Proportional Representation
How proportional systems match seats to votes, the different formulas used, and why most democracies choose some form of PR.
The Proportional Principle
Proportional representation (PR) is built on a simple idea: a party that wins 30 percent of the vote should win roughly 30 percent of the seats. Unlike majoritarian systems where representation is tied to winning individual districts, PR allocates seats based on the overall share of votes each party receives. Most democracies worldwide use some form of PR, including nearly all of continental Europe, Scandinavia, and most of Latin America.
The most common form is list PR, where voters choose a party rather than an individual candidate. Each party presents a ranked list of candidates, and seats are filled from the top of the list based on the party's vote share. In 'closed list' systems, the party determines the order; in 'open list' systems, voters can influence which candidates on the list get seated. Because small parties can win seats, PR usually produces multi-party legislatures and coalition governments rather than single-party majorities.
