The Electoral System Design Database is comprised of various reviews of the electoral legislation of countries from around the world. The database research was sourced from national legal documents from different sources, including the official web portals of governments, regional organizations that work in the area of democracy and electoral processes, and research institutes specialized in the area of elections and politics in general.
| Dataset type: | Time-Series |
| Dataset level: | Country |
(The International
Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, 2023)
Electoral System Family 1. Proportional Representation 2. Plurality/Majority 3. Plurality/Majority and Proportional Representation 4. Mixed 5. Transition 6. Other 7. Not Applicable
More about this variableElectoral System for National Legislature: 1. List Proportional Representation (List PR) Under a List Proportional Representation (List PR) system each party or grouping presents a list of candidates for a multi-member electoral district, the voters vote for a party, and parties receive seats in proportion to their overall share of the vote. In some (closed list) systems the winning candidates are taken from the lists in order of their position on the lists. If the lists are 'open' or 'free' the voters can influence the order of the candidates by marking individual preferences. 2. Block Vote (BV) Block Vote is a plurality/majority system used in multi-member districts. Electors have as many votes as there are candidates to be elected. The candidates with the highest vote totals win the seats. Usually voters vote for candidates rather than parties and in most systems may use as many, or as few, of their votes as they wish. 3. First Past the Post (FPTP) First Past The Post is the simplest form of plurality/majority electoral system. The winning candidate is the one who gains more votes than any other candidate, even if this is not an absolute majority of valid votes. The system uses single-member districts and the voters vote for candidates rather than political parties. 4. Two-Round System (TRS) The Two-Round System is a plurality/majority system in which a second election is held if no candidate or party achieves a given level of votes, most commonly an absolute majority (50 per cent plus one), in the first election round. A Two-Round System may take a majority-plurality form-more than two candidates contest the second round and the one wins the highest number of votes in the second round is elected, regardless of whether they have won an absolute majority-or a majority run-off form-only the top two candidates in the first round contest the second round. 5. Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) Mixed Member Proportional is a mixed system in which the choices expressed by the voters are used to elect representatives through two different systems-one List PR system and (usually) one plurality/majority system-where the List PR system compensates for the disproportionality in the results from the plurality/majority system. 6. Single Transferable Vote (STV) The Single Transferable Vote is a preferential system in which the voter has one vote in a multi-member district and the candidates that surpass a specified quota of first preference votes are immediately elected. In successive counts, votes are redistributed from least successful candidates, who are eliminated, and votes surplus to the quota are redistributed from successful candidates, until sufficient candidates are declared elected. Voters normally vote for candidates rather than political parties, although a party-list option is possible. 7. Alternative Vote (AV) The Alternative Vote is a preferential plurality/majority system used in single-member districts. Voters use numbers to mark their preferences on the ballot paper. A candidate who receives an absolute majority (50 per cent plus 1) of valid first preference votes is declared elected. If no candidate achieves an absolute majority of first preferences, the least successful candidates are eliminated and their votes reallocated according to their second preferences until one candidate has an absolute majority. Voters vote for candidates rather than political parties. 8. Single Non-Transferable Vote (SNTV) Under the Single Non-Transferable Vote system voters cast a single vote in a multi-member district. The candidates with the highest vote totals are declared elected. Voters vote for candidates rather than political parties. 9. Two-Round System, Party Block Vote (TRS PBV) Party Block Vote (PBV) is a plurality/majority system using multi-member districts in which voters cast a single party-centered vote for a party of choice, and do not choose between candidates. The party with the most votes will win every seat in the electoral district. 10. Limited Vote (LV) Limited Vote is a candidate-centred electoral system used in multi-member districts in which electors have more than one vote, but fewer votes than there are candidates to be elected. The candidates with the highest vote totals win the seats. 11. First Past The Post, Party Block Vote (FPTP PBV) 12. First Past the Post, List Proportional Representation (FPTP List PR) 13. First Past the Post, Block Vote (FPTP BV) 14. First Past the Post, Party Block Vote, List Proportional Representation (FPTP PBV List PR) 15. Parallel A Parallel System is a mixed system in which the choices expressed by the voters are used to elect representatives through two different systems-one List PR system and (usually) one plurality/majority system-but where no account is taken of the seats allocated under the first system in calculating the results in the second system. 16. In transition 17. Modified Borda Count (Modified BC) Borda Count (BC) - A candidate-centred preferential system used in either single- or multimember districts in which voters use numbers to mark their preferences on the ballot paper and each preference marked is then assigned a value using equal steps. These are summed and the candidate(s) with the highest total(s) is/are declared elected. 18. Two-Round System, Party Block Vote, List Proportional Representation (TRS PBV List PR) 19. No direct elections.
More about this variableElectoral System for the President: 1. Two-Round System (TRS) The Two-Round System is a plurality/majority system in which a second election is held if no candidate or party achieves a given level of votes, most commonly an absolute majority (50 per cent plus one), in the first election round. A Two-Round System may take a majority-plurality form-more than two candidates contest the second round and the one who wins the highest number of votes in the second round is elected, regardless of whether they have won an absolute majority-or a majority run-off form-only the top two candidates in the first round contest the second round. 2. First Past the Post (FPTP) First Past The Post is the simplest form of plurality/majority electoral system. The winning candidate is the one who gains more votes than any other candidate, even if this is not an absolute majority of valid votes. The system uses single-member districts and the voters vote for candidates rather than political parties. 3. Supplementary Vote (SV) Supplementary vote: Voters can rank up to three candidates, and if no candidate wins a majority in the first round of voting, second and third preferences from ballots whose first preference candidate has been eliminated are used to determine the winner. 4. Single Transferable Vote (STV) The Single Transferable Vote is a preferential system in which the voter has one vote in a multi-member district and the candidates that surpass a specified quota of first preference votes are immediately elected. In successive counts, votes are redistributed from least successful candidates, who are eliminated, and votes surplus to the quota are redistributed from successful candidates, until sufficient candidates are declared elected. Voters normally vote for candidates rather than political parties, although a party-list option is possible. 5. In Transition 6. Other 7. Not applicable
More about this variableLegislative size, directly elected. Total number of directly elected representatives, excluding those appointed or indirectly elected.
More about this variableLegislative size, voting members. Total number of directly elected representatives, including those appointed or indirectly elected.
More about this variableNumber of tiers. The tiers of an electoral system can be understood as the sets of representatives that are elected to the same chamber by the entire electorate of a country. 99 indicates a hybrid system, where one part of the country elects representatives using one electoral system, while another distinct part of the country elects representatives using a different system.
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