Comparative Electoral Systems — Glossary

Voters can select as many candidates as they approve of, and the candidate with the most approvals wins.

The legal requirements candidates or parties must meet to appear on election ballots, such as signature collection or fees.

Legal or procedural obstacles that make it difficult for candidates or parties to qualify for election ballots. These barriers can limit political competition and voter choice.

A formal process where candidates or parties collect signatures from eligible voters to qualify for inclusion on an election ballot.

Efforts and policies aimed at changing the rules and procedures that determine how candidates qualify to appear on election ballots. These reforms seek to increase fairness and reduce barriers to candidacy.

Legal or procedural barriers that candidates or parties must overcome to appear on election ballots, often affecting minor parties and independents.

An electoral system where voters select a party and the party determines the order of candidates elected from its list.

A proportional representation system where voters choose a party and the party determines the order of candidates elected.

Primary elections in which only registered party members can vote to select their party’s candidate for the general election.

An election where only registered party members can vote to choose their party's candidate for the general election. This system limits participation to party affiliates.

An electoral system where voters select a party rather than individual candidates, and parties determine the order of candidates elected from their list. It emphasizes party control over candidate selection.

A system where citizens are legally required to vote in elections or face penalties.

A democratic system designed to maximize agreement through power-sharing and broad coalition governments, often including proportional representation.

An electoral system allowing voters to allocate multiple votes to one or more candidates, often used to enhance minority representation.

The theory that plurality-rule elections tend to favor a two-party system, while proportional representation encourages multiparty systems.

A principle stating that single-member district plurality systems tend to favor two-party systems. It explains how electoral rules influence party structures.

Cases where first-past-the-post systems support multiparty systems due to factors like regional parties or ethnic divisions.

A stable political system where the number of viable parties matches the incentives created by the electoral system, often two in plurality systems.

A body of electors established by a constitution to formally elect a president, often based on state-level vote results.

Deliberate design or reform of electoral systems to influence political outcomes or party systems.

The uneven distribution of voters across electoral districts, causing some votes to carry more weight than others. It can distort representation and election outcomes.

Electoral quotas mandate a minimum percentage or number of candidates from underrepresented groups, such as women or minorities, in elections to promote diversity.

The minimum share of votes a party needs to gain representation in a proportional representation system.

A voting method where voters cast a single vote in multiple rounds, eliminating the candidate with the fewest votes each round until one candidate achieves a majority.

An electoral system where the candidate with the most votes in a single-member district wins the seat without needing a majority.

Manipulating electoral district boundaries to favor a particular party or group.

Using computer algorithms to draw electoral district boundaries to maximize partisan advantage efficiently and subtly.

A gerrymandering technique that dilutes the voting power of the opposing party's supporters by spreading them thinly across many districts. This prevents them from forming a majority in any district.

A gerrymandering method that concentrates the opposing party's voters into a few districts to reduce their influence elsewhere. This wastes their votes by giving them overwhelming majorities in limited areas.

Manipulating electoral district boundaries to favor a particular political party, skewing election outcomes and weakening electoral fairness.

Manipulating electoral district boundaries to dilute or concentrate the voting power of racial or ethnic groups.

A gerrymandering tactic that combines distant, demographically similar areas into one district to dilute opposition votes.

A gerrymandering tactic that spreads opposition voters across many districts to dilute their voting power.

Incumbent gerrymandering redraws electoral district boundaries to protect current officeholders from strong challengers, ensuring their re-election.

Drawing electoral district lines specifically to protect current officeholders and reduce competition.

A ranked-choice voting system where voters rank candidates and the least popular candidates are eliminated in rounds until one achieves a majority.

The process of redrawing electoral district boundaries, typically after a census. It can impact political representation and party advantage.

An electoral system that awards additional seats to the party with the most votes to ensure a legislative majority.

An election system where the candidate or party with the majority of votes wins, often leading to single-party governments. It contrasts with proportional systems.

An electoral system where the candidate with the most votes wins, even if they do not achieve an absolute majority. It often leads to single-party majorities in legislatures.

An electoral system that awards additional seats to the party or coalition with the most votes to ensure a stable governing majority.

An electoral district where the majority of constituents belong to racial or ethnic minority groups, often to enhance minority representation.

The idea that election winners have a public mandate to implement their campaign promises and policy agendas.

A voting system combining elements of majoritarian and proportional representation methods to balance local representation with overall proportionality. Voters typically cast two votes: one for a candidate and one for a party list.

An electoral system combining single-member district plurality and proportional representation without compensatory seats.

Mixed-member proportional representation combines single-member district elections with party-list proportional representation to balance local and overall party representation.

An electoral system combining single-member districts and proportional representation.

An electoral system where voters can influence the order of candidates on a party's list by expressing preferences for individual candidates.

A proportional representation system where voters can influence the order of candidates on a party’s list, affecting which candidates win seats.

Primary elections where any registered voter can participate regardless of party affiliation.

An election where any registered voter can participate in choosing a party’s candidate, regardless of party affiliation. It encourages broader voter participation.

A proportional representation system where voters can influence the order of candidates on a party list.

An electoral system where the candidate with the most votes wins, even if they do not have an absolute majority. It is common in single-member districts.

An electoral system where the candidate with the most votes wins, even if they do not have an absolute majority.

A multi-winner voting system where voters have as many votes as seats and the candidates with the most votes win.

A second election held if no candidate achieves a required threshold in the primary to ensure majority support.

The method of distributing seats or delegates based on the percentage of votes received. This system aims to reflect voter preferences fairly.

An electoral system in which parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes they receive. It aims to reflect the diversity of voter preferences more accurately than winner-takes-all systems.

The minimum share of votes a party needs to gain representation in a proportional system.

An electoral system where voters rank candidates and winners are determined through vote redistribution.

The process of redistributing seats in a legislative body based on population changes, often following a census. It affects political representation and district boundaries.

An electoral system where voters cast one vote in multi-member districts, often leading to strategic voting.

An electoral system where voters rank candidates and votes are transferred to meet a quota for proportional representation.

An electoral district that elects one representative to a legislative body. This system is often associated with winner-takes-all elections and can lead to disproportional representation.

When a third-party or minor candidate draws votes away from a major candidate, potentially changing the election outcome. This often occurs in plurality systems.

When voters choose a candidate not as their first preference but to prevent an undesirable candidate from winning.

An electoral district where no single party has overwhelming support, making it competitive and unpredictable.

An electoral system where all candidates compete in a single primary election and the two highest vote-getters advance to the general election regardless of party.

An electoral system where a second round of voting is held if no candidate achieves a majority in the first round.

A situation where collective preferences can be cyclic and inconsistent, making it impossible to determine a clear winner.

A voting system where votes have different weights, often used in organizations to reflect member size or stake.

An electoral system where the candidate or party with the most votes wins all the representation or delegates.