Electoral System

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Electoral System

• Yubaraj Sangroula

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Function of Democracy

• Objective of Electoral System in connection with
  Democracy is to operationalize the latter.
  Electoral system therefore should not only be
  viewed as an instrument of exercise of rights.
  Electoral system is in this sense a sub-system
  of politics.
• The more representative the electoral system, the
  better chance for sustainability of democracy.
  And sustainable democracy is a basis for free
  and fair electoral system.

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• Function and sustainability of democracy is
  dependent on meaningful constitutional scheme
  that ensures value of votes of people, one
  important ingredient being the same and
  weightage to every legitimate vote.
• Another important value of vote is that it
  provides an instrument to control over states
  power by people. In this sense, electoral system
  is an ingredient of transforming powers to
  democratic characters.
• Electoral system in conjunction with two types of
  power sharing schemes provides a solid basis
  for peoples democracy (loktrantra-an expression
  to elite controlled liberal democracy).

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Two Power Sharing Schemes

• Horizontal Power Sharing Scheme- In
  Constitutionalism, it is call Doctrine of
  Separation of Powers and Check and Balance- The
  States powers is distributed at all level of
  State into three different institutions,
  Legislative, Executive and Judicial.
• Vertical Power Sharing Scheme- In
  constitutionalism, it is called devolution of
  powers- Federalism, Autonym and Local Governance
  are institutions.

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Horizontal
State's Power
Executive
Legislative
Judicial
Federality
Autonmy
Verticle
(Nationality)
Self-Governance
(Geography)
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• Electoral Process activates all these schemes in
  favor of people. It is why in Latin, democracy
  is defined as
• DEMOS- People
• CRACY- System of Running Governance

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Forms of Electoral System

• ES is a means of choosing between a number of
  options based on the input of a number of voters
• It is considered from number of aspects
• Forms of ballots
• Tallying method (counting method)
• Distribution of voting powers among voters
• Constituencies ( how voters are divided into)

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Ballots- ES Five Types

• On the basis of ballots, the voting system can be
  classified into
• Ranked or Preference Voting System (Instant
  runoff, the Borda Count, Condorect Method are
  grouped in Ranked voting system in which voters
  order the list of options from most to the least
  preferred).
• Range Voting System, in which voters rate option
  separately on a scale.
• Plurality voting system (known as first-past the
  post), voters select only one option.
• Approval Voting system, in which voters as many
  as they want.
• Pluming voting system, in which voters may vote
  same candidates as much time as they want.

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Plurality Voting
Ranked Voting
Range Voting
1 2 3 4 5 6
5
1
1
1
3
2
2
3
1
3
4
4
4
5
2
5
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Approval Voting
Pluming Voting
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
5
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Single Winner Method

• Binary Voting System Voters either vote or do
  not vote given candidates ( each candidates
  ballot is different)
• Ranked voting each voter ranks the candidates in
  order of preference.
• Rated Voting voter gives score to each
  candidate.
• The most popular single winner voting system is
  plurality voting. In this winner takes all.
  Getting most votes wins. And thus only those
  votes go to winner are valuable.

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• The most common ranked voting method is instant
  runoff voting (IRV), also know as alternative
  voting, or preferential voting. The most
  preferred by majority is winner.
• Borda count it is a simple ranked voting method
  in which the options receive points based on
  their positions. ( for instance, first rank, 10
  points, second ranked 7 points, 3 ranked 5
  points, fourth ranked 3 points, and fifth ranked
  2 points. Points in each ballot are then
  accumulated, and the highest scorer is declared
  winner).
• Condorect method It is different with Borda
  count only in the sense that in this the one
  receiving the highest number votes opting first
  choice wins.
• In range voting, each vote receives score (from 0
  to 100), and highest scorer wins.

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Multiple Winner Method

• Non-proportion and semi proportional Method
• Block Voting (plurality at large), Each voter
  votes (number of options) and selection of top
  numbers is made.
• Single non-transferable vote method.
• Single transferable voting method.
• Because they encourage proportional results
  without guaranteeing them, they are called
  semi-proportional.

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• Proportional Voting It guarantees the
  proportionality by making each winning option
  represent approximately the same number of
  voters. For example, if the quota is 1000 voters,
  each elected candidate reflects the opinions of
  1000 votes.
• Party-list proportional representation, in this
  voters vote for parties instead of individual
  candidates. For each quota of votes a party
  receives, one of their candidates wins a seat.
• - Seats are divided based on highest average
  methods, and largest remainder methods.

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• Largest remainder method- set a particular quota
  based on the number of voters, for instance,
  20,000 voters 1 seat, so if a party receives
  1,00,000 votes receives 5 seats.
• Highest Average method- ( such as Sainte Lague
  method and DHondt Method)- votes are divided
  between parties, such as 1 one million CPN (UML),
  32 of total, so that it receives 64 seats if
  the parliament has 200 seats. ( The Peace Accord
  has suggested this method, indirectly).

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Peace Accord Confusion

• It sounds from very nature the Highest Average
  Method. There are two ways in it
• Popularity vote, followed by allocation of quota
  based on highest number of seats from popularity
  seats. For example, suppose CPN (UML) wins 100
  seats out of 200, it receives 50 in
  proportionality ( of100 seats remained). It means
  that CPN UML has total 150 seats in the CA.
• Popularity vote followed by average largest
  remainder i.e. total number of votes (suppose
  100 seats is 33 of total voters), UML will
  receives 10033 more seats.
• Which one of this method is not clear. If the
  proportionality is indirectly fixed considering
  the highest average of seats obtained, the
  electoral process ends up at majoritarianism.
• This method can not be said mixed proportional.
  

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Open List and Closed List

• Open list is that in which candidates are
  declared.
• Closed list is that in which party declares the
  candidates after the result is declared.

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Inclusive Electoral Process

• Only Largest Remainder Method provides scope of
  larger inclusiveness. As seats are allocated
  based on number of voters. For instance, if one
  seat is allocated for 100,000 population, and if
  a party receives 33 of total vote, 33 is
  proportionately distributed to stakeholders.
  Every stakeholder is thus proportionately
  represented. (For instance, 1 million population
  of dalit 10 representatives, reduced to 33 3
  representatives). Everyone thus is proportional.
  This is not possible in popularity followed by
  highest average method as marginalized groups
  cannot make popularity votes).