Any of the electoral systems outlined above can be used at the local or municipal government level. However, often there are a number of special considerations borne out of the particular role that local government plays in a political system. First, because local government is more about the 'nuts and bolts' issues of everyday life, geographical representation is often given primacy; single-member districts can be used to give every neighbourhood a say in local affairs. Because these districts are so small, they are usually highly homogeneous, which is sometimes seen to be a good thing, but if diversity within a local government district is what is called for, the 'spokes of a wheel' principle of districting can be applied. Here, district boundaries are not circles drawn around identifiable neighbourhoods, but are segments of a circle centering on the city centre and ending in the suburbs. This means that one district includes both the urban and the suburban voters, and makes for a mix of economic class and ethnicity.
In contrast, some countries which use Proportional Representation (PR) systems for local government see defined municipalities as the perfect way to have one single-list PR district which can proportionally reflect all the different political opinions in the municipality. However, one consideration peculiar to the requirements for a local government electoral system is that specific space needs to be made for independents and the representatives of local associations who are not driven by party-political ideology. It is also true that the choice of a local election system may be made as a function, or part of, a compromise involving the system for a national parliament. For example, in some newly democratizing countries such as the Congo and Mali, tradition and the French influence have resulted in a Two-Round System for the national parliament, while a desire to be inclusive and more fully reflect regional and ethnic loyalties resulted in the choice of PR for municipal elections.
