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There is an extensive literature about comparative electoral systems. This article is highly instructive, especially for a newcomer to the subject, by reviewing the several alternative systems. It goes beyond that review to analyze the pro's and con's of the alternatives, and to give a history of the systems' used in a variety of countries. The author expresses his own recommendations, seeing particular merit in "mixed single-vote" systems. Further, he proposes a new vote linkage method of seat allocation under such voting rules. He says the new method secures a high degree of proportionality while solving a problem known as "overhang seats".
Key Words: Elections; Electoral systems; Mixed compensatory electoral systems; Mixed member-proportional systems; Mixed single-vote electoral systems; Rules of seat allocation; Overhang seats.
Types of electoral systems "Mixed electoral systems" are conventionally defined as electoral systems that involve the combination of different electoral formulas (plurality mixed with proportional representation (PR); or majority mixed with PR) for an election to a single body (Massicotte and Blais 1999: 345). Since both plurality/majority and proportional representation electoral rules have advantages of their own, there are reasons to expect that systems that mix them 'allow nations to tailor their electoral systems so as to potentially have their cake and eat it too' (Shugart and Wattenberg 2001a: 1); that is, that they combine the advantages of their component parts. At the same time, each of the 'pure' electoral system types is not devoid of certain shortcomings, which makes the above-cited statement justifiable only if the disadvantages are not mutually reinforcing.
Plurality/majority systems. Under plurality/majority electoral rules, the winner is defined as a candidate who receives more votes than any other candidate in the given district, which constitutes the plurality rule, or as a candidate who receives more than a half of the vote, which constitutes the majority rule. Most often, plurality/majority rules are applied in single-member electoral districts, i.e. districts returning only one deputy. The most widespread variety of the plurality rule is single-member plurality, currently employed in the United States, the United Kingdom, and many other countries, including Bangladesh, Canada, India, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Pakistan. The most widespread variety of the majority rule is two- round majority, an electoral system that makes it necessary to hold an...