ELECTORAL SYSTEMS REVIEW
Questions?Feedback?
Electoral Systems:Proportional
RepresentationMajoritarianMixed
Electoral System Dimensions
See the Trainers Guidefor overall guidance on using this
presentation. The Trainers Guide serves as a companion resource and
outlines the objectives of the session and materials needed as well
as provides additional guidance on conducting the training session.
Please note that the Guide includes complete instructions on how to
facilitate some of the exercises referenced in this PowerPoint
presentation and additional information on the content of certain
slides. Please adapt the PowerPoint presentation, exercises,
examples and handouts in advance of your workshop. They have been
created for a global audience and need to be adapted to better suit
the local context, the background of your participants and their
level of experience.Terms, images and examples from the
participants country or region should be used as much as possible
so that they are relevant and contextually appropriate.
This presentation draws heavily from an NDI presentation on
electoral systems. This presentation and guidewere developed by
Susan Kemp.NDI would also like to acknowledge those who contributed
including Amy Hamelin, Caroline Hubbard, Susan Markham, Allison
Muehlenbeck, Crystal Rosario and Rebecca Turkington.
*SLIDE CONTENT: To begin the session, introduce yourself and
other staff, trainers and resource persons. Provide the
participants an opportunity to introduce themselves and establish
ground rules for the training.
TRAINER NOTE: It will be important to establish a rapport among
participants. If this is the first presentation of a training
workshop, be sure to build in time for participants to get to know
one another and establish ground rules for their interaction and
participation. Guidance on ice breakers and ground rules can be
found in the Training and Facilitation folder.
You might also establish ground rules by asking participants to
give suggestions and agreeing as a group. You can write the rules
on a flip chart and hang it on the wall for reference during the
training session.
*SLIDE CONTENT: This presentation covers gender and electoral
systems. Specifically, the purpose is:To understand the different
types of electoral systems.To increase awareness of the potential
advantages/disadvantages to these systems from a gender
perspective.
TRAINER NOTE: Provide an overview of the sessions objectives so
that participants understand its purpose and have realistic
expectations about what to expect.
You may also wish to ask participants what expectations they
have for the session. What do they hope to get out of it? You can
then relate their expectations to the objectives and suggest how
unrelated expectations might be met in other ways.
*SLIDE CONTENT: There are different types of electoral systems
which have an impact on the way elections are conducted and can
have an impact on womens political participation. This presentation
will discuss proportional representation, majoritarian and mixed
systems, analyzing each from a gender perspective.
TRAINER NOTE: Once the objectives have been shared, give a brief
overview of the topics to be covered. We want to give participants
a sense of where we are heading in the presentation, so summarize
the main concepts that will be addressed. You can also use this
time to define any key terms that will be used throughout the
training, to get a sense of participant levels and ensure a common
understanding among the group. If there are many terms, you may
want to create an additional slide (see next).*SLIDE CONTENT: Here
you will give a brief overview of the terms commonly used when
discussing this topic. Electoral System: the system that takes
votes cast and translates them into election results seats won by
parties and candidates (International IDEA). Proportional
Representation: an electoral system designed to represent in a
legislative body each political group or party in proportion to its
actual voting strength in the electorate
(Merriam-Webster).Majoritarian System: an electoral system in which
those candidates or parties with the most votes are declared the
winners (there may also be additional conditions) (ACE Electoral
Knowledge Network definition). Open/Closed Party List: In simple
terms, a closed list is a fixed list that voters cannot change. An
open list is a list that voters can change with their votes (UN
International Electoral Assistance Working Paper, 2008). Gender
Quota: a special measure to enhance womens representation, either
through reserved seats or requirements for placement of women on
candidate lists (this can be legally required or a voluntary
practice by parties).
TRAINER NOTE: Defining the key terms that will be used
throughout the training allows the trainer to get a sense of
participant levels and ensure a common understanding among the
group. Ask participants for their thoughts on the terms and decide
on common definitions. *SLIDE CONTENT: What exactly does an
electoral system do? Why does it matter?The system translates the
votes cast in the election into how many seats are won by parties
and candidates.
