The electoral system could be defined as a group of elements of the electoral regulations that have a direct influence on the mediation between votes and seats, that is to say, those that are able bring about different results in terms of representation with the same numbers of popular votes. They are therefore the basic lines of mediation that any electoral law establishes between votes and representation and, as such, those with the highest political content. They are, ultimately, the core decisions that any legislator should make when drafting an electoral law. (see Overview under
Electoral Systems).
The electoral system is a relative concept, as the importance given to a specific element may vary, depending on the point of view. Moreover, it is a historic concept, as lines that shaped the system at a particular time (e.g., the extension of universal or restricted the right to vote in an election) have ceased to do so
because of the progress of the democratic system, so they become pre-established facts that no legislator can escape. Consequently, they lose their nature as a political decision, characteristic of the elements of the system.
Setting out from this dual quality (effect on the conversion of votes into seats and the target of differentiating treatment in accordance with a political decision), the elements which nowadays make up the contents of the electoral system, are:
- the constituency, considered to be the geographic unit of conversion of the votes into seats
- the electoral formula, or mathematical conversion procedure of votes into seats
- whether or not an electoral barrier will be set, i.e., a minimum percentage of votes so that the candidacies will be able to participate in the seat count
- the form of expression of the vote, referring to the capacity of the voter and, correspondingly, the capacity of the political groups that organise candidacies to determine which persons in particular will hold the office being disputed
It has been pointed out that the concept of the electoral system is an historic concept. Consequently, it is a process in which, once certain solutions have been reached, they become part of the democratic standard and leave no room for turning back, not even in states that enter into the democratic system for the first time. Among these aspects, which at the time formed part of the electoral system, but today dominate as pre-existing facts, can be found:
