larger, multi-member districts • Advantages • Candidates must seek “first” and “second” votes of voters • Can encourage compromise • Avoids “tactical voting” in FPTP

  26. BALLOT EXAMPLE   Photo: ACE Project, International IDEA Handbook (2005)

  27. ELECTORAL SYSTEM DIMENSIONS • District Size • District Magnitude • Threshold • Party vs. Candidate • Quotas Photo: Kathy Gest

  28. DISTRICT SIZE AND MAGNITUDE • Single or multiple districts? • Number of representatives elected per district (district magnitude) Photo: Megan Doherty, NDI

  29. PARTY LISTS AND THRESHOLD • Open vs. Closed Lists • Higher thresholds tend to result in more women elected

  30. OTHER ELECTORAL SYSTEM DIMENSIONS • Party vs. Candidate • Quotas   Photo: lrobinsonNDI

  31. EXERCISE In small groups, discuss the pros and cons of your current electoral system.

  32. ELECTORAL SYSTEMS REVIEW • Electoral Systems: • Proportional Representation • Majoritarian • Mixed • Electoral System Dimensions • Questions? • Feedback?

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