Chapter 13: Elections and Electoral Systems Flashcards
Three main families based on the electora lformula to translate votes into seats
Majoritarian, Consensus, Mixed
What is an electoral system?
Set of laws and regulations that govern the electoral competition between candidates or parties or both
Electoral formula
How votes are translated into seats
Ballot structure
Whether individuals vote for candidates or parties or both, and whether they cast a single vote or express a series of preferences
District magnitude
The number of representatives elected in a district
Electoral Integrity
The extent to which the conduct of elections meets international standards and gobal norms concerning “good” elections
Factors that can influence electoral integrity
Economic development, dependence on natural resources, inhospitable geography
Majoritarian Electoral Systems
The candidates/parties that receive the most votes win
Single-Member District Plurality System
Voters cast a single candidate-centered vote in a single-member district
Strategic voting
To not “waste a vote”, votes on someone else rather than in according to their true preferences
Single Nontransferable Vote
Similar to SMDP, but multimember district
Clientelism
Exchange of goods and services for political support.
Alternative Vote
Candidate-centered preference voting system. Single-member districts.M
Majority-Runoff Two-Round System
Voters cast a single candidate-centered vote in a single-member district.
If there is no absolute majority, the top two candidates compete in a runoff election.
Proportional Electoral Systems
The rationale is to reduce the disparity between a party’s share of the vote and its share of the seats.