*SLIDE CONTENT: Proportional representation (PR) systems: where
voters choose from among party lists and parties receiving a
sufficient proportion of votes are awarded seats based on their
share of the votes. (Types: List PR, Single Transferable
Vote)Voters in a majority /plurality system select from two or more
candidates running for a single seat constituency, and the
candidate receiving the majority of votes is the winner. (Types:
First Past the Post, Two-Round System, Alternate Vote, Block Vote,
Party Block Vote)Mixed systems combine different aspects of
majority and plurality systems. (Types: Parallel or Mixed Member
Proportional)Other (Types: Single Non-Transferable Vote, Limited
Vote, Borda Count)TRAINER NOTE: Explain the different types of
electoral systems and provide examples of each. Discuss the system
in the target country and when possible, use examples from the
region to highlight the different systems. Note: the chart above
includes the different types of sub-systems, which may be more
detailed than you want to cover in the training. For information on
the various types of sub-categories, see International IDEAs
Electoral Design Handbook, chapter 2 (in additional resources).
EXAMPLES: Plurality/Majority: Australia, India, Canada, UK,
USProportional: Finland, South Africa, Democratic Republic of the
CongoMixed: Georgia, Nepal, MexicoOther: Slovenia (uses Borda Count
for election of minority seats)*SLIDE CONTENT: There are inherent
advantages and disadvantages to a PR system, including:Advantages:
Proportionality; encourages formation of political parties;
facilitates diverse representation; and candidates get votes from
all over the country.Disadvantages: Results in coalition
governments, which can be unstable; results in small parties having
disproportionate power; and can limit direct accountability (less
control by voters over individual candidates).
TRAINER NOTE: Explain again that a PR system tries to deliver a
close match between the percentage of votes cast for a candidate or
party and the percentage of seats they receive. It generally tries
to minimize the number of leftover votes. Discuss advantages and
disadvantages mention that these are generally the case with this
type of system but depends on the specific sub-type, political
context, etc.
*SLIDE CONTENT:Used in multi-member districts.Parties create a
list of candidates in a specific order, and voters vote for a
party.Parties are allocated seats based on the percentage of the
vote they received.In closed PR systems, winning candidates are
selected from the list in order.In open PR systems, voters can mark
preferences for candidates on the list, making name recognition
more important.Thresholds are very important in list PR
systems.
TRAINER NOTE: Be prepared to discuss these aspects and answer
questions, as this may be new information to participants. The
additional resources section provides further explanation for your
reference.
EXAMPLES: Benin, South Africa
*SLIDE CONTENT/EXAMPLE: Picture is a list PR ballot from
Ecuador, from the ACE
Project:http://aceproject.org/ero-en/topics/electoral-systems/emx_b023.pdf/view
*SLIDE CONTENT: So what are some of the advantages and
criticisms of List PR systems? Advantages: Proportionality the
percentage of votes a party gained closer to the number of seats
they gain; Smaller parties have a greater chance for
representation; Minority and womens quotas are easier to implement;
Encourages developed parties
Criticisms: Need more developed parties; Requires greater
coordination by parties, concentrates power in hands of central
party organization; Relatively weaker links between parties and
constituents
*SLIDE CONTENT: Now well talk about another type of PR system
the Single Transferable Vote, STV.Voters in multi-member districts
rank candidates in order of preference.The results are determined
through a series of vote counts. To win, candidates must cross a
quota of votes. In the first round, those who pass, win.In the
second and subsequent votes, the surplus votes of the elected
individuals are redistributed according to the voters second
preference.If in any count, no one gets a quota, the candidate with
the lowest total votes is eliminated and his/her ballots are
redistributed.Candidates continue being selected until all the
seats are filled.
TRAINER NOTE: Explain STV process here and provide some examples
of countries using this system.
Examples: Scotland, New Zealand*SLIDE CONTENT: There are
advantages and criticisms to this system too. Advantages: Voters
get to choose individuals and parties; Fairly proportional results;
STV in practice districts are small, so the party-constituent
connection is strong Criticisms: Requires higher level of literacy
and numerical knowledge; Complex; Party members are competing
against each other; Party with a plurality of votes can end up
getting fewer seats
**SLIDE NOTES: There are several types of majoritarian systems,
which well talk about in more detail in the following slides. They
are:First Past the PostThe Two-Round SystemBlock VoteParty Block
VoteAlternate Vote*SLIDE CONTENT: First Past the Post (Acronym =
FPTP)Citizens are split into electoral districts and cast a single
vote for their candidate. Whoever gets the most votes, wins.More
typical of countries where a single individual represents a
geographic area.
