Electoral systems Flashcards
Definition of an electoral system? What is the main feature that distinguishes how an electoral system works?
An electoral system is made up of all the formalities, through which members of the parliament are elected. The electoral formula translates votes into parliamentary seats.
What are the aspects regulated by the electoral laws?
The electoral laws regulate the electoral campaign with eventual caps to electoral expenses, the suffrage (passive and active).
What is an illiberal democracy?
In an illiberal democracy, the elction process takes place but political rights are not protected, so the democratic process is damaged: control of the media by the State, limited freedom of association and expression, no free election. The electoral integrity is not guaranteed by the State, leading to electoral mispractices.
What are the electoral mispractices that may happen when the electoral integrity is not guaranteed?
- ballot box manipulation and vote buying
- violation of rules on electoral expenses
- misouse of public resources
- media bias
- threat of violence
What are the factors affecting the choice of the electoral system for a State?
Some factors are: stability of the government, encouraging political parties, pressure from external groups of interest, historical reasons for example hineritance from colonial administration, and ethnic or minority accomodation.
What kinds of electoral systems can be distinguished on the basis of the electoral formula?
Majority system, proportional representation system and mixed system.
What does it mean that majority systems have a selective effect? And what are other general characteristics of a majority electoral system?
Selective effect means that only the most voted parties have access to the Parliament. Moreover, in a majprity system the candidate who obtains more votes wins, because the system is connected to uninominal districts (only one representative, single-member district).
What are the two kinds of (majority) plurality systems? How do they differ?
Both only need relative majority.
- SMDP: single member plurality, more candidates compete for one seat, one candidate for each party in each district.
- SNTV: Single Non-Transferable Vote, has multimember districts, so the party has a list of candidates for the district.
What are the consequences of adopting a single member SMDP plurality sisyem?
Potential disproportionate transaltion of votes; encourages two-party system and disadvantages smaller parties, who do not have concentrated support in certain areas.
What are the consequences of adopting a single non-transferable vote plurality system?
The seats are distributed in a more proportional way then
What are the consequances of adopting a single non-transferable vote plurality system?
The seats are distributed in a more proportional way than SMDP; risk of clientelism and patronage; candidates are competing not only against other parties but against other candidades of their party as well.
What is an absolute majority electoral system?
In an absolute majority electoral system, candidates need an absolute majority of votes to be elected. If no candidate obtains the absolute majority: two round runoff, alternative vote (preferential voting), or supplementary vote system.
What happens when there is a two round runoff, in an absolute majority electoral system?
The candidates who reach a threshold of votes, or alternatively the two most voted candidates, participate to a second ballot and the one who obtains relative or absolute majority gets the seat in Parliament. A second ballot increases election expenses.
What happens in the process of Alternative Vote, in an absolute majority electoral system?
The candidate with the lowest votes is eliminated, and their votes are distributed proportionally to all other candidates; the process goes on until one candidate has obtained an absolite majority of votes.
What is a supplementary vote system, in an absolute majority election?
Candidates are ranked based on the number of votes they received; if no candidate reaches an absolute majority then all candidates but the two with more votes are eliminated.
