Proportional Representation
Each party receives the share influence (e.g., seats in a parliament) corresponding to the share of votes. If a party gets 30% of all votes, it gets 30% of all seats in the parliament. This type of election is suitable for electing groups of people. But it is rather bad for decisions.
Advantages
- This system is a good reflection of the voter’s will.
- Small parties have an influence
- It is hard to manipulate through the shape of electoral districts
Disadvantages
- Voters cannot influence candidates directly since there is a list necessary
- Lower preferences are not reflected
Example
The following table shows the preference order of a group of people. They can choose their favorite party (1. Preference)
| Preference | A | A | B | B | C | C |
| Preference | B | C | A | C | A | B |
| Preference | C | B | C | A | B | A |
| Number of persons with this preference order | 6 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
Total number of voters: 21
The result is:
- Influence party A: 6/21 = 28.6%
- Influence party B: 7/21 = 33.33%
- Influence party C: 8/21 = 38.1%
If the total number of seats in the parliament is 100, party A would get 29 seats (after rounding), B 33, and party C 38.