EXAMPLES: UK, Bangladesh, Canada, India, Malaysia
*SLIDE CONTENT: Advantages: Simple; Clear choices between
candidates; Representatives tied to districts, creating stronger
connections between constituents and MPs; Can foster more
broad-based politics where there is not a majority ethnic group
Criticisms: Excludes smaller parties and can exclude minorities
and women; Can foster ethnic identification in areas with
significant ethnic majorities, to the exclusion of ethnic
minorities; Dependent on electoral boundaries (gerrymandering)
TRAINER NOTE: It may be useful to explain the term
gerrymandering and give an example of this as well as of a country
with a FPTP system.
*SLIDE CONTENT: Another type of majoritarian system is the
two-round system. It is very similar to FPTP, and candidates must
get an absolute majority. There is a first round of FPTP voting--
if someone gets a majority, he/she wins. If no one does, then some
candidates may be eliminated and a second vote takes place.
EXAMPLES: France (presidential), Congo (Brazzaville),
Mauritania
*SLIDE CONTENT: Advantages: Gives voters a second chance;
Encourages bargains and tradeoffs; Minimizes vote-splitting
Criticisms: Expensive; more pressure on electoral administration;
Similar disadvantages to FPTP; Bad for deeply divided societies
(ex. Congo-Brazzavilles return to violence and civil war)
*SLIDE CONTENT:Multi-member districts Voters get as many votes
as there are candidates. They can use all, some, or none.The X
number of candidates with the highest vote totals are elected.
EXAMPLES: Jordan, Mongolia, Thailand common in places with
weaker/nascent political parties
*SLIDE CONTENT: Advantages: Voters can pick individuals: Parties
can have a more active role than in FPTP: Rewards parties which are
organized Criticisms: Can exaggerate problems with FPTP,
particularly disproportionality; Can fragment parties; Candidate
selection must be produce a strategic number of candidates with
broad appeal Goldilocks problem Has to be just right
*SLIDE CONTENT: Again, used in multi-member districts. Parties
build lists of candidates to fill all the available seats. Voters
get one vote and choose between party lists, not individuals.
Whichever party gets the most votes, their list is elected.
EXAMPLES: Singapore, Djibouti, Chad
*SLIDE CONTENT: Advantages: Simple system; encourages strong
parties; can facilitate minority representation Criticisms: suffers
similar issues as FPTP, such as disproportionality. *SLIDE CONTENT:
Alternative Vote is also known as Preferential Voting or Instant
RunoffUsually used in single-member districts.Voters rank their
preferences between candidates.If a candidate secures an absolute
majority of first choice voters, s/he is elected.If this doesnt
happen, the candidate with the lowest votes is eliminated, and
his/her ballots are reallocated to each voters second
preference.This continues until someone gets a majority.
EXAMPLES: Australia, Fiji, Ireland, Papua New Guinea
*SLIDE CONTENT: Advantages: Candidates must seek first and
second votes of voters; This supposedly encourages centrist
politics, cooperation, and compromise; Avoids tactical voting in
FPTP
Criticisms: Requires a higher level of literacy and numerical
knowledge; Centrist outcomes often depend more on political context
than electoral system; Doesnt work well with larger, multi-member
districts (too many choices)
*SLIDE CONTENT: This is an example of an alternative vote ballot
from Australia from the ACE Project, Electoral System Design: The
New International IDEA Handbook (2005),
http://aceproject.org/ace-en/topics/es/esd/esd01/onePage.*SLIDE
CONTENT: There are a lot of different dimensions that impact/are
impacted by the electoral system, such as:How voters are divided
(districts)How many votes do voters get?How many members are being
elected from each voting district? (district magnitude)What are the
thresholds for winning? (The threshold is the share of votes
necessary for a party to enter the parliament (or other elected
body) in a proportional system.)Are voters voting for individuals
or parties?
