Electoral Constituency

Question 1

Electoral constituency / Electoral district

Answer 1

A subdivision of a state created to provide the population with representation in the larger state’s legislative body

• you can have 1 or many electoral districts/constituencies
• you can have several ‘tiers’ of districts
• more relevant in proportional systems

Question 2

District Magnitude

Answer 2

How many representatives to the legislature that the district elects

1 od the 4 constitutive elements of electoral systems

• Basic criterion used for classifying electoral districts.
• The larger the contituency size (M) the more proportional the result.
• If a country is divided into a small constituencies, there are many more votes wasted in the counting proces.
• Single nation constitutency gives the most proportional result

Question 3

SMD

Answer 3

Single Member District

M = 1

Only one representative is elected per district
Italy, UK, Germany

Question 4

MMD

Answer 4

Multi Member District

M > 1

More than 1 representative is elected per district.
Spain and Greece

Question 5

Single Constituency

Answer 5

1 county 1 constituency (district)

Slovakia, Hungrary, Israel, Fiji
The most proportional (an element of proportionality is introduced when we divide a polity into smaller constituencies)

Question 6

Which distorting effects are majoritarian systems prone to?

Answer 6

Malapportionment and Gerrymandering

Malapportionment = uneven distribution of voters btw electoral districts -> when voting districts are unevnly spread out across a population
Gerrymandering = the deliberate manipulation of electoral district boundaries to advantage or disadvantage a particular political interests

Question 7

Which distorting effects are proportional systems prone to?

Answer 7

Legal thresholds and Party laws

High electoral thresholds lead to disportortionality bc they can be used to exculde or reduce opposition or minority parties from representation

Question 8

Malapportionment

Answer 8

Uneven distribution of voters btw electoral districts

when voting districts are unevenly spread out across the poopulation

• It is illegal in many countires (but a minor amount usually exists)
• Usually benefits the less populous states (not accounting for rural depopulation)
  ex.) Kenyan elections ‘93 and Brazilian electoral system during Chamber of Deputies elections
  OPOVOV
• used mostly in Non-PR systems

Question 9

OPOVOV

Answer 9

One Person One Vote One Value

A principle of representation.
Each eelcted representaive represents the same # of electors (underwhich malapportionment is minimized)

Question 10

Gerrymandering

Answer 10

The deliberate manipulation of electoral district boundaries to advantage or disadvantage a particular political interest

1812 from MA Governor Elbridge Gerry

Packing and Cracking
Gerrymandering is more sophisticated now bc of advanced computing power.
Most common is non-PR systems.

Question 11

“Packing”

Answer 11

In a FPTP system, when you pack the opposition’s votes into 1 or 2 districts so that their votes are wasted with 1 95% victory instead of 2 60% victories

works bc in FPTP you only need 51% to win (anything over = wasted votes)

a type of gerry mandering

Question 12

“Cracking”

Answer 12

When you dilute a majority party across several districts

a type of gerrymandering

Question 13

Affirmative Gerrymandering

Answer 13

Creating district shapes to favor the minority

very contraversial

Question 14

Redistricting in the USA

Answer 14

Voting Rights Act of 1965 = Gerrymandering to reduce the political influence of a racial or ethnic minority group was prohibited

• districts are redrawn after the decennial census
• contentious bc redistricting is controlled by political parties.
• Gerrymandering pracitces were very common int he 19th cen - > early 20th cen many states stopped redistricting
• 2000s partisan redistricting sharply inceased

Question 15

Electoral Thresholds

Answer 15

Minimum legal thresholds for party participation in elections

A common cause of disproportionality in PR + mixed member systems

• Minimum legal thresholds are established to prevent electing a ton of minor parties causing fragmentation.
• Can be at the national or regional level
• High electoral thresholds -> disproportionality (can be used to exclude or reduce oppposition or minority parties from rperesentation
• There can be different thresholds for parties alone and coalitions (in CZ fro ex)
• Turkey had a 10% threshold at some point
• Netherlands only has a 1% threshold