Hamza Jeter
4/28/17
Professor Roxas
Political Science
Single Member District Vs Proportional Representation
The two most popular and most used types of voting systems are single member districts and proportional representation. A single member district is a voting system with a predetermined constituency that elects a single individual to some place in office. A proportional representation is a voting system used to elect an assembly or group of people. The clear difference between the two systems is that a single member district allows an electoral district with only one seat while proportional representation allows for multimember districts and seats in the district are awarded proportionally. However, there are certain characteristics …show more content…
In this system, they attempt to decrease the number of votes wasted by increasing the number of parties there are in the legislature. Since the proportional representation relies on more than one legislative seat in each district, it allows for the amount of votes wasted to decrease. In this system, the voters cast their ballot for a party and not a single candidate. The percentage of votes a party receives will determine how many of the districts seats the part will end up gaining. Another difference between the two systems is that proportional representation is based on multi- member districts, so it creates elections that are not centered on competition between individuals. It is also noted that proportional systems have more party discipline and ideology than single member districts. For example, proportional representation has a diversity of parties and they carve out distinct ideological spaces as single member districts do not. Single member districts choose to get as many people as possible in order to win majority of votes. Also proportional systems tend to have more disciplined parties since those who do not follow the rules end up being dropped from the party list in the elections to
4/28/17
Professor Roxas
Political Science
Single Member District Vs Proportional Representation
The two most popular and most used types of voting systems are single member districts and proportional representation. A single member district is a voting system with a predetermined constituency that elects a single individual to some place in office. A proportional representation is a voting system used to elect an assembly or group of people. The clear difference between the two systems is that a single member district allows an electoral district with only one seat while proportional representation allows for multimember districts and seats in the district are awarded proportionally. However, there are certain characteristics …show more content…
In this system, they attempt to decrease the number of votes wasted by increasing the number of parties there are in the legislature. Since the proportional representation relies on more than one legislative seat in each district, it allows for the amount of votes wasted to decrease. In this system, the voters cast their ballot for a party and not a single candidate. The percentage of votes a party receives will determine how many of the districts seats the part will end up gaining. Another difference between the two systems is that proportional representation is based on multi- member districts, so it creates elections that are not centered on competition between individuals. It is also noted that proportional systems have more party discipline and ideology than single member districts. For example, proportional representation has a diversity of parties and they carve out distinct ideological spaces as single member districts do not. Single member districts choose to get as many people as possible in order to win majority of votes. Also proportional systems tend to have more disciplined parties since those who do not follow the rules end up being dropped from the party list in the elections to