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| You are here: Home > Features > Citizen's Assembly on Electoral Reform |
Electoral Reform – What are the Options?
The options include the
current plurality system, proportional representation, or a combination
of the two
While most electoral reform proposals involve some form of proportional
representation, the BC Citizens' Assembly have several options
to choose from, including remaining with the current system.
Here are a few examples:
Single Member Plurality Electoral System (SMP)
This is the system we currently have in Canada. The main features
of SMP (commonly called “First Past the Post”) are as follows:
- It is designed to elect individual candidates (not parties)
to the legislature
- There is only a single member elected in each riding district.
(In plurality systems other than single member, there can
be more than one member elected per district).
- The candidate who gets the most votes wins. Winning candidates
are not required to win a majority (over fifty percent)
of the votes.
- Voters receive one ballot with the name of each candidate
and their party affiliation.
The Pros and Cons of the Single Member Plurality (SMP) electoral
system :
- They tend to produce governments with large majorities.
- A large majority makes for a more stable government, and
makes it easier to hold the government accountable for
its actions
- However, a large majority also means the government has little
effective opposition in the legislature.
- It is particularly difficult for smaller parties with a national
base of support – such as the NDP – to get elected
- Voters can become discouraged with the political process
and feel that their preferences aren't reflected in the
legislature
It is interesting to note that, while Canada has had fifteen majority
governments since 1921, only two of these received a majority
of the popular vote.
Proportional Representation (PR)
The main goal of proportional representation (PR) is to ensure that
the legislature make-up more accurately reflects the percentage
of votes received by each political party. There are many variations
among proportional representation (PR) systems, particularly
with respect to how voters fill out the ballots and how seats
are allocated. However, the main features of this type of electoral
system are as follows:
- It is designed to distribute seats among political parties
(as opposed to electing individual candidates to the legislature).
For example, if a political party wins twenty-five percent
of the popular vote, they will receive twenty-five percent
of the seats in the legislature.
- PR uses multi-member districts, with more than one member
being elected in each riding district. The exact number
of elected members can vary between districts.
- The size of the riding district can vary markedly. For example,
in the Netherlands the district is the entire country.
Proportional Representation – Party Lists and the Single Transferable
Vote (STV)
The system most commonly used to achieve proportional representation
is the party list system. Under the party list system, the type
of list used can affect the result. An open list gives the voter
more say in selecting individual candidates. A closed list allows
the political party to manipulate the list to ensure more women
and/or minorities are selected. In either case, in each riding
district votes are counted for individual parties, not individual
candidates.
Another method used in proportional representation is the single
transferable vote (STV). Under this system, voters receive one
ballot, and rank the candidates according to their preference.
If no candidate receives enough first preference votes to win,
then the second preference votes are counted, and so forth. The
quota, or number of votes needed to win, is set ahead of time
and can vary.
The main purpose of the Single Transferable Vote is to give voters
a method of proportional representation that allows them to vote
for individual candidates, instead of political parties.
To learn more about the different systems of proportional representation,
see Douglas
J. Amy's website
To learn more about open and closed party lists, see “Open, Closed
and Free Lists” on the ACE
(Administration and Cost of Elections) Project website
The Pros and Cons of Proportional Representation (PR)
- It prevents smaller parties from being shut out of the legislature
- It can be easier for minorities and women to get elected
under PR systems
- Since it is rare for one party to receive over fifty percent
of the vote, PR systems tend to result in coalition governments.
- Coalition governments force political parties to govern by
consensus. However, they can also give smaller parties
too much weight compared to their percentage of the popular
vote.
- Because they are designed to encourage cooperation between
political parties, it is more difficult for voters to hold
individual parties and politicians accountable for their
actions.
- Depending on the type of system used, it can reduce local
representation
- Voters can become disillusioned with government
- The method of selecting politicians can be confusing to voters
Mixed Member Proportional (MMP)
Sometimes called “the best of both worlds,” Mixed Member Proportional
(MMP) is normally used to introduce a measure of proportionality
to the Single Member Plurality (SMP) system. By combining first
past the post with the party list system, it's meant to correct
the major discrepancies between percentage of votes received,
and percentage of seats won, that can occur under Single Member
Plurality.
Under Mixed Member Proportional, voters complete two ballots. The
first ballot contains a list of candidates and their party affiliations.
The second ballot contains a list of the parties. Voters vote
for a candidate on the first ballot, and for a political party
on the second. Members of the legislature consist of candidates
elected on the first ballot, and members selected from a party
list, based on the second ballot.
The winning candidate on the first ballot is chosen based on the
plurality system – whoever obtains the most votes wins. The second
ballot is designed to take care of any discrepancies in House
representation as a result of the first vote. For example, if
a smaller party receives eight percent of the vote, but doesn't
elect any candidates on the first ballot, they will still have
eight percent representation in the legislature.
Pros and Cons of Mixed Member Proportional (MMP)
- It gives voters a chance to vote both for an individual candidate
and a political party. Voters can support a popular local
candidate, even if they don't like the party he/she represents,
and vice versa.
- It provides voters with geographical representation .
- It provides a greater opportunity for smaller parties with
nationally-based support -- such as the Green Party --
to be elected.
- However, it can't guarantee absolute proportionality, so
smaller parties may still be left out.
- Like proportional representation, the system can be confusing
to voters.
- It can create two classes of politician – one who represents
and is loyal to the voters in the constituency who elected
him, and another whose loyalty lies with the party leader.
Learn more about the Mixed Member Proportional system on the Government
of New Zealand website
Alternative Vote
Under the Alternative Vote system, voters are required to rank the
candidates in their order of preference. If no candidate receives
a majority of votes on the first ballot, the candidate with the
least votes is dropped from the list, and his/her second preferences
are distributed among the remaining candidates. This continues
until one of the candidates receives a vote majority.
While the Alternative Vote is very similar to the Single Transferable
Vote, there are significant differences between the two:
- It is used in single member districts, while the Single Transferable
Vote is used in multi-member districts.
- The Alternative Vote gives the winner a majority, while under
the Single Transferable Vote, candidates only need to obtain
a certain percentage of votes to be elected. Since this
system is used in multi-member districts, the percentage
required is significantly under fifty percent.
The pros and cons of the Alternative Vote are as follows:
- It adds legitimacy to the process, since the winning candidate
will have over fifty percent of the votes.
- It tends to shut out smaller parties, who are dropped early
in the counting process.
- Nonetheless, it does give voters who support smaller parties
more input into the final decision, since the way they
rank the remaining candidates will be important.
- It encourages parties to adopt more moderate policies, since
parties with extreme left or right wing views are unlikely
to receive a high number of second preference votes.
What Systems Do Other Countries Use?
It is interesting to see what electoral systems are used in other
countries based on the Westminster system of parliamentary government:
- First Past the Post - Bahamas, Jamaica,
United Kingdom
- Mixed Member Proportional – New Zealand
(it replaced First Past the Post)
- Proportional Representation using the Single Transferable
Vote - Ireland
- Alternative Vote – Australia (it replaced
First Past the Post)
*Although it is not based on the Westminster system, Germany is
another parliamentary government that uses Mixed Member Proportional.
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