U.S. Electoral Systems - State and Local Government
This spur article outlines electoral systems used in the U.S. state and local governments.
State Legislatures
Almost all states have bicameral legislatures modelled after the federal legislature. In general, members to both bodies are directly elected in single-member plurality districts, but there is variation across states. Several states use the block vote for at least one chamber with district magnitudes ranging from two to six. Some states use variants on the two-round system.
State Governor
The chief executive of each of 40 states is directly elected state-wide in a single-member plurality district. In 10 other states, governors are directly elected under two-round systems with thresholds ranging from 35 to 50 percent.
Local Offices
Electoral rules for local government vary significantly across states. Local government includes cities, towns and counties. While there is a variety of local elected bodies with different functions, in general, each locality elects some executive official (a mayor, for example) and a lawmaking body of several members (a city council, for example). Executives and councils may be directly elected, or a directly elected council may indirectly elect an executive.
Electoral systems currently used at this level are generally from the plurality/majority system though some examples of proportional representation exist. Specific systems used include: single-member plurality, block vote, two-round, alternative vote, single non-transferable vote, cumulative vote, and single transferable vote.
There is further variation in nomination rules. For example, candidates in Louisiana’s two-round system do not need their parties’ nominations to appear on the ballot. In Connecticut towns using the block vote, on the other hand, no party may nominate to more than two-thirds of the seats.
