Comprehensive Notes on Electoral Systems

Electoral Systems Overview

• Single Member Plurality (First Past the Post)

  • Countries are divided into ridings, each represented by a local representative.
  • There is only 1 winner per riding, who is determined by a plurality (most votes wins).
  • This system can lead to disproportionate representation, where the percentage of the popular vote does not equal the percentage of seats won in the legislature.
  • There tends to be a concentration of power among a few political parties, often resulting in a majority government.

• Example of Single Member Plurality in Action

  • In a local election:
  • Conservative: 40% of the votes
  • Liberal: 35% of the votes
  • NDP: 20% of the votes
  • Green: 5% of the votes
  • Winner in this scenario is the Conservative candidate, while votes for non-winning parties are considered “wasted”.
  • Strategic voting is often employed to block unwanted parties.

• Regional vs National Support

  • The nature of support for a party can be either diffuse (spread out) or concentrated.
  • If party support is diffuse, it may face a disproportionate disadvantage in representation.
  • If support is concentrated, this often leads to a disproportionate advantage.
  • Many governments formed are termed "manufactured majorities," as they often receive less than 50% of the total votes cast.

• 1993 Federal Election Analysis

  • Political Parties and Results:
  • Progressive Conservatives (PC): 16% of the vote, 0.7% of seats
  • Bloc Québécois (BQ): 13.5% of the vote, 18% of seats
  • New Democratic Party (NDP): 7% of the vote, 3% of seats
  • Reform Party (RP): 19% of the vote, 18% of seats
  • Liberal Party (LIB): 41% of the vote, 60% of seats
  • This example highlights the disconnect between popular vote and seats won.

Proportional Representation (PR) Systems

• Full Proportional Representation

  • In a PR system, the distribution is such that if a party receives 20% of the vote, it gets 20% of the seats.
  • There is no local representative; voters cast their vote for a party directly.
  • This system typically leads to coalition governments as multiple parties may need to collaborate to form a majority.

• Mixed-Member Proportional (MMP)

  • This system combines Single Member Plurality (SMP) with Proportional Representation (PR).
  • It utilizes two ballots: one for selecting a local representative (SMP) and another for a party list (PR).
  • Counting must prioritize SMP ballots before addressing proportional seats to correct for disadvantages.
  • The representation includes 338 total seats, with coverage through 200 SMP ridings and additional seats from party lists to balance representation.

• Runoff System

  • This is a variant of SMP where winners need a majority.
  • It involves multiple voting rounds: if a candidate does not achieve a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their votes redistributed until one candidate achieves a majority.

• Preferential Ballot

  • Another variation of SMP that mandates a majority for election.
  • Voters rank candidates in order of preference.
  • Initial counting focuses on first-place votes. If no majority is achieved, the last-place candidate is dropped, and votes are redistributed according to the next preferences until a candidate achieves a majority.

Critical Assessment of the SMP System

• Key Issues:
  • Plurality and Wasted Votes: Many votes do not contribute to electing a representative.
  • Strategic Voting: Voters often feel compelled to vote strategically rather than directly for their preferred candidate to avoid wasting their vote.
  • Concentrated vs Diffused Support: The advantage or disadvantage experienced by parties can be influenced by whether their support is clustered geographically or spread across the electorate.
• Use statistical data from elections to illustrate these points and elaborate on the concept of manufactured majority.