Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

Accessibility

ACE Electoral Knowledge Network

Personal tools

Log in

You are here: Home → ACE Encyclopaedia → Topic Areas → Electoral Systems

Elections Today

ACE Encyclopaedia

Comparative Data

Electoral Materials

Electoral Advice

Regions & Countries

ACE Encyclopaedia

Document Actions

Table of Contents

Electoral Systems

Electoral Systems

Overview of Electoral Systems

Guiding Principles of Electoral Systems

Context of Electoral Systems

Criteria for Design

Criteria for Design

Providing Representation

Making Elections Accessible and Meaningful

Providing Incentives for Conciliation

Facilitating Stable and Efficient Government

Holding the Government Accountable

Holding Individual Representatives Accountable

Encouraging Political Parties

Promoting Legislative Opposition and Oversight

Making the Election Process Workable and Sustainable

Taking into Account 'International Standards'

Criteria for Design - Conclusions

The Process of Change

The Process of Change

Who designs?

What are the Mechanisms for Reform and Amendment?

Advice on Debate and Dialogue

Advice on Implementation

Assessing the Impact of Change

Trends in Electoral System Reform

Design Components

The Systems and Their Consequences

The Systems and Their Consequences

Plurality/Majority Systems

Plurality/Majority Systems

First Past The Post (FPTP)

First Past The Post (FPTP)

Advantages and disadvantages of FPTP system

Block Vote (BV)

Block Vote (BV)

Advantages and disadvantages of BV

Party Block Vote (PBV)

Party Block Vote (PBV)

Advantages and disadvantages of PBV

The Alternative Vote (AV)

The Alternative Vote (AV)

Advantages and disadvantages of AV

The Two-Round system (TRS)

The Two-Round system (TRS)

Advantages and disadvantages of Two-Round System (TRS)

Proportional Representation (PR)

Proportional Representation (PR)

Advantages of PR systems

Disadvantages of PR systems

List PR

List PR

Advantages and disadvantages of List PR

The Single Transferable Vote (STV)

The Single Transferable Vote (STV)

Advantages and disadvantages of STV

Proportional representation related issues

Proportional representation related issues

District Magnitude

The Threshold

Open, Closed and Free Lists

Apparentement

Independent Candidates and PR systems

Mixed Systems

Mixed Systems

Mixed Member Proportional (MMP)

Mixed Member Proportional (MMP)

Advantages and Disadvantages of MMP

Parallel Systems

Parallel Systems

Advantages and disadvantages of Parallel systems

Other Electoral Systems

Other Electoral Systems

The Single Non-Transferable Vote (SNTV)

The Single Non-Transferable Vote (SNTV)

Advantages and disadvantages of SNTV

The Limited Vote (LV)

The Limited Vote (LV)

Advantages & Disadvantages of Limited Vote

Borda Count (BC)

Advantages & Disadvantages of BC

Electoral System Tiers and Hybrid Systems

Considerations on Representation

Considerations on Representation

Representation of Women

Representation of Minorities

Communal Representation

The timing of Elections

Remote Voting

Turnout Issues

Additional Issues Relevant to Post-conflict and Transitional Elections

Electoral Systems, Institutional Framework & Governance

Electoral Systems, Institutional Framework & Governance

Electing a President

Electing a President

Electing a President - First Past The Post

Electing a President - Two-Round Systems

Electing a President - Preferential Voting

Electing a President - Distribution Requirements

Electing an Upper House

Different Tiers of Governance

Electing Supranational Bodies

Electing Federal/State Assemblies and Autonomous Jurisdictions

Electing Local Authorities

Electoral Systems and Political Parties

Direct Democracy Options

Direct Democracy Options

Referendum

Referendum

Common types of Referendums

Design and Political issues of Referendums

Advantages and disadvantages of the referendum instrument

Citizens' Initiatives

Citizens' Initiatives

Different types of Citizens' initiative

Design and Political Issues

Advantages and disadvantages of the citizens’ initiative instrument

Recall

Recall

Design and Political issues of Recalls

Advantages and disadvantages of the recall instrument

Cost and Administrative Implications of Electoral Systems

Cost and Administrative Implications of Electoral Systems

Electoral Systems and the Drawing of Electoral Boundaries

Electoral Systems and the Registration of Voters

Electoral Systems and the Design and Production of Ballot Papers

Electoral Systems and Voter Education

Electoral Systems and Number of Polling Days

Electoral Systems and By-elections

Electoral Systems and the Count

Cost and administrative implications - conclusions

Advice for Electoral Systems Designers

Advice for Electoral Systems Designers

A Design Checklist

Electoral Systems Case Studies

Electoral Systems Case Studies

Argentina

Australia: The Alternative Vote System

Bolivia: Electoral Reform in Latin America

Brazil: Candidate-Centred PR in a Presidential System

Canada: The Canadian Electoral System

British Columbia: Empowered Citizen Participation

Switzerland

Swiss Direct Democracy

Chile: A System Frozen by Elite Interests

China: Village Committee Elections: First Steps on a Long March?

Germany: The Original Mixed Member Proportional System

Ecuador: The Search for Democratic Governance

European Parliament: Elections to a Supranational Body

The Spanish Electoral System - Historical Accident

Finland: Candidate Choice and Party Proportionality

Indonesia: Continuity, Deals and Consensus

Republic of Ireland: The Single Transferable Vote in Action

Israel: Electoral Reform in Israel

India - First Past the Post on a Grand Scale

Jordan - Electoral System Design in the Arab World

Japan: Adapting to a New Electoral System

Kyrgyzstan: Electoral Manipulation in Central Asia

Sri Lanka: Changes to Accommodate Diversity

Lesotho: Africa’s First MMP Electoral System

Mali: A Two-Round System in Africa

Malta: STV With Some Twists

Mexico: Democratization Through Electoral Reform

Namibia - National List PR in Southern Africa

The Netherlands

New Zealand: Learning to Live with Proportional Representation

Papua New Guinea: Electoral Incentives for Inter-Ethnic Accomodation

Poland: Between Fragmentation and Polarisation

Palestine: Political Realities Shape the System

Russia - An Evolving Parallel System

Senegal:A Parallel System in Africa

Thailand: Combating Corruption through Electoral Reform

Ukraine - The Perils of Majoritarianism in a New Democracy

United Kingdom: Electoral System Experimentation in Cradle of FPTP

United States: Ethnic Minorities and Single-Member Districts

United States: Total Recall - the election of Schwarzenegger in California

South Africa: Electoral Systems, Conflict Management and Inclusion

Contributors to Electoral Systems

© 1998-2009 ACE project

Powered by Plone CMS, the Open Source Content Management System