Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 Elections & the Electoral System Elections, Parties, & Representation Canada’s Electoral System Alternative Electoral Systems

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 What is an Electoral System? Electoral System: the rules governing the translation of votes into parliamentary seats –Main link between voters & elected officials & government –Modern elections are primarily contested by political parties Political Party: a publicly (i.e., visibly) organized group of people motivated by a set of common political ideas who try to win public office to translate those ideas into policies

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 Representative Democracy as a Chain of Delegation Strom (2000): representative democracy as a chain of delegation of power from voters to Parliament to Cabinet Conventions of Responsible Government speak primarily to nature of the Parliament – Cabinet link in this relationship Voters Parliament & MPs Cabinet

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 Responsible Government & Electoral Representation 1.Mandate view of Parliamentary Government & Elections a)MPs compete as members of disciplined parties b)Parties issue manifestos (platforms) that MPs support c)Party that wins & forms cabinet has mandate to enact its manifesto d)That party’s MPs provide cabinet w. confidence e)At next election, the voters judge governing party’s record against its pledges 2.Rep-by-pop

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 Note key idea of mandate view of parliamentar Government & elections: clear lines of accountability Consistent with underlying logic of responsible government But it’s not the only defensible or desirable justification of elections – government linkage

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 Representative Democracy as a Chain of Delegation Strom (2000): representative democracy as a chain of delegation of power from voters to Parliament to Cabinet Electoral system affects link between voters and selection of MPs / partisan complexion of House of Commons Voters Parliament & MPs Cabinet

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 The Electoral System Electoral System: the rules governing the translation of votes into parliamentary seats All electoral systems can be described by 4 elements: 1.Districts 2.District Magnitude (N seats per district) 3.Formula 4.Ballot Structure

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 The Canadian Electoral System: Single-member plurality (SMP) First-past-the post (FPP) 1.Number of Districts: 308 districts (‘ridings’) 2.District Magnitude: 1 seat per district 3.Formula: Plurality, i.e., most votes wins 4.Ballot Structure: no preference ordering or party-vote on ballot

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 Dynamics of Electoral Systems All electoral systems have systematic dynamics, i.e., they tend to produce certain patterns of results irrespective of votes 1.Duverger’s Law 2.Wasted Votes & Strategic Voting 3.Disproportionality 4.Manufactured majorities

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 Duverger’s Law –SMP systems tend to support (at most) two major parties. –To the extent that there are more than two parties, under SMP, the smaller parties are regional parties e.g., Progressives, CCF, Reform, Bloc

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 Duverger’s Law In any region, at most 2 dominant parties OntarioB.C Vote %SeatsVote %Seats Lib (50.9%) (25.0%) Con (37.7%) (47.2%) NDP (11.3%) (27.8%)

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 Duverger’s Law Two front-runners & laggard One front-runner & two laggards Only rarely is there a 3-way dead-heat OntarioB.C Vote %SeatsVote %Seats Lib (50.9%) (25.0%) Con (37.7%) (47.2%) NDP (11.3%) (27.8%)

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 Duverger’s Law These patterns are due to 1.Wasted votes: votes that accrue to party in seats that it loses 2.Strategic voting: voting for 2 nd choice to prevent worse outcome OntarioB.C Vote %SeatsVote %Seats Lib (50.9%) (25.0%) Con (37.7%) (47.2%) NDP (11.3%) (27.8%)

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 Disproportionality Disproportionality: when a party’s seat share (%) not equal to its vote share (%) Under SMP: –Large parties win more seats than votes –Small parties (unless regional) win fewer seats than votes Result of: –Wasted votes –Strategic Voting

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 38% 25% 18% 10% 9%

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 Manufactured Majority: when a party earns 50% or more of the seats with less than 50% of the votes

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 Alternative Electoral Systems Many electoral systems in use world-wide Proportional representation (PR) most common alternative –% seats = % votes –High District Magnitude (i.e., > 1 seats / district) –Party lists & vote quotas (e.g., if 5 seats / district, 20%+ wins seat)

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 Effects of Proportional Representation 1.Proportionality 2.Coalition government 3.Fragmentation (more parties) 4.Empowers party leaders (list-makers) Effects may be normatively positive or negative –e.g., proportionality seems fair, but it may also contribute to political instability

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10

The Australian Electoral System: For the House of Representatives Alternative Vote or Preferential Voting 1.Number of Districts: 150 districts (‘electorates’) 2.District Magnitude: 1 seat per district 3.Formula: Majority, i.e., 50% + 1 wins 4.Ballot Structure: Preference ordering

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 The Australian Electoral System: For the House of Representatives Alternative Vote 1.Number of Districts: 150 districts 2.District Magnitude: 1 seat per district 3.Formula: Majority, i.e., 50% + 1 wins 4.Ballot Structure: Preference ordering

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 The Australian Electoral System: To vote for a Member of the House of Representatives, an elector is required to write the number '1' in the box next to the candidate who is their first choice, and the numbers '2', '3' and so on against all the other candidates, in order of the elector’s preference.

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 1.All number ‘1’ votes are counted for each candidate. If a candidate gets 50+% of the ‘first preference’ votes, they are elected. 2.If no candidate has an absolute majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is excluded. These votes are then transferred to the other candidates according to the 2nd preferences shown on these ballot papers. 3.If still no candidate has an absolute majority, again the remaining candidate with the fewest votes is excluded and these votes are transferred. 4.This process continues until one candidate has more than 50% of the total votes cast.

Elections, Parties, and the Party System Malcomlson & Myers, Chapter 9 & 10 Single Transferable Vote –Recommended by BC Citizens’ Assembly –A preferential system (like Australia’s) –District Magnitude 3-5 –Voters lists candidates by preference –More proportionality, but voters ‘control’ list