proportional representation
Seats match votes
Proportional representation is an electoral system in which political parties gain seats in a legislature in proportion to the number of votes they receive.
If a party wins 30 percent of the vote, it gets roughly 30 percent of the seats.
This contrasts with winner-take-all systems where the candidate with the most votes in each district wins everything.
Advocates argue it produces governments that better reflect the diversity of voter preferences; critics say it can lead to fragmented parliaments and unstable coalition governments.
Formally registering a choice
- ballotVoting document
- seatsPlaces to sit
- thresholdPoint of beginning
- vote shareFraction of ballots received
constituency · electorate · coalition · parliament · legislature · candidates · mandate · suffrage
Coexistence of differing views
- consensusGeneral group agreement
- governanceHow authority is exercised
- majorityOver half of total
- minoritySmaller part of whole
franchise · referendum · multi-party · mandate · legitimacy · accountability · participation · deliberation
Practice of welcoming all
- multiculturalismCoexistence of diverse traditions
- minoritiesSmaller portions of populations
- gender balanceEqual male-female representation
- underrepresented groupsPopulations lacking proportional inclusion
religious minorities · reserved seats · affirmative action · gender quota · intersectionality · cosmopolitan · integration · coexistence
Impartial treatment or ownership value
- balanceSteadiness or amount owed
- impartialityFreedom from prejudice
- evenhandednessUnbiased, balanced judgment
- egalitarianismPhilosophy of universal equality
non-discrimination · fair play · unbiased · parity · wasted votes · spoiler effect · gerrymandering · malapportionment
voting
Formally registering a choice
vote share · constituency · electorate · coalition · parliament · legislature · candidates · mandate · suffrage · political spectrum
pluralism
Coexistence of differing views
- consensusGeneral group agreement
- governanceHow authority is exercised
- majorityOver half of total
minority · franchise · referendum · multi-party · mandate · legitimacy · accountability · participation · deliberation · power-sharing
inclusivity
Practice of welcoming all
- multiculturalismCoexistence of diverse traditions
- minoritiesSmaller portions of populations
- gender balanceEqual male-female representation
underrepresented groups · religious minorities · reserved seats · affirmative action · gender quota · intersectionality · cosmopolitan · integration · coexistence
equity
Impartial treatment or ownership value
- balanceSteadiness or amount owed
- impartialityFreedom from prejudice
- evenhandednessUnbiased, balanced judgment
egalitarianism · non-discrimination · fair play · unbiased · parity · wasted votes · spoiler effect · gerrymandering · malapportionment · winner-take-all
mixed-member
Dual-ballot electoral system
- proportionalityScaling relationship between quantities
- democracyvote, voting, election, elections, ballot
- votingballot, vote, voters, ballots, voter
- Congresssenator, senators, House, bill, committee
- German PoliticsBundesrat, CSU, Nazi Party, Greens, federal republic
- UK PoliticsHouse of Commons, House of Lords, MP, Tory, Downing Street
- EU ElectionsEuropean Parliament, MEP, MEPs, ballot, ballots
proportional representationwinner-take-all
Only champion receives reward
first-past-the-post · block voting · majority rule · two-party system · electoral college
proportional representationmajoritarianism
Rule by greatest number
disproportionality · wasted votes · safe seats · gerrymandering
represent, proportion, representation, representative, apportion, representing, represented, proportional, misrepresent