The choice of an electoral system is one of the most important institutional decisions for any democracy. In almost all cases, the choice of a particular electoral system has a profound effect on the future political life of the country concerned and electoral systems, once chosen, often remain fairly constant as political interests solidify around and respond to the incentives presented by them. However, while conscious design has become far more prevalent recently, traditionally it has been rare for electoral systems to be consciously and deliberately selected. Often the choice was essentially accidental, the result of an unusual combination of circumstances, of a passing trend, or of a quirk of history, with the impact of colonialism and the effects of influential neighbours often being especially strong.

The BRIDGE Project always strives to avoid prescribing any element of the electoral process. In an effort to treat electoral administrators as professionals, the project offers them the opportunities to look at the pros and cons of a particular element of electoral process. In the beginning of 2016, this module has been updated to more succinctly present and compare the various electoral systems and their effects including more up-to-date case studies.

This module begins with the question “Why are electoral systems important?” If the group decides that looking at electoral systems is necessary (and indeed, most participants are enrolled in the course because they feel it is), then this module is useful as it systematically examines the subject of electoral systems. The module looks at the underlying principles of electoral systems that emphasize the importance of fairness and representativeness. BRIDGE Project partners believe that for any element of electoral process to be successful it must be appropriate to the context and it must be “owned” by those administering it. In light of this, a large number of potential electoral systems are presented to the participants and they are encouraged to explore the relative merits of each for their contexts. Once the various systems have been evaluated, participants will have the opportunity to create a strategic reform plan based on the understanding gained through the module.