TRAINER NOTE: The presentation will discuss these dimensions in
terms of their impact on gender in the following slides.*SLIDE
CONTENT:District Size: In a proportional system, the country may be
divided into a number of electoral districts. Each district is
allocated a certain number of seats. Alternatively, the country may
serve as one single district. Generally, larger districts tend to
favor women, as party lists are longer and more women may therefore
be elected, provided that they are placed high enough on the lists.
In a majority system, smaller districts result in a larger number
of seats in the parliament, which may favor the inclusion of
women.
District and Party Magnitude: Larger district magnitudes, or the
number of representatives elected per district - and relatedly,
party magnitudes - mean that more candidates will be elected off
each of the party lists. Party magnitude is defined as the number
of seats a party wins in a specific electoral district (ACE
Project,
http://aceproject.org/ace-en/topics/pc/pcc/pcc04/pcc04b).Since the
top candidates tend to be men, the lower down the electoral cutoff,
the greater the likelihood of women being elected. This is
particularly salient in preferential voting systems, where top
placement is not guaranteed by a quota.
TRAINER NOTE: Discuss the district size and magnitude in the
target country. Have participants seen changes in electoral
districts in their country, and if so, how have they seen it impact
election results (positively or negatively)?*SLIDE CONTENT: Party
Lists: In a proportional system, candidate lists may be open or
closed, which can have ramifications on womens chances of being
elected.Open List: Voters have the opportunity to express
preferences for certain candidates and potentially affect their
position on the list. Because voters tend to express preferences
for well-known candidates (who are more likely to be men), open
list systems generally decrease the chances of women being elected.
A well-organized campaign to choose women could have the effect of
more women being elected, however.Closed List: In a closed party
list system, voters cannot change the order of the candidates as
placed by the party on the list. Closed party lists generally
increase the chances of women being elected, assuming that female
candidates are placed high enough on the list. Threshold: The
threshold is the share of votes necessary for a party to enter the
elected body in a PR system. The threshold for parliament is often
5 % or lower. Higher thresholds tend to increase the number of
women elected. The fewer number of parties, the greater number of
seats that each party will receive. With a high threshold and fewer
parties in parliament, parties can put forward much longer
candidate lists. But candidates not only need to be on the list,
they need to be in positions that are high on the list in order to
gain a seat. Lower thresholds may encourage the participation of
small parties, but they would gain fewer seats so may be less
likely to place women in the top positions of their lists.
TRAINER NOTE: Discuss the type of system in the target
country/ies. This may not be relevant to highlight in countries
with majoritarian systems, though it may still be worth mentioning
if the country is considering changes to its electoral
system.*SLIDE CONTENT: Party Vs. Candidate: Systems in which more
emphasis/burden is placed on the candidate can cause challenges for
women. This is because they often are less known or visible
candidates. They may have less resources to launch an individual
campaign and in many countries women candidates receive less media
coverage/unequal air time.On the other hand, in a system where the
voter selects a party, womens representation levels will be
impacted more by the parties commitment to recruiting women
candidates and placing them in winnable positions. Quotas: Quotas
can also impact womens representation and the type of system can
impact the effectiveness of the quota, among other factors. TRAINER
NOTE: Discuss the type of system in the target country/ies. More
details on quotas can be found in the Electoral Quotas presentation
in this module. *SLIDE CONTENT: Now we will put all of the content
weve covered together in a brief exercise, to look at the electoral
system in our country and how it impacts womens representation.
TRAINER NOTE: Break participants into small groups of 5 to
discuss their electoral system details and make a list of the
advantages and disadvantages for women. Have each group provide
pros and cons of each aspect discussed and open to the group for
discussion. If time permits, break the participants into different
groups to then develop recommendations for addressing one area that
was identified as a disadvantage for womens representation.
*SLIDE CONTENT: Today weve covered the types of electoral
systems, including advantages and criticisms of each. We have also
discussed other electoral system dimensions, such as party
magnitude, district size, etc. and their potential impact on womens
representation.
TRAINER NOTE: Here you should summarize the topics and main
points covered and allow time for questions, feedback and
evaluation. Go over any areas where participants had specific
interest or questions and may require further clarification,
resources or follow up.
HANDOUT: Presentation evaluation sheet*
